Photo courtesy of Ham Guy

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WELCOME

to the relaunch of

TRAVEL CLOSE UP

We hope you like our new look and find the changes to be a big improvement. Thanks for humoring me and playing along with my count down. I would love to hear what you think and if you like it please tell your blogger friends about us.

I had such fun with this and hope you will enjoy the new look and features. I wish you all the best in 2010 and a HAPPY NEW YEAR and HAPPY TRAVELING from us at Travel Close Up.

Now I am just about bursting to show you what is coming and Santa (Roberto) tells me we are right on schedule to launch a new look at Travel Close Up in just

2 days

He actually let me in his workshop for a progress check and we are making some last minute fine tunings to make it just as good as can be. Just wait till you see. I hope you will like it. There will be some cool changes to make it easier for you to navigate around the blog, too.

Come back tomorrow for the GRAND RELAUNCH of Travel Close Up!!!!

Okay. Things are really starting to heat up around here. There is a lot of whispering going on in workshop Santa’s workshop and Santa himself (Roberto) is working behind closed doors marked

TOP SECRET

Photo courtesy of Frank Asch

Now don’t tell Santa but I found I could take a peek in through the keyhole and I am just a twitter. Hee hee. This is going to be big. Keep watching at Travel Close Up and you will see what he is up to in just

3 days.

Photo courtesy of apdk

The suspense is building. I can’t wait to give you just a little peek of what is coming. But I think it is going to be really worth the wait. I have it from a good source, one of Santa’s biggest helpers, Jenn the elf-queen, that you won’t be disappointed.

 Keep watching and you will see something new at Travel Up Close in

 4 days

Something BIG is coming to Travel Up Close Up. Christmas is past for this year but Santa (Roberto) and his elves are already hard at work creating their artistic magic. And since he said I was on his “nice” list, he has one more surprise up his sleeve as long as we can wait just a few days longer.

On NEW YEAR’S DAY you will see something new and exciting here on Travel Close Up. So keep watching as we count down to the big reveal!!!

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Traveling by rail with children might be a relaxing and fun idea. I took an overnight trip on the Auto Train with Jenn and Roberto when I moved down to Florida and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. While this may not be the fastest way to travel when compared with flying, it was novel and relaxing, a boon for parents and I am thinking a really neat experience for a child. With more leg space to spread out to play and the mobility of standing and walking, it would be nice for the little ones to have the opportunity to work off some of that energy. Also, having an actual dining car and movies to watch would be so entertaining. Make sure you arrive early so that you can leisurely board and settle in. Blankets and pillows are supplied but a special cuddle toy might be helpful when you tuck the little tyke in for the family sleep over. Making the journey a part of the vacation will make it more fun for all. Oh, and take lots of pictures!!!

As always, if you have a favorite travel tip, please feel free to leave a comment.

 The holiday travel season is in full swing. The Thanksgiving rush is behind us and now we are gearing up for December travel. What better time to initiate Travel Tip of the Week! Seasoned travelers have a lot of knowledge of how to, what to or not to dos when on the road. Some of these weekly tips will serve as little reminders, and for others, I hope the little tips will help make your travel safer and more fun.

That said, here is the first Travel Tip of the Week.

  Pack light!!! There are a lot of reasons why taking as little as possible is a good idea. When you think you have figured out what to pack, put half of it away. You never need as much as you think you do. Plus, it costs to check those bags, both in fees and fun. Carrying, toting, pulling, dragging a lot of bags up steps, around town, in and out of cars, trains, planes – FUN? No so much. The other thing worth noting is that a traveler dragging around too much baggage will be a real tip off for a con artist.

Do you have a good travel tip? Please feel free to let us know some of you favorite tips.

  Here it is the first week of December behind us and as Christmas approaches, minds turn toward holiday preparations and festivities. Holiday music feels the airways, street lights twinkle as you drive by and the ever present sale ads are piling up in our mailboxes.

What if you are having a hard time revving up in this season of commercial bliss and are longing for a simpler, more inspired way to go. What if you would rather spend some quality time looking for fun, albeit holiday related things do and see with your family. Locally here in Ocala, FL, this is fairly easy to do. There is finally a chill in the air and one can almost picture a wintry scene. Just on TV this morning, I saw that it is SNOWING along the gulf coast- well not in Florida- but close enough. There was a person skiing in the snow being pulled along by a GOLF CART.

Okay, back to the to dos’.

At home, there is the baking, and watching of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer or pulling out the favorite movies White Christmas or It’s a Beautiful Life.

But if you want to get out to do some fun things in Ocala and in the surrounding area, here are some ideas:

One of the best fun times I’ve had recently was the ice show. We’ve gone several times to see the Ice Show at the Gaylord Palms in Kissimmee near Orlando. This you have to see to believe. This year you can see it from November 11 through January 13. There are over two million pounds of ice sculpted into life sized ice sculptures of the most beautiful vignettes with Santa, toy shops, a life sized carousel and an Arctic forest. You are bundled up in subzero parkas and treated to hot chocolate on the way out through what else a gift shop. But it was fun. For ticket prices and hours click here. When we were there we made a day of it by also going to the Villa de Flora right in the complex for a wonderful buffet of Mediterranean goodies in a twinkling arbor setting. There are a lot of other eateries there too – something for everyone.

This weekend in Ocala you can take the Candlelight House Tour sponsored by the Historical Preservation Society. There are three houses in the historic district all decked out inside and out. Fabulous. Along the route are carolers, Santa, and hostesses from the society greeting you with hot cider, hot chocolate and festive cookies. The homes themselves are just beautiful, but all decked out with garland, trees, lights, and all manor of finery, they are a real treat. Along with that if you park in the downtown square, which is all aglow itself, you can ride in style to the homes in a horse drawn carriage.

Also, this weekend on December 6 is the famous Ocala Christmas Parade along Silver Springs Blvd. I was shocked the first time I saw it. This parade draws so many people that they start putting out lawn chairs along the parade route a WEEK before to reserve a spot. Vendors aplenty walk the route, set up food areas where you can but a hot drink and a hot dog, and people tailgate just like at a football game. Very festive. The parade lasts a couple hours with marching bands, horses, floats, cars with dignitaries, police on motorcycles, Shriners in small cars, Clydesdales and Santa himself at the end.

The famous attraction,Silver Springs, has opened their annual Festival of Lights. It is in full swing with a light display throughout the park and a lighted boat parade that will delight you as you stroll the park’s paths while listening to live Carolers.

And the Ocala Symphony Orchestra performs their annual Christmas and Hanukkah festival of music called A Mannheim Christmas Spectacular on December 12^th and 13^th.

As a matter of fact there are so many happenings crammed into this month that it would be hard to see them all. Anything you’d like from church chorales and plays to story times to art receptions to Santa on the Square – there is something for the young, the old and everyone in between. I found 14 pages of activities and events by just going to www.ocala.com  and clicking on the entertainment topic. It would take me all week to just list them all for you, so just click and take a look for the listings. If you live in another community, you could probably find just as many fun outings too. Hopefully, there are some ideas here that will spark your interest.

“May you days be merry and bright and may all your Christmases be white”……….. Happy holidays everyone!!

On my last trip up to St. Augustine over Thanksgiving, we decided to take a tour of the St. Augustine Lighthouse. After all the food we ate, it seemed like a good idea as there were 219 steps. EXTREME AEROBICS!!! Yep, there they were spiraling ever upward. Did I tell you that I have a fear of heights?  And the higher we went, the narrower the space. Oh, and did I tell you that I am claustrophobic? I know – lethal combination for what we endeavored to do. ( More about this later!) But we passed it all the time and there it stood high above the trees just beckoning. So it was after all a must see.

Just a little background on the historic lighthouse. It is actually the third one to be built in St. Augustine. If you would like to get more facts on the first two and to get more of the details of this lighthouse click here. Now this lighthouse, located at 81 Lighthouse Avenue off Anastasia Blvd (A1A), was built of bricks on a concrete base and construction lasted from 1871 to 1874. Initially, the keeper hauled a bucket of lamp fuel which was stored in the small room off to the right of the stairs near the entrance. The actual bucket was on display on one of the landings an it was really heavy – empty. I can hardly imaging toting it up those narrow, winding stairs with fuel. In 1909 lamp oil was replaced with kerosene and finally in 1936 it changed over to electric. The duties were eventually turned over to the US Coast Guard, replacing the keeper and it was fully automated in 1955.

In addition to the lighthouse itself there is also a lovely brick home that housed the keepers and their families. It is now set up as a museum with many artifacts of the time, photos, uniforms and general home decor typical of what would have been in use by the keeper and his family. Everyone had duties to perform- some related specifically to the lighthouse and some more of a housekeeping nature. The office of the keeper was actually at the entrance to the lighthouse, directly across from the fuel storage room. Here the keeper was required to keep careful records or logs, some of which are on display in the front hallway of the home/museum.  For those who like to visit lighthouses and collect related nicknacks, there is a large store set up in the house as well.

One of the main reasons that folks would climb 219 stairs would be the view. Fortunately, along the way up and facing in all directions were a good many windows. Lucky for me and all other faint- hearted climbers. Digressing to my particular visit, I imagine I was quite the site going up those stairs. First I had to have Roberto in front of me and Jenn right behind me. (Never mind that Jenn had some height issues of her own.) Then there I was clinging to the handrails with both hands, literally blocking off the two way stairs. Heart pounding and deep breathing all the way, I made it to within the last 5 or so steps that led to the outside landing at the top. Jenn, Roberto, Jenn’s dad and step mother insured me that is was quite a site and that on a “clear day you could see forever”. Yada yada yada. While I really do enjoy the idea of lighthouses, and think they are historic and lovely to look at from afar, , I am still glad for the experience as far as I got. I loved the museum and reading all about it and I even felt pretty good about going up as far as I did, just to prove to myself that I could. I wish I could have gone the last step and braved the outside at the top. Maybe next time………………..

How about a dish of gelato! Most times when I am in St. Augustine, that phrase is on the tip of my tongue and Jenn, Roberto and I make haste over the bridge to Casa del Hildalgo on Hypolita Street.

Gelato is one of those rare treats that keep me always craving more. There are not too many places nearby where I can actually get some, discounting the “gelato” in the freezer compartment at the supermarket. It is okay, but not like the fresh, creamy gelato that I enjoy from this little spot in St. Augustine.

First, it is a treat for the eyes where the experience really begins for me. When you walk into Hildalgo your eyes are met with this phenomenal sight of batch after batch of the most beautifully displayed containers of mounded gelato of all colors topped with generous garnishes of fruits and nuts announcing the flavors beneath – the darkest red cherries, peaches, lemons and on and on. At that point, I would just like to go behind the counter with a spoon and just dig in to sample each and every one.

I have to confess though, that even with all the best intentions to sample a different flavor every visit, I always end up with chocolate as one of the two picks I get every time. However, I do try to pair it with something that I think will complement it like cherry or coconut or even lemon. And I always get it in a dish so that not one drop will get away from me from a dripping cone. And lucky for me that Jenn is always willing to trade tastes which I think is just a dandy tradition!!

Gelato is the smoothest, creamiest, most flavorful frozen treat that I can imagine. It is one of life’s little pleasures and just writing and thinking about it makes my mouth water for the next visit!