the wandering way

With each new day, I have every intention of writing a blog post or uploading photos.   Somehow the days turn into weeks and the weeks turn into months. Time gets away from me and I realize it’s been nearly six months since my last post. I also get (not so) subtle reminders from my good friend Brian Siegel when he says “so what happened to your blog posts?” I simply respond with an “I know, I know….I’ll try to write more often.” Then my travels begin and my blog seems to fall by the wayside. It is October 27, 2016 and my last post was in May 2016. I sure do have a lot to catch you up on! This is going to be a long blog post with lots of pictures. Grab a cup of coffee, sit back, curl up on the couch with a cozy blanket and enjoy the ride (and the read)…

I arrived home from Europe on June 6th after doing my last training tour from Prague to Budapest and then immediately running my first riverboat tour! The tour was from Prague to Budapest and it went really well! The tour is 2 nights at the Intercontinental in Prague, 7 nights on the ship and then 2 nights at the Four Seasons Budapest. Here is a little look…

 

 

 

 

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I flew home on June 6, 2016. I was then home in Charlotte for 4 days for a quick visit. Basically unpack, 8 loads of laundry, a quick visit with mom and dad and a few friends and then repack for my next adventure.

On June 10th, I boarded a plane bound for Jackson, Wyoming. The next few weeks were filled with new experiences and a lot of learning. I trained with fellow TD (Tour Director) John Gray on Tauck’s Bridges tour called Cowboy Country. Bridges is one of Tauck’s brands and these tours are generational tours for families – kids, parents, grandparents. Cowboy Country starts in Jackson Hole, Wyoming and ends in Rapid City, South Dakota.It is an 8 day land tour and compared to the riverboat tours, the pace is FAST!  One of the main differences for a Tour Director between riverboat tours and land tours is that on riverboat tours you work with a team: one Cruise Director and three Tour Directors. On land tours you are a one-man show!  You also do a lot more actual guiding on a land tour….so I had a lot to learn!

The first two days are spent in Jackson Hole and The Grand Teton National Park with a two night stay at The Jackson Lake Lodge.  Days three and four are spent in Yellowstone National Park and we spend two nights at the Old Faithful Inn.  We then leave the National Parks and head to Cody, Wyoming for one night and then on to a dude ranch in U-Cross, Wyoming.  Our last stop is Rapid City, South Dakota where we visit Mount Rushmore and stay at KBarS Lodge for one night.  Many Tauck tour itineraries run in two directions (north/south or east/west) but Cowboy Country only runs northbound. This means that on the last day of the tour, I say goodbye to the group (usually the evening before at the farewell dinner) and then take a 4:15am shuttle to the airport.  I board a 6:30am flight from Rapid City to either Denver or Salt Lake City…there are no direct flights from Rapid City to Jackson Hole.  After a 2-3 hour layover, I then board another flight around 11am en route back to Jackson Hole.  I usually land around 12:30pm and take a taxi to Jackson Lake Lodge, arriving by 1:30pm.  At this time, my room may or may not be ready, as rooms aren’t generally available until 4pm. Not to worry…..I don’t have to meet the new guests for the next tour until 5:30pm.  I don’t even want to think about what would happen if either of my flights was delayed or cancelled…not much wiggle room on this day! And then the tour starts over again. I generally run three or four of these tours back to back, also known as “turn and burn” before having a short break. This tour is a lot of fun and goes very quickly. I now know more about lodge-pole pine trees than I thought I would ever know!  Did you know that a lodge-pole pine tree requires fire in order to regenerate? Trust me….I am now a lodge-pole pine tree expert (not something I ever thought I would say)! Here’s a look at one of the tours (the details are in the photos)…

Day 1 – Arrival and Welcome Reception and Dinner…

 

Day 2 – Rafting Trip along the Snake River, a tour of Grand Teton National Park and a free evening in downtown Jackson Hole…

 

Day 3 – Depart Grand Teton National Park, Arrive Yellowstone National Park, Walking/Hiking at Old Faithful, free evening at Old Faithful Inn…

 

Day 4 – Guided Tour of Yellowstone National Park with 2 Yellowstone Association Guides, free evening at Old Faithful Inn…

 

Day 5 – Drive from Yellowstone National Park to Cody, Wyoming, Evening at the Rodeo in Cody…

 

 

 

Day 6 – Day at TA Ranch and then on to U-Cross Ranch for the evening…

 

Day 7 – Depart U-Cross Ranch, Lunch at Crazy Horse Memorial, Visit Mt. Rushmore, Farewell Reception and Dinner at KBarS Lodge…

Day 8 (Day 1) – Departure Day and Arrival Day for next trip…

 

My final Cowboy Country tour ended on July 26th and I flew from Rapid City back to Charlotte.I was excited to be home, in my own bed and on my comfy couch!  I was excited to see my family and hear about their summer adventures – mom and dad went on a Tauck Riverboat Tour from Prague to Budapest, Amy and Marc went on a trip to Europe, Ayla and Ethan each went to summer camp for 4 weeks – Ayla spent her 4th summer at Camp Timber Tops and Ethan spent his 2nd summer at Lake Owego Camp.

 

I had time to connect with friends and spend quality time with those I miss while I am away.  One of my highlights was while spending a day with Ayla and Ethan, we were driving in the car and the three of us were singing along to Hamilton….definitely a proud moment for me! I got them hooked!  Before I knew it, September 7th rolled around and it was time to pack my bags for my fall tours. With my mom as the best mailwoman in the world, ready to check my mail and send my pre-written birthday and anniversary cards…and my dad checking on my lonely car every week or so, my life in Charlotte was about to be in my rearview mirror for a few months. I sure do have supportive and loving parents…I am one lucky girl! My schedule shifted a few times but my final schedule was for four 15-day tours back to back, no days inbetween. Amsterdam to Budapest along the Rhine, Main and Danube Rivers and then Budapest back to Amsterdam – twice. Having four 15-day tours back to back (60 days with no break) sounded a little daunting but I knew that the pace of the riverboat tours was more leisurely than my Cowboy Country tour. I was ready for the challenge!

I arrived in Amsterdam on September 8th and had a 2-day pre-stay in order to get ready for the tour. The pre-stay for this tour was at the Hotel de L’Europe – what an amazing hotel!

 

I’ve never had a hotel that had heated marble floors in the bathroom.  It is situated right in the heart of Amsterdam and walking distance to nearly everything! I did a good bit of work and was able to squeeze in some free time.  I walked around one of my favorite areas of Amsterdam – de 9 straatjes (the nine streets).  This laid-back area is filled with little cafes, local shops and cobblestone streets, not to mention the amazing people watching! Before I knew it, it was go time! The itinerary of this tour was carefully and thoughtfully put together by the amazing staff at the Tauck office.  The tour from Amsterdam to Budapest: Amsterdam, Kӧln, Rudesheim, Rothenburg, Wurzburg, Bamberg, Nürnberg, Regensburg, Passau, Melk, Vienna, Bratislava and Budapest. The return trip from Budapest back to Amsterdam has the same stops, with additional brief stops in Durnstein and Koblenz. Here is a look at the first trip of the season from Amsterdam down to Budapest…

Day 1 & 2 – Amsterdam…

 

 

Day 3 – Kӧln…

 

Day 4 – Rudesheim…

Day 5 – Sailing Day…

 

Day 6 – Rothenburg/Wurzburg…

Day 7 – Bamberg…

Day 8 – Nürnberg…

 

Day 9 – Regensburg…

Day 10 – Passau…

 

Day 11 – Melk & Durnstein…

 

 

Day 12 – Vienna…

Day 13 – Bratislava…

 

Day 14 & 15 – Budapest…

 

Then we turn around the same day and do the same itinerary in reverse. Luckily I am on the MS Esprit for all four tours and we have the BEST crew!

The last 15 day tour of the season from Budapest to Amsterdam started last Saturday afternoon….only 8 days left!  Due to the fact that it is the end of the season and the weather isn’t ideal, we have a small group of 41 guests. A very small, intimate group and we have a 1:1 crew to guest ratio! In just over a week, I will be on a plane from Amsterdam to Atlanta and then on to Charlotte for a nice long break. I am sure for the first few days I will not move far from my very comfy couch…but not for long! In my off-season, it seems that I won’t be doing much sitting around! In the next few months, I will be doing a lot of traveling – Israel, Savannah, South Florida, Morocco, London (for a night) and Mexico. Signing off for now….I am sure Brian will remind me to write again soon! With love from the wandering way…xoxo