Not my Euro trip, but it's time to travel!!!

[Eagle]

I would have preferred to be announcing my imminent departure for Europe this spring but since that's not possible at the moment, I've decided to do the next best thing and take a short vacation in my immediate part of the world (after all any trip is better than no trip).

I leave tomorrow to attend the Rick Steves European Travel Festival in Seattle (Edmonds), which takes place on Apr. 2nd. Hopefully I'll pick up a lot of valuable tips and other information to use when I finally do get to take my European trip (I learned a lot at the last RS Festival I attended in 2002 - it's time to refresh my memory).

That's not the best part of the trip however. I'll also be heading to Portland immediately after to attend my Son's wedding! This is one trip I'm really looking forward to (especially since I haven't met my new daugher-in-law yet)!!!

Not sure how many Internet Cafes there are in that part of the U.S., but hopefully I'll be able to check the GFE Boards from time-to-time.

Cheers!!!

[Tracie]

Congrats on your son's wedding!!

Can't wait to hear any new advice you get from the festival.

Have fun!!

[LHR02]

Congrats Eagle! Both on your son's wedding and on getting to take a trip. I'm with you, any trip is better than no trip.

If you are having problems finding a net cafe check out any branch of the local library for net access. I do believe they all have computers to use.

[dumbdiety]

Congrats on both your son's wedding and your trip!
As for internet access, like DOM said, you could check the local libraries. Or, if you have a PDA/Laptop with wireless access, you could sign up for either Borders or Starbucks mobile plans (I think it's like $10 for the month). That's what I did for my trip back in December, and you'll ALWAYS find a Starbucks around (hell, in Seattle there's one on every corner!).

[WillTravel]

Congratulations, Eagle!

I really enjoy visiting Seattle and Portland. They're both fun places to just walk around and enjoy. So do the tourist thing as much as you can . And I look forward to hearing about the RS festival.

[LHR02]

How timely....from today's 'Travel Insiders Newsletter' is this:



Looking for free high-speed Internet access? Most libraries have it and it's wireless. Check with www.wififreespot.com/.

ging

[Eagle]

I found an Internet Cafe, so thought I'd provide a quick update.......

First of all the RS Travel Festival...... I'd forgotten some of the details from the last time I attended, but it was a very LONG and tiring day, albeit very enjoyable! Rick's lectures were generally 2.5-3 hours long, and that's a long time to sit on very uncomfortable wooden chairs (some of the venues had "padded" upholstery, but the ones I chose seemed to have more basic facilities). There were 3000+ people in attendance and it was great to be able to talk with lots of people, all of whom are interested in European travel. Not sure how many came from Canada, but I spoke with other visitors from California and Texas.

As before, the 20% discount was a powerful attraction and the travel store was so busy I wasn't able to make my few purchases until about 16:30! I lost track of the number of people wandering around with new "Back Door" Packs, both the Rucksack style and the "Wheelie" style. I had a look at the new Veloce Shoulder Bag -- it was bigger than I thought, but is an interesting "Day" Pack and can be carried in three different ways. Buying something meant standing in two line-ups, one to get the items and one to pay for them. I missed a few minutes of Rick's "Italy" lecture while waiting in the line-ups, but overall it wasn't too bad.

As far as what knowledge I gained from the lectures, I'll try and post a short summary when I get back home. There was of course the subtle buy very noticeable "sales pitch" in all the lectures, but I expected that and ignorred it for the most part.

One of the highlights for me was actually meeting with and speaking with Rick (I had my picture taken with him!). I had quite a visit with his Son also, who is going to Europe this year for the first time on his own. I also met the KCTS guy that does the Pledge drives (ran into him at a restaurant the night before the Festival). Overall, it was a great day and I finished the day by eating in the best Italian restaurant in Edmonds -- dinner was fantastic!!!

And now for the best part of my trip...... My Son's wedding was PERFECT! It was a small ceremony in Newport (Oregon coast), overlooking the beach. My new daughter-in-law is a real treasure! The new in-laws are great people, and it seemed like we became "familiy" and very comfortable with each other very quickly. There were some interesting moments, but I won't bore everyone with the details. For some reason, the weather was sunny and perfect the day of the wedding, but it's cloudy and blustery today.

Time to start making my way back home. I plan on stopping in McMinnville to have a look at the Spruce Goose (saw it in '92 in Long Beach, but want to see it again), then to Portland and finally to Seattle for the flight home. I wouldn't mind paying a visit to the Museum of Flight again also, as I think they've got some new exhibits.

Cheers, all! Back on the Board in a few days!

[WillTravel]

Eagle, did you decide it was better to fly than to drive there?

I'm glad the wedding went so well and that you like your new DIL and her family.

I've thought of going to Edmonds - free classes sound promising, so look forward to your detailed notes.