Travel

Some of my travel photos are here. My recent trips have been to Puerto Rico, Edinburgh, Scotland, Cancún, Mexico, Berlin, London, Paris, Amsterdam, Antwerp and more.

The Scotland trip (June 2019) was mostly to see my favorite band Level 42. The concert was fantastic; it was an all-day festival of 80's bands called Let's Rock Scotland. I also did a Loch Ness cruise, train ride from Edinburgh to Inverness that was just amazing, bought a kilt, ate a Burns supper complete with haggis, and climbed an extinct volcano called Arthur's Seat.	Cancún (December 2018) was a solo trip-a package deal resort at Secrets Capri Riviera. I was on the tail-end of a pretty awful flu when I went so that really stole my enjoyment of the trip. I still had fun and self-medicated with lots of great cocktails while relaxing on the beach. I made a wonderful trip to Tulum to see the Mayan ruins there and swam in a cenote. I returned in late 2022 to snorkle with whale sharks! Video of that is here.
The Berlin trip was incredible, I took my mom with me because I saw this as exploring our heritage (her maiden name was Goss and her mother's maiden name was Siler, so we have some German lineage on her side.) We stayed at the Raddison Blu hotel which was a great place to stay. We did a lot of great shopping and sightseeing around Berlin but the highlight of the trip, aside from Berlin itself, was a visit to the Sachsenhausen concentration camp. We spent a lot of time in museums and landmarks like Brandenburg Gate.	The last time I was in San Francisco was 1989. I flew out of SFO when I was discharged from the Army and haven't been back until August 2019. I returned for the Jenkins World conference and had a great time. One of my priority stops was to return to the Hard Rock Cafe which I had first visited while still in the Army. The first visit was in a stretch limo with the Beach Boys, but I was so completely broke that I just had a glass of water. So this return trip I had a mandate to go back to the HRC and have a good meal this time. Which is exactly what I did, although the location had moved to Pier 39. Which was great because I got to check that out while I was there.
I had a wonderful time in Puerto Rico! I visited El Yunque rain forest, Castillo San Felipe del Morro, walked around Viejo San Juan, and got a lot of sun while it was cold in North Carolina. I was able to try some mofongo at Alambique Beach Lounge and made it to the San Juan Hard Rock Cafe- my two recurring objectives when I travel to new cultures is to get HRC swag and try the main local dish. This was actually the first time I visited PR-- I took another trip in 2022 that was even better!	I have been to London a couple of times-- 2022 and 2023. I stayed at Canopy by Hilton the first trip and Hilton London Olypia the second time. Both trips were fantastic, although it was fairly cold going in late March 2023.
I went to Calgary for a business trip about 7 years ago, when I was still a Business Analyst for TMW Systems. I have some photos but I'm not sure where they are.	I was in Panama when I was in the Army, around 1987. Unfortunately I don't have many photos, but there are a few from an excursion to Fort San Lorenzo.
I went to Australia back in 1988 for the Army. Got to snorkle on the Great Barrier Reef and did a whitewater rafting trip. Managed to avoid the cassowaries, somehow.	Went to Jamaica in January 2024 and had a blast... Beautiful beaches and the Hilton Rose Hall was a wonderful resort. I will say that the herb in Jamaica was pretty not impressive. Here's video of an amazing fire dance.
During both trips to London, I took the Eurostar to Paris and had a great time. I stayed in a cozy little hotel called Le Grand Quartier, that was walking distance from the Gard du Nord station, where the Eurostar trains arrive. The weather on my second trip was pretty bad, but I muscled my way past it and had a better trip than the first time.	I went to Toronto in 2023 to see one of my favorite rock bands Saga. I had seen them back in the early 80s when I was a freshman in high school, they were opening for Billy Squier. They played at El Mocambo and the show was just completely awesome. I was so thrilled to get my picture with them before the show during the meet and greet.
I went to NYC for July 4th and watched the fireworks from the 86th floor of the Empire State Building... It was incredible!	In early 2024 I went to Las Vegas for a conference; got to go to Planet 13!! Here's a video of the famous Las Vegas Sphere.
I'd been to LA once in the late 80s, but I didn't get to do much, so it was nice to go for a few days in November 2023.	Orlando, FL in 2012 for a business conference at the Peabody Hotel.

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