Nancy was apparently a little off her feed the day that she succumbed to a Hilton rep offering a "free" trip to Las Vegas in return for listening to a 90 minute spiel concerning a "time share" opportunity.
We booked a non-stop flight with Allegiant Air to Vegas. The plane was very nice. The cost is less as there are no amenities. If you want food or drink, you must pay extra.
The flight was uneventful and scenic, if not free.
[Pictures 1&2 at right]
We landed ahead of schedule by half an hour, at 10:am Pacific time. We bought a round trip ticket, for the shuttle, from the airport to Bally's on the Strip. [Picture 1 below]
Vegas is a fantasy city on the desert floor and is surrounded by mountains. The population is growing by the minute, and now stands at 1.8 million with 30 million visitors a year. The city has a large segment of Asiatics, particularly Japanese and Chinese. All of the vegetation has been imported from other areas and requires a lot of water. Along the "Strip" is a multitude of waterfalls, fountains, and artificial waterways. The Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner comes to mind although slightly differently: Water water everywhere, And so the Colorado shrinks.
Bally's was the last stop on the shuttle's drop-off list, a two hour trip from the airport. That should have been a clue, but it didn't register at the time.
After waiting out the rather long line at the registration desk, we were informed that we did not have a reservation. The desk clerk was very kind and let us use the phone to call the HIltonnumber. Thirty-five to forty minutes later, amid excuses and holding the line for endless minutes, we were finally provided a room, quite unlike the one promised, and a promise of a twenty-five dollar gift certificate for our inconvenience.
It was now noon, so we had a sandwich at the Nosh, a sandwich and salad shop, before walking toward the Stardust where we had tickets to the "Magic of Rick Thomas" at 4:00pm.
We stopped at the Venetian to see the gondolas and bridge. The larger casinos have replicas of the places for which they are named.
[Picture 2 below]
We each had a $2.00 beer, plus tip, at the magic show. Tips are solicited everywhere. The show wa squite good, although the choreography seemed almost like that of the David Copperfield show we saw last year. Also, the push for money to raise white tigers was a bit much. It seems that everyone in show business is in the business of raising white tigers these days.
The sound was also so loud that the seats vibrated, but we did get personally signed post cards.
For $2.00 each, the trolley took us to Treasure Island, and from there we walked a short distance to the mirage. The front has a waterfall that is about a block long with an artificial volcano that goes off every hour after it gets dark. One cannot help thinking about the amount of water that is evaporating from this waterfall in the dry, hot desert air.
The mirage also has white tigers on display. They are not true albinos as they have stripes, but it is interesting that they do not have the orange color. [Picture 3 below]
From the Mirage, we went to the Forum Shops at Ceasar's Palace. There are three set of statues along the long hallway. Two of these have statues that move and talk. [Picture 4 below] At the third set is a round aquarium holding 50,000 gallons of salt water. Here Neptune attempts to settle an argument between his son and his daughter as to which one will inherit his throne. [Picture 5 below]
Dining for dinner wa a Betolini's where Nancy had chicken limone and Verle had chicken scalopini. Tab came to $62.93 plus gratuity.
The folloowing day began with breakfast at the Bally's "Big Kitchen Buffet". Verle had an omlet prepared by a cook and Nancy had egss Benedict.
We walked across the street to the Bellagio, a very elegant hotel. Nancy wanted to see the Chihuly ceiling display in the lobby.
[Picture 6 below]
They also have a consevatory that is very nice. It has some Chihuly glass flowers, various animals of growing plants, and many varieties of orchids, [Picture 7 below]
From the Bellagio, we walked to MGM Grand where we spent some time at the lion exhibit. The cubs were said to be the seventh generation of the original MGM lion, Metro. [Picture 8 below]
Stopped in at M&M World and visited the Ethel M candy shop. The woman who waited on us had come to vegas from Chicago where she grew up as a refugee from Eritrea. It pays to know you geography as she was so delighted that I knew where her country was that she gave us lots of samples and packed our box as full as she could, put it in a double sack with a freezer ice pack to keep it cool.
On our way back to fulfill our commitment to listen to the Hiton"Time Share" spiel, we took a picture of Harley Davidson in Las Vegas. Verle's nephew works for Harley in Carson City. [Picture 2]
VerNan Enterprizes
Denmark and Germany 2004
Peoria was sunny with only a few clouds in the sky as we unloaded our luggage at the airport and prepared to leave for the first leg of our 2004 journey to Europe. We departed at 6:15pm on United Air Lines after an hour and five minute delay due to a computer malfunction that indicated that the left engine was running too hot. After a four hour layover in Chicago, we boarded an SAS (Scandanavian) Airbus 340 plane at10:15pm for the eight hour and fifteen minute flight to Copenhagen, Denmark. The time difference was seven hours, so we arrived at 1:30 in the afternoon.
After boading the wrong train toward Center Station Copenhagen, the conductor told us to get offf at the next stop and take a different train. After a long walk from the train station to our hotel (Cab Inn Scandanavia), we found that the metro (subway) was only three blocks away.
The room was very small with an even tinier bathroom. The shower curtain, shown at the left of the left-most photo, was attached to a circular ring of which the floor drain was in the center. Controls for the basin and the shower were two knobs at the front of the basin.
Shower and basin- note toilet paper for reference
At the Airport, we exchanged some Traveler's checks for Danish Kroners. The exchange rate was 6.09 Kroner to the dollar. Although that seemed good at the time, it was soon to be found that Denmark is very expensive. The train from the airport cost 34K ($5.08) each. Danes pay 50-60% of their salaries in taxes and then pay a Value Added Tax (VAT) of 25% on all purchases. The VAT is usually included in the advertised price, but is shown separately on the sales slip.
Our first meal was supper in a French restaurant close to the hotel. The meal cost 388K ($63.71). Nancy had lamb while Verle went for the Monk fish, a substitute for ocean perch of which they had none left.
Nancy was attending an international conference on fungal diseases, so Verle had some time on his hands. He went to the Rosenburg Castle which was last inhabited by Fredrick VI and contains all of the furnishings left by him. This is a fabulous castle, not the outside, but the inside. Gold, silver, ivory, and cut and engraved glass abound thoughout. In the treasury there was a crown and beneath it, a plaque with a number of pins attached. I asked the young girl in charge the reason for the pins. She said that they had been a part of the crown, but, "We lost Sweden in 1650 and according to the treaty all the pins representing territories in Sweden had to be removed. But we hope to get Sweden and Norway back and maybe even England." "That", I replied, "is highly unlikely."
Bicycles near the Metro.
The trip to the Museum amounted to 34K ($5.58) for transportation to and from, 30 K ($4.93) for entrance to the museum and an additional 20K
($3.28) to take pictures. It was so impressive that I told Nancy that she must visit. Her cost for admission was 60K ($9.85). The difference being that I was admitted as a pensioner (Senior Citizen).
A visit to the Botanical Gardens and a little shopping at Fredricksburg Centrex (Mall) pretty well rounded out our Copenhagen adventure.
We had rented a car in advance and after picking it up at the airport, we drove west toward the island of Fyn. Denmark consists of a series of islands and a peninsula. Copenhagen is on the island of Sjaelland. To cross the toll bridge to Fyn ( the next island to the west) cost 250K ($41.00). This was rather interesting in that one person we asked about taxes admitted to high taxes, but said that they didn't have to pay to drive on the roads and they had free medical and all education through college was free. The roads may have been free, but the bridges and ferries certainly were not.
Old town center in Copenhagen
The car was a Nissan, midsize. When you put it into reverse, a camera showed what was behind the car, and when it rained, the wipers came on automatically and changed speed according to the amount of rain. It kept track of your mileage and gas mileage. The screen could be programmed to five information in Danish, German, Dutch, English metric or English system, Spanish, Swedish, and Japanese. Our mileage after 2230 km (1385 miles) was 27mpg.
We headed south on Fyn to see some of the countryside.
Denmark has more hogs than people, but only on a couple of occasions did we encounter odors and these were not bad. Denmark has a number of research efforts aimed at reducing farm odors. Use of bio-diesel from rapeseed oil (canola) is quite large and research is on-going. Acres and acres of yellow were evident of the amount of rape being raised. In Faaborg, we visited the museum of art, which was dedicated to Danish artists. Entrance feeof 30K ($4.93) apiece. Carlsberg beer was cheaper at 17K ($2.79) rather than the 25K ($4.10) in Copenhagen. Nancy's infatuation with hedgehogs lead her to buy a hedgehog bookmark for 25K.
Herd of Danish deer on a preserve
Old Windmill
We were in Assens, a coastal town, about dinner time. The B&B on Mainstreet at which we stayed, was a large white house built in 1916. The lady had three children and worked 20 hours a week. Because of the children, the government pays her salary for the rest of the 17 hours in the work week. Price for B&B came to 410K ($67.32) for two.Dinner was at the Frederick IX restaurant. Nancy had barbequed turkey leg in a whiskey sauce, carrots, borccoli, and french fries while Verle supped on barbecued spare ribs and french fries. Nancy tried the local "Easter beer" and Verle stayed with Tuborg, brewe by Carlsberg. Although tips are included in everything in Denmark, if you are really satisfied, an additional tip is often justified. Our dinner came to 283K ($46.47) including a 30K ($4.93) tip.
The next morning we decided to stop at an open air museum as we were curious about what it might be. It was similar to our historical farm recreations except that there were no animals. Animal rightists in Denmark have just about eliminated the keeping of any animals in confined spaces except on actual farms. The main building, housing historical artifacts, dated to 1776, It was painted red and white and had a thatched roof. We asked about the thatch and were told that fertilization of the wheat caused the stems to be too small and brittle to use as thatch as in the past. Instead, they now use a reed that grows in the marshland. Nancy bought a magnetic ladybug to give to the woman in Germany where we were going to stay.
Outdoor museum main building
By lunch time, we had arrived at Norre Aby near the west coast of Fyn. We stopped in a bar for lunch, and Verle engaged the bar girl in conversation as there was little business at the time. She and her boyfriend hoped to save enough money to visit New York or Hollywood. She earns 120K ($19.70) per hour for a 37 hr. week. The meal we had, consisting of Vestfyn Pilsner beer (a Danish staple) and a fish sandwich each, cost 110K ($18.06). Back in the States, Verle asked a bar girl at a Lone Star restaurant her salary and learned it was $2.31 an hour plus tips.
Fortunately, the bridge from Fyn to Jutland, the peninsular portion of Denmark, was not a toll bridge. The first sizeable town on the mainland was Kolding. Verle's knees were getting pretty sore, so Nancy drove him up to the castle we wished to see and then parked the car.
Castle courtyard
About a quarter of the castle had been destroyed by fire and had undergone an amazing job of restoration. Four towers grace the inner courtyar. They are the King's tower, the Queen's tower, the Crown-prince's tower, and the Trumpeter's tower. Nancy wheeled Verle around in a wheel chair, but left him long enough to explore one of the towers and some other non-handicapped rooms.
That evening we stopped at Vojer, which had a motel type B&B along with a restaurant. Verle had had it for the day so we ate at the restaurant. Nancy had lamb chops while Verle settled for wienerschnitzel. Cost for the B&B was 595K($97.7). Being a little short on cash,and not wanting to have an excess when we crossed over into "Euro land", we put part of the tab on a credit card.
As we crossed the border into Germany, we were greeted by the stark, empty guard houses reminicent of the Soviet Occupation.
Upon reaching Flensburg, we had difficulty finding a bank which would accept Travelers Checks. We finally found a German bank that changed our checks at a rate of about 0.8384 euros for $1.00 plus a 3% fee. We drove on to Schleswig before buying gasoline at 1.099 euros per liter ($4.95/gal.) as opposed to 8.57K/liter ($5.32/gal.) in Denmark. Fillingthe tank took 39.9 L (10.56 gal.) at a cost of 43.85 euros ($52.27).
By noon, Nancy was complaining about her stomach, so we stopped in Neumunster where all of the restaurants only served dinner. We finallly stopped at a Burger King, although we thought it ironic that we had travelled about 5000 miles to eat in a Burger King. A chicken sandwich was 3.15 euros ($3.75) and 7.64 euros ($9.11) with fries and a coke.
Verle had used up all but two of his Naproxen tablets, so we went to an apothecary shop to buy more. The lady in the shop was very pleasant and most helpful, She said that 500mg tablets of Naproxen could only be obtained by prescription, but you could buy 250mg tablets OTC, however they were out. Verle said it was a rather silly law as one only had to take two tablets to equal 500mg. She agreed. She then started searching on the computer and said that Alleve contained 250mg naprosyn per tablet. She had these so we bought a box of twenty tablets for 7.4 euros ($8.82).
Prices in Germany just about doubled with the acceptance of the euro. At the time of adoption, the Mark was about 0.5 euros. When the euro became legal tender, prices that had previously been one Mark now became one euro.
The trip south was mostly on the E45 and the A7 as far as Seesan. Then some minor roads to Bad Langansalza, about 2 1/2 miles from the small village of Niegelstadt where our friends live. We bought gas in Bad Langansalza for 1.149 euros/L ($5.18/gal.)
Surprizingly we navigated through town and took the right turn off and made our way without incident to our friend's home. They had planned some events for us, so the next day we went to Erfurt. On the way, we witnessed an apple tree onto which was grafted a European elderberry. Apparently these are fairly common in that area.
In Erfurt we parked in the Domplatz and took a sightseeing tram ride (10 euros apiece) around the town. Eating lunch in the Wirtshaus Christoffel was a real treat. The setting was meieval German and our waiter spoke the old German dialect to the German patrons and very good English to us. Later we stopped at a Pottery Fair where Verle bought a Postman doll and Nancy bought some postcards. That night we had a cookout with Thuringer sausages and steaks off of the grill plus potato salad, carrot salad, and beer next to th small stream that runs behind our friend's property.
The next day we went to a cherry blossom festival in a small town about half way between Niegelstadt and Erfurt. It was much like a flea market with many items for sale, but also food, music, drinks, etc. One of the contests consisted of placing beer crates atop one-another while standing on the stack. A rope tied to a crane supported the builder when his stack collapsed. The one who stacked the largest number of crates without falling won. We visited a cherry orchard in bloom and saw fields where they grow white asparagus by hilling up the earth over the crop so that the shoots ar not subjected to sunlight.
We left the next morning and drove to Monchenggladbach, just west of Dusseldorf,where Verle's nephew, Ryan, and his girlfriend live. We stayed in the Best
Western Crown Hotel at a very good rate, courtesy of Ryan and Nina. They pay 350 euros a month for a small flat. Kitchens are unfurnished, no appliances, cupboards, etc. When one moves, the whole kitchen goes with them. Ryan and Nina bought their kitchn at IKEA and put it together in the apartment.Nancy walked to the Abbey in the morning and to an open air market. On the way,she saw a BMW police motor bike which seems rather fancy. We then drove to Koln, most often referred to as Cologne. Parking cost 9.6 euros ($11.44).
The DOM in Cologne
The Dom is a very impressive structure. Visiting is allowed only when services are not being held. Climbing the stairs of one of the spires cost 2 euros ($2.40). Nancy and Ryan started the climb up. Ryan quit about a third of the way, but Nancy made the entire 509 steps to the top of the spire much to the amazement of herself and many teenagers.
Cologne from the top of the DOM
Next was the Roman Museum which cost 4.5 euros each ($5.40) plus 0.5 euros for a leaflet. The Romans held Koln for a long time, leaving behind numerous artifacts attesting to their culture. A beautiful mosaic floor still survives.
The next day we drove to just north of Koblenz, crossed over the Rhine river and paralleled the river on the scenic drive.
Stopped for pizza at a small restaurant. As slow as it was, I think that they had to go chop the wood, build the fire, and make the bread dough. We sat and watched as the ferry went back and forth across the Rhine, dodging the tug boats with their barges.
After lunch we continued on, visiting a winery and a winery museum. Much of ther old wooden machinery was out side and will soon be gone. The building housing the actual museum was very old. A very narrow staricase lead to an upper floor housing glassware. One item of note was a large vaseline decanter.
Vineyard on mountain overlooking the Rhine
We were exhausted, so we stopped a a B&B in a small quiet town a few miles from Manheim. Dinner consisted of pork medallions with champignons, a very tasty sauce and a glass of wine for Nancy, and rumsteak with fries and an Erbacher pilsner for Verle. After a not so good breakfast at the B&B, we drove on into Manheim, leaving early as we knew we would need time to find the Maifest and to get un-lost several times. As it turned out, we had to drive completely through the city and to the outskirts of town. The Maifest has been an annual event here for well over 400 years and draws several hundred thousand visitors each year.
We found our good friend, Sandy Paige, amongst the crowd and had a very enjoyable visit and day. Near the end of the day we went back to the car, and drove to the Ibis hotel near the Frankfort airport. This hotel is the French chain that now owns Motel 6. We gassed up the car with 48.06L (12.7 gal.) at 1,152 euros/L for a total of 55.7 euros ($66,84). All told, we had driven 1385.45 miles, spent $230.60
for 50.98 gal. of gasoline. This calculates to 27.18 mpg for the car.
The next morning, we arrived at the airport, went to the United check-in, checked our baggage, went through the security check and passport control and were on our way to Chicago. Our flight to Peoria was two hours late, so we arrived home about 4:30pm.
All in all, it was a wonderful trip. We saw so many interesting things, visited with wonderful people, and best of all, had a great time with our friends and family.
Tollbridge.
The beds were like a trundle bed with an additional bunk bed. When the trundle bed was opened, only a very narrow passage was left.
The city is divided into zones for purposes of pricing tickets on the trains, metro, or buses. Any ticket for one form of transportation is good on any other.
When we said no to the time share offer, we were given the cold shoulder and ushered out unceremoniously with our promised legacy of two$20.00 coupons redeemable at the Flamingo and 2 $25.00 coupons good in exchange at one of the Flamingo restaurants. We cashed ours at the 46 Club. Nancy had a steak and Verle had seafood linguini. The entree was the menu price with vegetables, etc. individually priced extra. Very overpriced at $72.00, especially since the linguini was starchy.
We walked to the Mirage and viewed the volcano, then went to Treaser Island to see the "Ship of Sirens" andpirate ship in battle. The pirate ship was sunk.
Then on down to the Bellagio to see the dancing fountains. Movement of the fountains was synchronized with music.
The next morning, we turned in our vouchers for cash at the Flamingo, looked around in the Paris Casino. The interesting thing about all of the indoor scenes of the outdoors is that they had clouds in a blue sky that dimmed with the onset of evening.
Back to the buffet at the Flamingo for a pretty bad lunch. They have a "Habitat" area with birds, fish, and turtles that is rather nice. The flamingos are a light pink, almost salmon color.
On the way back to Bally's to pick up our luggage, we went through the Barbary Coast, watched people playing the "Wheel of Fortune" game, and had a beer at the bar.
We picked up our luggage from the Bellhop, who incidentally told us he was born and grew up in Bloomington, IL, and proceeded to take the shuttle back to the airport.
The trip home was uneventful. All in all, this "free" trip cost almost $1000.00, but we can now say, "Been there, done that".
As you can probably see from the foregoing narrative, luck is not a resident partner with us, but rather a capricious gnome that appears and disappears at odd moments. It is this uncertainty that prevents me from partaking of known gambling situations.
Pictures 3 through 10 appear below. They may be enlarged by clicking on them with the left mouse button.Click the right side of enlarged picture to move to next picture or left side to move to previous picture. Clicking on CLOSE X returns to small pictures.
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