danodanodan

Omaha wasn’t the destination, but where we caught the plane. We happened across Omaha Old Market when looking for a nice hotel near enough to something, yet close enough to the airport for an early flight.
Welllll… my girlfriend left her purse in the restaurant. And guess what? The purse had her tickets, her wallet, her ID, so no way to fly home. Oh, and this was 4th of July weekend, so the place was locked tight.
We got to learn a bit about the Omaha Old Market community and Nebraska friendliness. We asked around, and were helped by one person then the next, and then the next. We ended up meeting a golf partner of one of the friends of the owners, and even some other friends that we can’t share stories about. Eventually, we managed to find out where the restaurant owners were and how to reach them. We left messages and waited.
Finally, a friend of the owners showed up, got the purse out of the vault, and got it to us in time to make the trip home.
In the process, we discovered that Omaha Old Market is a really great place, with some very interesting people. Oh, and the food’s great!

An amazing place and time. It was as if the hotel had arranged it.
We were seated outside on one of the terraces that overlook Acapulco Bay. As the sun was setting, and we savoring each course, the sky became a lot darker over the hills behind the bay. Some big, dark clouds formed and it looked like our meal might be ruined with some rain.
Instead, the clouds stayed some distance away and delighted us with a light show of lightning, blasting in and out and through and behind the clouds. Amazing!
It’s already a beautiful place, but this just made it even more memorable.

Dinucci’s!

Small town – big farmhouse Italian restaurant – along the beautiful Northern California coast. You won’t leave here hungry.

This isn’t a desination for foodies. There are miles of fast-food joints.
However….if you explore a little bit, you might just find an incredible treasure – the chateau basque. Just don’t go hungry!

It’s been many years since I was there, and hopefully it’s better these days, but it’s where a friend of mine got mugged by some kids. He was okay after a couple stitches, but it wasn’t a great way to start a vacation.

It’s pronounced “yahnt-ville”

if you go there on the full moon, you might be able to hear the full moon poets give a slam.

We rolled into Rennes one lovely evening, and decided to park and get something to eat before heading further along to meet our friends.
We had a wonderful meal near the city hall with some yummy rustic crepes with apple wine.
Imagine our surprise when we returned to the parking garage. It was locked! I mean locked so much that we couldn’t even crawl in anywhere to get our luggage from our car. True, the hours are posted (we noticed too late!) and they would be open in the morning.
So, not a problem, we’d just find a hotel in Rennes. Well, we looked at the 4-star hotels, but each had a sign complet (full!), but we figure 3-star would be okay for one night. Also full! Same for 2-star and even 1-star. Apparently there was a big conference so everything (!) was sold out.
Fortunatunatly, we found a nice bistro that was still open where we could have a beer while we waited for our friends to come rescue us.
The moral – read the hours of the parking garages!

Surprisingly, it’s not just about the animals. The SD Zoo has a lot of plants from around the world. So, when you go, slow down and enjoy the horticulture … it’s amazing!

You like chocolate? Yummmm!

Go to the Paradeplatz to the Sprungli tea room. Okay, yes I suppose they serve tea, but it’s about the chocolates. Lots and lots of beautiful, wonderful, flavorful, incredible chocolates.

You may already have heard the name. Slow down the next time you have a Lindt chocolate to read Lindt + Sprungli. Apparently it’s a distant family relation or the like.

I think I might be able to bring some home. Good luck trying!