We are going to give you a behind the scenes view of our trip prep.  We take one big trip a year and put a bunch of effort into it.  On average we spend 8-10 months planning our adventures! Crazy huh?  We have divided our planning regimen up to a few areas:  tickets and tomatoes,  the Fons (background in Catalan), keeping the homefires burning, and our favorite:  depth charges.

Tickets and Tomatoes

This is probably the one step that we do the same as everyone else.  Buying your flights and finding the hotels, hostels, and the perfect mom and pop linguini joint in Tuscany.

Flights

We are credit card points addicts.  We admit it.  Typically we don’t have the same “points card” at the same time.  This forces us to fly on different carriers.  We love the reaction we get from people when we tell them that we rarely fly together.  Trust us…it is much better that we don’t fly together.  The fights would fill up 20 blogs!  We are both window seat people.  Luci is a talker…Mike is a reader.  Two very different approaches to long haul flying.   Each year we take turns picking the location of our “big” trip.  Once a location is identified and vetted with the other, we start the arduous process of getting points to fit the destination.  This can be extremely difficult.  At times we have taken short hops via Southwest to get to a departure city that fits within our points budget.  Then we attempt to get the flights to land around the same time.  So far we have been successful.  We have had some harried convos with airline’s customer service.

Hotels

Once the destination is decided we come up with a draft list of things/areas that we want to visit.  From there our first step is to look for Hiltons.  Luci and I are Hilton disciples.  We both travel a ton for work and rack up some nice point totals.  They also treat us really good as we are members of their “Diamond” class.  It’s not unlike us to spend half of our vakay in Hiltons.

Wanna learn more about some great hotel deals?  Just like our Fighting Facebook page and we will give your some great ideas!

Finding hotels

One of the best tools we have found for finding research on hotels is Tripadvisor.  Love the TripAdvisor!  If your are not familiar with the site, basically is a free forum of travelers to post their reviews on hotels.   Basically what you are looking for is a hotel with reviews in the top 10(small city) or top 100 (large city).  Don’t get too caught up if you see one or two bad/terrible reviews.  This is likely the competition being a bad citizen or a person that is really grumpy.  Hone in on the tone of the entire collection of reviews.

Rental Cars

Just a quick word about rental cars.  When traveling into another country, always buy the insurance.  Trust me.  If you are looking for a car hire in Ibiza, Spain, look no further.

Finding Food

We are planning nerds.  We know.  Go ahead say it!  We typically find two or three interesting places we want to try in areas we are staying 3-4 days.  If it is just a day, we don’t bother.  Find something when we are “on the ground.”  By far our best dining experiences has come from advice of the locals.  We do use tripadvisor and urbanspoon.  We typically eat breakfast in the hotels we stay in or grab some bread ect.  We have had some awesome experiences with hotel food.  At a little family run hotel we stayed at in Selchuk, Turkey, we hung out with the owners and had some great conversation watching soccer.   We don’t get too hung up on having an amazing meal at every sitting.

Actual picture of our shower!

The Fons (background in Catalan)

Warning: this section contains obsessive compulsive confessions.  (if you actually have a “life” skip this section.)

This is the part where we are a little different than most travelers.  We do a ton, and I do mean a ton of background work on the places we are going.  We learn the language.  What works for me is a list of vocab words in the shower, and then listening to how the words are said in the car on CD.  We learn the religion.  We learn the history.  We took a college course on Turkish Culture before our trip there.  We read not just the Fodors, but novels and histories of the places.  I am reading Orwell’s “Homage to Catalonia” in prep for our upcoming trip to Barcelona.  When we set foot in a country, we really want to have a context for what we are seeing.  We want to drink deep.  Never rely on a tour guide.

Keeping the Home Fires Burning

We have kids.  They don’t travel with us on our annual big trip.  We do involve them in our prep.  They learn the language with us.  They learn about the places we are going to see.  On our return, we share with them our experiences, make presentations to their classes at school, and engage them on global issues.  When we leave, typically for two weeks, we leave them with games that trace our travels day by day.  They have to figure out trivia questions to get points and of course they get points for good behavior for grandma or the nanny.  We generally travel when they are in school, limiting the disruption to their routine.

Phone home

Another way we keep in contact is by sending dailey emails.  We also will check in via phone.  One service we recommend for prepaid phone cards is Enjoy Prepaid. They have a number of different rates, plans and even texting and computer based calls.  Give them a try.

Depth Charges

We saved our best preparation technique for last.  I really hate the term “off the beaten path”.  But I have not been able to come up with a better description.  We look for sites that  go below the surface and are truly explosive.  Our recent post about our visit to the Marquis de La Fayette’s grave was a great example.  We spent hours researching the site and the history.  We want to know what happened at given place, how did it impact the world.  If we don’t know more than the average tour guide, we have failed.  The beauty of the internet is the access to information and people.  We engage other bloggers that specialize in an area.  What is so cool about these depth charges is that you walk away from traveling a more “deeper” human being.  You did more than visit the cell where Mandella was jailed, you understand the why.

That’s it in a nutshell.  We really do our homework on the places we visit.  There are many out there that specialize in “slow” travel.  Our focus is on “Smart” or “prepared” travel which can be slow or fast.  Its not for everyone.  So tell us, how do your travel?  What kind of preparation do you put into your trips?  What has worked for you?  Leave us a comment below.

Meet Beers and Beans:

Beth & Randy in Iceland

Beth and Randy are a freewheelin’, 30-something couple with a 7lb hound named Chachy. Beth is a professional photographer and Randy is a professional journalist, and they blog about their adventures on their eclectic travel website Beers and Beans.  Their travel stories have also appeared in USA Today Travel Tips, the San Diego Reader, San Diego Uptown News, BootsnAll Travel Network and other travel websites. You can also find them on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ & Pinterest.

He Said: Listen to Beth.
She Said:  Read the book or any other book that helps you learn the basics of creating your own exposures. If you have the time & money – take a class. Understanding exposure (and how to create good exposure) is the most important thing anyone can learn if they are trying to take better photos. Also, shoot all the time – keep pushing yourself.

He Said: Henry Miller
She Said: Hmm… Anyone in my family. My family is really fun to travel with.

3)What has been your favorite destination in your wanderings?  Why?

He said: Paris. I simply love exploring that city.
She said: It’s really a toss up between Paris & Venice. I guess I would have to say Paris because the light is the best I have seen anywhere. I always feel really creative and inspired when I am there and I never want to leave.

He said: I would love to eat at the WWOOF farm we volunteered at Cerreto Libri in Tuscany.  I would eat anything there – the food was unbelievable!
She said: Definitely Paris – something vegetarian. Believe it or not I have only eaten out twice in Paris and both times my mind was blown at how amazing the food was. I’ve been ruined – now I need to stockpile money just for eating in Paris!

He said: Oh the video….I didn’t think anyone even watched that! Thank you for the compliment as well. Man-nessities include…..prophylactics and dress socks.

He said: I would end all the wars because it would free up large amounts of money and resources to help treat and solve a lot of other world problems.
She said: Greed. If greed was abolished and replaced with generosity then the world would much a better place. Greed is the root of all evil.

She said: We’ve had 2 really bad fights on the road. One in Sorrento, Italy and one in San Felipe, Mexico. The San Felipe one was the worst by far. We were bar hopping with two friends and everyone had a WAY too much to drink. My friend’s husband decided he wanted to see what a wet t-shirt contest would look like – on his wife and no one else. So completely out of the blue he took a beer and poured it all over the front of her shirt while they were sitting at the bar having a conversation – in front of everyone. You can imagine how well that went over. The night really went downhill after that.

In her anger, my friend took off and we couldn’t find her. We searched all over for her and the thought of leaving her alone and drunk in Mexico was making me more anxious and nervous with each minute. After an hour of looking around town we decided to go back to the ratty RV we had rented for the night to see if she was there. Thankfully she was. At this point it was really late – around 3am and we all needed to sleep it off. Just as everyone crawled into bed drunken Randy decided the night had not yet ended for him and announced he was going back out by himself. It was a very bad idea and I told him not to go because he shouldn’t be wandering around Mexico at night, drunk and alone. Only bad things would happen.  He kept fighting with me, determined to go. We ended up having a huge screaming match and I threw my shoes at him as he walked out the door. I was so mad at him because I knew I would be worried about him the rest of the night.

Of course I was right and nothing good happened – he got robbed by two guys on the beach. Given the fact that he was obviously wasted and stumbling around I think he got off pretty lucky.

He said: Yup, that about sums it up. But at least I wasn’t the guy who tried to create his own, personal wet t-shirt contest – although do I applaud the ingenuity.

1000Fights: Now thats a couple that knows how to fight!  Impressive.

I know that was seven..but you guys are too cool for just 7.

8)  We loved your series:  Blood, drugs, and Sangria: How to vacation in a war zone.  It is clear that you guys really love Mexico, so tell us…what was the scariest moment for you guys?

She said: Hmm… basically anything involving Randy and alcohol in Mexico is scary to me! He has so many stories it’s a wonder he’s still alive. One time that was particularly scary for me was on the same night as the above story in San Felipe. We were all leaving a bar and we were walking across the street when a cop car pulled up next to us. Two Policia jumped out and grabbed Randy for no reason. They tried to throw him in the back of the car but I grabbed onto his hoodie and wouldn’t let go.

We had not done anything wrong and there was no reason for the cops to grab him so I put up a fight. I spoke a lot more Spanish then and I ended up in a large & loud verbal disagreement with the cops. This was all while playing tug of war with Randy in the middle. I was pulling with all my might to keep him out of the car. It was scary. I didn’t know what was going to happen but I knew there was no way I was going to let them just throw him in the back of that cop car. Fortunately after a few minutes the cops realized it wasn’t going to be an easy grab so they gave up and let him go. They got back into their car and drove off. We still have no idea why that happened but I think they were planning on making us pay a bribe to get him out of the car. In any case, it was so random and happened so quickly that it was pretty frightening.

He said: This was a while ago and I was drinking in Tijuana with a friend and we got separated. While looking for my friend I ended up befriending two deported gang members in the red light district. To make a long story short, I drank with them on their stoop for a while until they decided to shake me down and rob me. That was pretty scary. I thought for sure I was going to get stabbed as well but luckily they left and I took off in the opposite direction.

1000Fights:  A huge thanks to Beth and Randy.  What an amazing couple.    One of their mottos is, “Lets go Travel”.   So….Lets go!

An enlightening question from a friend this week….”So, why do you blog?”  My first automatic response was something like, “To share our travel ideas, to be a part of the travel blogging community, give encouragement to others, to get out and see the world.” Yada, yada, yada. Blah, blah, blah.

But the real reason we travel blog, is YOU.  Boil it all down, we want others to find happiness in their relationships.  Luci and I have our struggles that’s for sure and as our “catchy” blog name reflects…our relationship is far from perfect.  We fight.  A lot.  But it’s ok.

We count ourselves blessed to have visited some incredible places together during our 15 years of marriage.  But when it comes down to it, these places don’t really matter.  (We are totally serious!)  What matters most to us was that we did it together as a couple.   The number of stamps in our passport doesn’t matter.  What matters is what is stamped on our souls.

We set out our blogging journey with a simple mission:  Encourage other couples to leave the kids with the grandparents for a week and go somewhere together.  If you don’t have the $$$ to do it today, set a goal.  Don’t be stupid and put it all on a  credit card.  BAD MISTAKE!  You will make things worse.  Trust us, a vacation that you saved and scrimped for will be sweeter.  Work together.  Save.  Sacrifice.  Then do it.  Most importantly don’t let the time together be wasted.   Savor every second.   Talk to each other.  Renew.

Life throws so much at you: bills, pressure, work, stress, kids, “real” life, drama, mother-in-laws, mortgage payments.  The day in and day out battle of life slowly drains the love out of our relationships.   It happens to us.  It continues to happen.  A loveless relationship loses hope.  You become roommates.  Then bad things happen.

So why do we blog?  What keeps us going?  It is you.  You on the other end of this Internet.  We hope that there is something that we write that inspires you to make a change.  If you could find one thing to work together on.  Just one thing…maybe something as simple as planning a trip together.

Change is hard.  Life is hard.  You need a friend by your side to face it.  We hope you have/find/love that special someone.

Bon voyage!

Mike and Luci

Whats in a name?  A lot if your name is: Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de La Fayette.  One of the unsung heroes of the American revolution is a young Frenchman commonly known as Maquis de LaFayette.   Being a student of history, and an unashamed admirer of the founding fathers of the United States, we sought out the famed burial site of LaFayette during our recent visit to Paris.  Luci calls me a LaFayette fanatic…  Our quest to find the final resting spot of the Maquis was an adventure in itself.

Our quest started off back in the states, I had read a few blogs that had made mention of some of the folklore surrounding the burial place.  Some of the tales are indeed true, most are not.  Many of the blogs that I had read mentioned difficulty in finding the cemetery.  This proved very true!

Armed with a few of the accounts on how to find the location, a metro pass, and a quarter (we will explain later), we set about our journey.  The grave is located in the Picpus Cemetary in the 12 arrondissement of thecity of Paris.    The first step is fairly easy.  Take the sea green line and get off at the Picpus stop.  The entrance to the cemetery is at 35 rue de Picpus.   This is where we ran into trouble.  You will be smack dab in the middle of housing developments.  You will ask yourself, how can there be a cemetery here?  Signage is limited.  There is a large cement wall with a heavy wooden door. Once you get through the door, there is a small church, the Chapel of Our Lady of Peace.  Behind the church is the small graveyard.

Our timing was poor, by the time we found the right place and figured out that we were supposed to go through the big door into the church yard, it was 12 pm.  Cemetery closed.  We walked up to a care taker explained our situation in limited French.  He said, no, we are not open in perfect English.  We open back at 3pm.  We were devastated.  We had come all this way to see the grave, we had such a hard time finding the place, and we were turned away!  Cue fight!  We went and dejectedly sat on the steps of the church to plan what to do.  We couldn’t stay here for three hours.  We were starving.  What to do?  As we sat “discussing” what to do next, the curator came over and asked us in French if we were from the states.  We said “qi”.  Why was he talking in French now?  He went on to say a bunch of stuff that we didn’t understand, but one word we heard that we did catch was, “l’exception”.  Yay!!!  We thanked him in three of four different languages and headed behind the chapel.

Regardless of what country you are from, when you are in another country, and you see your homeland’s flag, it is special.  From across the small graveyard we saw the stars and bars.  It sent tingles down our spines.  The American flag has flown over the grave since his burial.  Even during the Nazi occupation!  As a tribute to his service to Washington, visitors leave an American quarter dollar with George Washington’s image on his grave.  In light of what the dollar is worth compared to the Euro, it is no wonder no one bothers to grab them!

One of George Washington’s wishes was to have Lafayette buried in the United States.  He wanted to have a large tribute made to honor his service to the US.  Lafayette refused.  He wanted to be buried in his family’s plot in Picpus.  In light of this desire, arrangements were made to send barrels of Virginia topsoil from George Washington’s estate at Mt. Vernon.  Lafayette was buried in American soil.

A little history lesson for those of you wondering who in the world we are taking about.  From our friends at Wikipedia:  “In the American Revolution, Lafayette served as a major-general in the Continental Army under George Washington. Wounded during the Battle of Brandywine, he still managed to organize a successful retreat. He served with distinction in the Battle of Rhode Island. In the middle of the war he returned to France to negotiate an increase in French support. On his return, he blocked troops led by Cornwallis at Yorktown while the armies of Washington and those sent by King Louis XVI under the command of General de Rochambeau, prepared for battle against the British.”

The American people owe a debt of gratitude to the French people and particularly to the Marquis de Lafeyette.  Bring a quarter and take a great side trip in Paris.

How did we select these cities?  First of all, it is a bit limited, we only picked cities that we have been to and are very familiar with.  Have you been to a great couple city?  Zing us a comment below.  Besides that, we picked cities that appealed to us individually and collectively.  Cities that could do it both, entertain us on our own and together and do it with panache!

Rome

For the Gals:

Let us help you plan your “girls” day in Rome.  Start off in the morning at the Villa Borghese.  The Villa is surrounded by a huge central park right smack dab in the middle of Rome.  The villa houses the newly renovated Borghese Gallery.  The Gallery itself is a work of art, not to mention the works of art displayed inside.  Don’t miss Bernini’s famed Apollow and Dahne.  In a word: stunning. (galleriaborghese.it).

After you have taken in the majesty of Borghese, why not hit a famed roman bath/day spa?

For the Guys:

What is more manly than standing in the colosseum and shouting to the world, “ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED!?”  Channel your inner Russell Crowe.  Besides Pamela Anderson’s chest….the colosseum is likely one of the most photographed structures that man has ever made.  With that said, both of them are much more impressive in person.  Throw down the extra euros and take a real tour.  The little details on the colosseum are so impressive.  The stadium could seat 50,000 people!

To mark the grand opening of the sporting complex, a hundred-day games were held by Emperor Titus in AD 80. In the process, some 9,000 wild animals were slaughtered!  The entire floor was flooded on occasions and great sea battles were staged!  How cool is that?

Together time:

Rome is a great walking town.  We recommend the Trevi Fountain.  Toss a coin into the fountain and you will return to Rome.  Two coins and a new romance will blossom. (hopefully with the one you are with?)  Three coins a happy marriage.  Four coins?  That just means you don’t have enough for gelato.  Don’t make this mistake.

London

For the Gals:

Simple!  Leave the guy behind and rent a car and head to Jane Austin’s house!

For the Guys:

We highly, highly recommend the Imperial War Museum:  http://www.iwm.org.uk/.  For starters the entire museum is free!!!  Save the cash, we wont tell!

Together time:

We have two really good ideas for you.  The first is to catch a play in the West End.  Dress up to the nines and have a great dinner right on the West End and see some incredible theatre.

For those on  a budget, grab some curry at one of the many little street shops and ride the London Eye together.  The views are to die for!

Just in case you are looking for cheap flights to London.

New York

For the

Gals:

Shopping! On you marks… get set… GO!  New York is also a great place to take and do some personal pampering.  There are an endless supply of amazing spas, and salons.

For the Guys:

New York is all about the food and the sports!  There is nothing in the world better than a fat slice of Brooklyn pizza, just dripping with cheese and pepperoni!  BoooYa!  Then take in a game-pick your pleasure:  Yankees, Mets, Knicks, Rangers, Islanders, Giants or Jets!  So much to choose from!

Together time:

The Big Apple is a very special place for couples.  Our fave couple experience is take the elevator to the top of the Empire State Building.   We picked the perfect evening recently, the building was in the clouds and lit up blue!  It was so beautiful.  The view from the top is not to be missed.

Vancouver BC

For the Gals:

Ditch the guy and take a ferry over to Victoria Island for the day!  It is well worth the trip.  Candidly if you pull maps up on google, Victoria is a hop, skip and a jump away from Vancouver.  In reality it is a bit further.  It will take all of a day to get there and back and see a few of the better sites.  The ferry terminal from the mainland is a bit out of Vancouver.  The ferry across the drink will take 90 mins or so.  Bring a girlfriend and chat it up while taking in some truly amazing scenery.  Arriving in Victoria you can take high tea at The Fairmont Empress, then you can hit Butchart Gardens or do some antique shopping in the antique district.

For the Guys:

Vancouver BC is loaded with outdoor adventures.  Take out a kayak, rent a bike or just head for the hills.

We also hear they have a pretty good hockey team.  Watching hockey with a bunch of Canadians is an experience every man should have.

Together time:

Vancouver is a great couples town.  For the best in couple time we suggest a few ideas:  First you must dive into the food scene.  We did a post on some of our faves to give you a head start.  Then we highly recommend taking a stroll down by the waterfront or in one of the many parks in town.

Paris

For the Gals:

Just go here and thank us later:  http://www.girlsguidetoparis.com/

For the Guys:

France does have something to offer the Hommes.  We recommend taking in the Military Museum aka Les Invalids.  I know what you are thinking…France has one of those?  Yep, and its pretty cool.  See Napoleons tomb as well as tributes to French generals when they knew how to fight wars.

Together time:

If we have to give you ideas for this, you have bigger problems!  For those romantically challenged here is our sure fire recipe for a perfect evening in the City of Love.  In the early evening, hop on hte metro to the Basilique du Sacre Coeur in Montmartre.  Watch the sun set over Paris holding the hands of your lover.  Then experience the delicious cuisine of Montmartre.  Then ????

So that is our humble list of great couple cities.  Do you agree?  Disagree?  Did we miss a city?  Just click below, we would love to hear from you.

When my friend told me we were going to a spa, I figured it would be in a strip mall with mediocre massages, shag carpet, and maybe a free glass of water if I was lucky. Not even close. As we drove up the entrance it was clear to me Glen Ivy wasn’t just a spa; it was a complex, so vast it would make a Vanderbilt or Kennedy blush.

We walked up to the admittance office and then I beheld what I was to experience. The attendant handed me a map. A spa that needs a map? Yep. It’s that big. We walked into the area and I was as doe-eyed as a five-year old’s first trip to Disneyland. There were signs to the mineral baths, Roman baths, lap pool, the hot pool followed by the cold plunge pool. Fourteen pools total. We hit the mud first.

Mud? Yes. Your admission gets you access to every pool plus Club Mud. There’s an entire area dedicated to mud. Not just any mud, but Glen Ivy mud, a red clay mixed with the natural hot springs that will tighten your skin. Plopped on giant wheels, you grab a handful and  slather the special mud on your body. Let it dry in the California sun and then wash it off. Your skin will feel soft and revitalized.

I liked the Club Med, but I really liked the Grotto. For an extra fee, you can experience absolute soft skin. You walk into the Grotto area and then go down an elevator and enter a cave aka grotto. Your attendant will take a paint brush and paint you with a light green cream. It smells divine because it’s made of aloe vera, shea butter and coconut oil. Go deeper in to the grotto and sit in the “hydrating chamber.” You’ll feel like you are breathing butter, but the longer you sit the better your skin will feel. Then go rinse off. My hands felt soft and subtle days after I returned to the desert of home.

A visitor to Glen Ivy could spend all day just drifting from mud to grotto to roman bath to mineral bath to sauna, but Glen Ivy also has traditional spa treatments. On my first visit, I was treated to scrub, wrap and massage.  Heavenly. Since, I have tried other Glen Ivy’s treatments including the clarifying facial.  Check out their pedicures and manicures as well. A massage or facial will cost roughly $100 per treatment.  On my last visit, I discovered the Glen Ivy Getaway package that included your choice of one 50 minute Swedish massage, 50 minute Glen Ivy facial, or a 50 minute body treatment, as well as grotto admission, and lunch for only $139. Admission is extra and will cost you $46 or $59 depending on whether you are there on the weekdays or weekends. If you buy a service that’s 50 minutes or longer, your admission is discounted.

Plan your day wisely. I like to get my treatments early in the visit, then eat lunch and spend the rest of the day vegging by the pools and ending the day with grotto. You’ll be wasted by the time you leave so expect to be in a fog.  Don’t forget to go to the gift shop. I like to pick up a container of mud and the grotto paint. That way when I’m back home, looking at my dirty house, exhausted from my job, frustrated by my mediocre mothering, I can open up the container, breathe deeply and let Calgon, I mean, Glen Ivy take me away.

Los Angeles has so much to offer!  If you are looking for a great Los Angeles accommodation to go with your spa visit.   Look no further!

What to See

The Lipca Stud farm has turned into a tourist and recreation heaven for the horse lover and nature lover alike. It is the perfect place for fighting couples! The main attraction is of course the performances of its classical riding school, which are held on certain days in the afternoon. Show up early for a good seat toward the front. Otherwise your video will include a survey of European hairstyles.

Performances of classical riding school take place from April to the end of October.

Timetable:
Tuesday, Friday, Sunday at 15.00

Additional performances:

• Easter Sunday and Monday
  
• 1st May
  
• 15th August
  
• 30th December
  

Price: 18.00€  (the price includes guided tour of the stud farm)

There are a number of reasonable priced hotels in the area.

Would you like to see more pictures of these amazing animals? Just visit our facebook site and friend us there?

The Tour

In 2010 the Lipica Stud Farm celebrated its 430th anniversary! The Stud farm offers tours throughout the day of the boarding, breeding and training facilities. You will see the animals up close and personal. The buggies and wagons of yesteryear are also on display. Of course one of the favorite stops in the tour is the foaling corral. The foals are so cute! The young Lipizzaner’s are born black/brown. As they age they molt to a white/grey tone. Toward the end of the tour, you will enter the barn of the past champions. Each of these champions are housed in their own quarters, their proud lineage is on display as well as their performance accolades.

Horses at Work

The Lipica Riding School is not just a tourist destination; it is a working university for World Cup dressage. The talent performing in the arena, both rider and steed are championship grade! Horse men and women travel from the four corners of the earth to train and be trained with these fine animals.

About the Horses

So…what makes a Lipizzaner a Lipizzaner? The Lipica Stud was established by centuries of breeding. Early developers mated the local mares (female horses) from this area called the Karst region with the finest Vienna horses and later Arab Stallions. The Lipizzaner’s are unique in color, shape, gait, and of course their most defining feature their incredible intelligence. These unique animals have the distinguishing ability to learn. You will sit in awe as they put their unique talents on full display in the arena.

The US connection

“In April 1945 the heroic efforts of the 42^nd Squadron of the United States Army’s 2^nd Cavalry were responsible for the rescue and the ultimate preservation of the Lipizzans. The rescue of the horses was conducted under the order of General George S. Patton.” -this according to http://www.lipizzaner.com We made the mistake of asking about this rescue during our tour of the stables. The tour guide, a little miffed at the story, said that the Austrians had stolen many of the horses from Lipica and the US helped “liberate” the horses from them. Not sure the whole story. We wouldn’t recommend asking. Needless to say, the breed is alive and well today.

For the horse lover, this place is mecca. For those seeking to just learn more about the storied history of this amazing animal, you will also not be disappointed. And for those of you just looking for take a break from the rigors of vacation, looking to relax in a tranquil setting, you will not be disappointed. We highly recommend Slovenia and the Lipica riding school.

Glass of the Grand Bazaar.

How to do the Bazaar

We don’t have an answer for this.  It is funny to watch other couples enter and say to one another…”I will meet you over by the one carpet dealer.  See you in an hour.”  Good luck with that!  LOST!  The size of the bazaar is so difficult to describe.  Where does the Bazaar end and the city begin?  Is the Bazaar just one story?  Is there better shops in one are over another?  We don’t have an answer.  The Bazaar is best enjoyed with a lot of time and money.

The Art of the Deal

I have seen some incredible salesman in our travels.  None rival the talent on display in the Grand Bazaar.  Some of the hawkers in the bazaar are three, four and we even found one five generation salesman!  These men, we didn’t come across a saleswoman, so yes they are almost all men, are tuned and trained to evaluate you and devise a plan to separate you from your cash.  It is almost a science for them.  Language barrier?  Not in the bazaar.  Everyone speaks the language  of sales.  I was able to chat up a young salesman that let his guard down a little.  Our conversation went something like this:

Me: “When did you start selling?”

Him: “Sold my first thing when I was only 5”

Me: “Impressive.”

Me: “Whats your secret to making sales?”

Him:  “Reading customers.  And keep them talking to you.”

Me: “How do read a person?”

Him:  “Shoes and eyes.”  (Enter big smile aka end of sales training)

Him:  “Would you like to see some of my best stuff?  I keep it back here…come my friend” (Enter sales pitch)

Put this to the test.  Walk past the best salesmen in the bazaar.  They will check your shoes in as you approach and then they will focus on your eyes.  Eyes tell everything.  They point to the things you find most precious.  They reveal your love for an object.  Very telling.

Heart of Darkness

Go get lost in the Bazaar.  Go deep.  The bazaar cannot be “done” in an hour.  We are not sure that it can be “done” in a day.  Enjoy the experience for what it is, you are a part of history.  Breathe in the experience.  Take in the mosaics at every turn.  Drink some tea with some salesmen.  Play with the shop owners kids.  Most importantly, buy stuff in the Bazaar!  Don’t let the salesmen intimidate you.  You will never forgive yourself if you don’t buy that silver bracelet you found.  First off, you will never find it again in the melee of the bazaar.  Candidly, we found our best deals when we were completely lost in dark alleys deep in the beast of the bazaar.  Find your own path.

Check our our Facebook page for more pics of the Grand Bazaar.  While you are there…give us a “Like”.

The Carpet Fight

Add the Grand Bazaar to the list of 1000 places to fight before you die.  Mike wanted to buy a rug.  Of course we agreed to a price ceiling before we even set foot in the market.   Of course Mike paid no heed to that agreement.  He boldly walked into carpet shops and looked at stuff we couldn’t afford.  (Don’t do this.)  We ended up meeting the George Clooney of carpet sales.  Mike the great white salesman himself had met his match.  We went round and round on the price.  In the end, we paid way too much.  With that said it was a great experience.  Today, the rug welcomes everyone that comes into our home.

The Grand Bazaar is not to be missed.  Turkey and Istanbul especially is a wonderful couple travel destination.  It offer so much.  Experience the bazaar.  Spend some money!

Have you been to the Grand Bazaar?   What did you find?  We would love to hear from you.oo much for our little rug.  But it was great fun!  Our little piece of Istanbul greets everyone that walks into our door.

Lets start with the numbers:

Nights on the road: 65

Countries visited: 7 (Italy, France, Croatia, Bosnia, Slovenia, Canada, Austria)

Pastries eaten in Paris:  15 or so!

Most expensive water:  15 euros per bottle! (Italy)

Ugly American travel moment:  Mike-Ironing his Brooks Brother shirt with Evian water while staying at a hotel on the Versailles property.

Best Fight:  So many to choose from!  One of the best was our “Sticker” fight.  As Mike drove us across the border into Slovenia, to our surprise the toll booths were unmanned.  Mike took this as there was no need to pay tolls.  (Don’t make this assumption.)  Mike drove on throwing caution to the wind despite strongly worded objections.  This decision would end up costing us big time!  We had to pay a huge fine at the border leaving the country.  You must buy a “sticker” when entering Slovenia.  In the end, “lively” discussion followed.

Bloggers that we were able to get to know in 2011:  Traveling Cannucks (Cam and Nicole), Jouneywoman (Evelyn), Bohemian Trails (Megan), Couple of Sports (Jakie and Mark), Our Tasty Travels (Erin and Brett).

Fave Location Mike:  Easy.  Bihac, Bosnia, hands down.  Did we stay in a four star hotel? Nope.  How many thought provoking tours did we take? Nada.   Luci and the other couple traveling with us really humored me on going to this border town.   Bihac was the nucleus of the war.  The first and last shots fired were in the area.  Our adventure to Bosnia began at the border.  The border agent was a little surprised to see American passports.  It took a little convincing to explain that we were tourists coming to his country.  Bosnia, what little of what we saw of it, was lush and green.  As we drove along, we saw the bullet ridden homes along the way.   We stayed at charming little hotel called the Hotel Opal.  We ate at the little riverside restaurant in the hotel.   Food was surprising good!  What made this my fave is the blatant tourist nature of Bosnia, pristine beauty, storied history, and its rough complexity.

Fave Location Luci:  Lake Bled, Slovenia!  Lake Bled is girls’ fantasy camp. It looks like a fairy tale and the Lake’s famous dessert is worth every calorie. Lake Bled is a mountain lake nestled in the heart of the Julian Alps. Slovenia is the cheap man’s Austria. While it’s on the Euro, prices are at least a third cheaper. What else could a fairy tale want? Goregous lake. Yummy cake. Cheap. For a perfect fairy tale moment, spend the day at the lake.  In the middle of the Lake Bled, is an island topped by a church.

The Church on Lake Bled Island, Slovenia

Rent a row boat for less than 10E and make your spouse row you across the lake. Once you reach the island, make him carry you up the steps to the church. If your spouse makes the 99 steps, you’ll have a happy marriage. If you don’t, well, you’ll be like 1000 Fights. Ring the bell the church bell and a wish will come true. Guys, if you don’t want row, you can get in an oversized gondola called a plenta and someone will row you along with 10-12 other lazy tourists. After visiting the church, visit one of the many lakeside restaurants and dive into famous kremšnit. The cake has a layer of whipped cream followed by vanilla custard and topped with filo dough. As someone who loves, anything creamy, the cake is heaven in every bite. To see pictures and more see:

Leaving Rab, Isand.

Worst Location Mike:  This is another easy one for me.  I really dislike Rab, Croatia.  Dislike perhaps is not a strong enough word.  I just want to give them a benefit of a doubt…Being the crazy planner that I am, I had everything planned out.   The first thing you need to know about Rab is that it is a desert island.  It is not attractive.   Three months prior to our arrival, we had reserved a boat to rent for the day.  It was going to be a blast.  We were going to hit a couple secluded remote beaches.  Sounds like fun huh?  Well it took an hour to find the boat dock.  We approached the proprietor, made small talk and once we asked about our boat reservation, the “gentleman” forgot English, and there was no longer a reservation, regardless of the 3 emails I had in hand to the contrary.  The day only got worse!  We decided to drive to one of the public beaches…in route we were following three cars following a tractor.  The tractor driver waved us all around.  So I passed on a flat and straight patch.  All of the sudden: Lights and Siren!  We were pulled over and ticket for passing in no passing zone!  No sign!  Following other cars!  I really dislike Rab!

Worst Location Luci: I hate Las Vegas. The food is expensive. The shows are pricey. The museums are over rated. There are ads of naked women everywhere. The free things to see in casinos are so buried deep inside you need a map to get out. I don’t drink or gamble so what is there for me to do? Nothing. I could never go back and be happy.

Big Winners!:  This year we ran two contests.  The first was our famed Hottest Travel Blogging Divas and Hunks.  We highlighted 3 gals and 3 guys that are travel bloggers.  It was a little tongue in cheek but it gave us a chance to highlight some incredible travel bloggers.  Just in case you missed it, Keith from www.traveling-savage.com was crowned King and the lovely and talented Lillie of  http://www.aroundtheworldl.com/ was crowned queen.

The Kahle's Winner of our Mistletoe Moment

Our other contest was our Mistletoe Moments during the month of December.  We asked couples to submit their best magical moment together during the year.  We were stunned by the response!  There were so many touching stories of couples finding love at home and abroad.   The response really has inspired us.  The winning moment came to us from the Kahle’s at http://www.wanderlivin.com/.  Congrats again!

TBEX-This year we decided to attend the annual travel blogger revival called TBEX.  We are so glad we did!  TBEX this year was hosted in scenic Vancouver, BC, Canada.  For those of you that have not attended, it is a two-three day affair, with travel bloggers from across the globe.  Luci was skeptical about attending at first, but it really turned into a funfest.  Presentations were given on different travel and technical topics.  It was wonderful meeting the faces behind the Facebook pages.

Waterfalls in Croatia

We want to thank each and every one of you our readers.  Thanks for your comments, thanks for your interest in our crazy fights.  Stay tuned we have some exciting stuff planned for you in 2012!  Buckle up!

Related articles

• Lake Bled: Girl’s Fantasy Camp (1000fights.com)

Merry Christmas in 50 Languages:

Afrikaans – ‘n Geseende Kersfees en ‘n voorspoedige Nuwejaar
Afrikaans – Een Plesierige Kerfees
Albanian — Gezuar Krishtlindje
Arabic – I’d Miilad Said Oua Sana Saida
Armenian – Shenoraavor Nor Dari yev Pari Gaghand
Azeri – Tezze Iliniz Yahsi Olsun
Basque – Zorionstsu Eguberri. Zoriontsu Urte Berri On
Bengali – Bodo Din Shubh Lamona
Bohemian – Vesele Vanoce
Breton – Nedeleg laouen na bloavezh mat
Bulgarian – Tchestita Koleda; Tchestito Rojdestvo Hristovo
Celtic – Nadolig Llawen a Blwyddyn Newydd Dda
Chinese -
(Mandarin) Kung His Hsin Nien bing Chu Shen Tan
(Cantonese) Gun Tso Sun Tan’Gung Haw Sun
(Hong Kong) Kung Ho Hsin Hsi. Ching Chi Shen Tan
Cornish – Nadelik looan na looan blethen noweth
Cree – Mitho Makosi Kesikansi
Croatian – Sretan Bozic
Czech – Prejeme Vam Vesele Vanoce a stastny Novy Rok
Danish – Gladelig Jul
Dutch – Vrolijk Kerstfeest en een Gelukkig Nieuwjaar
English – Merry Christmas
Esperanto – Gajan Kristnaskon
Estonian – Roomsaid Joulu Puhi
Farsi – Cristmas-e-shoma mobarak bashad
Finnish – Hyvaa joulua
French – Joyeux Noel
Frisian – Noflike Krystdagen en in protte Lok en Seine yn it Nije Jier
German – Froehliche Weihnachten
Greek – Kala Christouyenna
Hawaiian – Mele Kalikimaka
Hebrew – Mo’adim Lesimkha. Chena tova
Hindi – Bada Din Mubarak Ho
Hungarian – Kellemes Karacsonyi unnepeket
Icelandic – Gledileg Jol
Indonesian – Selamat Hari Natal
Iraqi – Idah Saidan Wa Sanah Jadidah
Irish – Nollaig Shona Dhuit
Italian – Buon Natale or Buone Feste Natalizie
Japanese – Shinnen omedeto. Kurisumasu Omedeto
Kala – Khristougena kai Eftikhes to Neon Etos
Korean – Sung Tan Chuk Ha
Latvian – Priecigus Ziemas Svetkus un Laimigu Jauno Gadu
Lettish – Priecigus Ziemassvetkus
Lithuanian – Linksmu Kaledu
Manx – Nollick ghennal as blein vie noa
Maori – Meri Kirihimete
Marathi – Shub Naya Varsh
Navajo – Merry Keshmish
Northern Sotho – Matlhatse le matlhogonolo mo ngwageng o moswa.
Norwegian – God Jul Og Godt Nytt Aar
Pennsylvania German – En frehlicher Grischtdaag un en hallich Nei
Yaahr
Papiamento – Bon Pasku i Felis Anja Nobo
Pig Latin – Errymay ristmaskay
Polish – Wesolych Swiat Bozego Narodzenia
Portuguese – Feliz Natal (Used in Portugal, Brazil and several former Portuguese colonies)
Rapa-Nui – Mata-Ki-Te-Rangi. Te-Pito-O-Te-Henua
Romanian – Craciun Fericit
Russian – Pozdrevlyayu s prazdnikom Rozhdestva i s Novim Godom
Samoan – La Maunia Le Kilisimasi Ma Le Tausaga Fou
Serbian – Hristos se rodi
Scottish – Nollaig Chridheil agus Bliadhna Mhath Ur
Serbian – Hristos se rodi
Singhalese – Subha nath thalak Vewa. Subha Aluth Awrudhak Vewa
Slavonic – Christos Razdajetsja! Slavite Jeho!
Slovak – Sretan Bozic or Vesele vianoce. A stastlivy Novy Rok
Slovene – Vesele Bozicne. Screcno Novo Leto
Spanish – Feliz Navidad (Used in Spain as well as Mexico and most of Central and South America)
Swahili – Krismasi Njema
Swedish – God Jul and (Och) Ett Gott Nytt Ar
Tagalog – Maligayamg Pasko. Masaganang Bagong Taon
Tamil – Nathar Puthu Varuda Valthukkal
Thai – Sawat Dee Wan Kritsamas
Turkish – Noeliniz Ve Yeni Yiliniz Kutlu Olsun
Ukrainian – Srozhdestvom Kristovym
Urdu – Bara Din Mubarak Ho
Vietnamese – Chung Mung Giang Sinh
Waray – Maupay nga Pasko ngan Mainuswagon nga Bag-o nga Tu-ig
Welsh – Nadolig Llawen
Zulu – Nginifisela inhlanhla ne mpumelelo e nyakeni.

Regardless of how you say it: we wish you a Merry Christmas!