Polly the Travel Frog has not been traveling much lately and is getting a little bit antsy. Spring Break is rapidly approaching and what a better time to go on the road for the next installment in Polly’s adventures. Who know where Polly will end up going. All we know is that Polly is ready to be on the move.
Polly the Travel Frog in London
Polly, as we have said before, is a stuffed frog and of course she is a green frog…she wouldn’t have it any other way. She loves to travel in her frog clothing and in particular she like to wear a frog t-shirt, many of which indicate the various places that she has already been fortunate enough to travel to.
We have many great frog pictures of Polly on some of her previous trips. She has already been through England and Ireland and many would say that she is one lucky frog. Keep checking back for periodic updates. She might even have some famous company when she sets out on her next mystery trip!
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” - Mark Twain
“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” - St. Augustine
By Art Buchwald
“Heavenly Father, look down on us your humble obedient tourist servants who are doomed to travel this earth, taking photographs, mailing postcards, buying souvenirs, and walking about in drip-dry underwear.
“We beseech you, O Lord, to see that our plane is not hijacked, our luggage is not lost, and our overweight baggage goes unnoticed.
“Protect us from surly and unscrupulous taxi drivers, avaricious porters, and unlicensed English-speaking guides.
“Give us this day divine guidance in the selection of our hotels that we may find our reservations honored, our rooms made up, and hot water running from the faucets (if it is at all possible).
“We pray that the telephones work and that the operators speak our tongue and that there is no mail waiting from our children which would force us to cancel the rest of our trip.
“Lead us, dear Lord, to good inexpensive restaurants where the food is superb, the waiters friendly, and the wine included in the price of the meal.
“Give us the wisdom to tip correctly in currencies we do not understand. Forgive us for undertipping out of ignorance and overtipping out of fear. Make the natives love us for what we are and not for what we can contribute to their worldly goods.
“Grant us the strength to visit the museums, the cathedrals, the palaces, and the castles listed as ‘musts’ in the guidebooks.
“And if perchance we skip a historic monument to take a nap after lunch, have mercy on us, for our flesh is weak.”
(This part of the prayer is for husbands.) “Dear God, keep our wives from shopping sprees and protect them from ‘bargains’ they don’t need or can’t afford. Lead them not into temptation, for they know not what they do.”
(This part of the prayer is for wives.) “Almighty Father, keep our husbands from looking at foreign woman and comparing them to us.
“Save them from making fools of themselves in cafes and nightclubs. Above all, please do not forgive them their trespasses, for they know exactly what they do.”
(Together.) “And when our voyage is over, and we return to our loved ones, grant us the favor of finding someone who will look at our home movies and listen to our stories, so our lives as tourists will
not have been in vain.
“This we ask you in the Name of Conrad Hilton, Thomas Cook, and the American Express.
Amen.”
After returning home from a group trip to England and Ireland in 2006, I was with a group of friends, including Candee, and she asked me about it. She said that she would have liked to go and was wondering if I would like to go again in the future. Of course I said yes and that’s all it took for us to begin planning a trip for the next year.
After we did our research and made the plans for dates, places to stay, etc. we anxiously waited for the time to arrive when we would leave for this trip. As the time slowly approached, we decided that we would like to make the trip even more exciting and fun.
Since we were both working in an elementary school, we thought it would be fun to “adopt” a third grade class and teach them about travel, including facts about the places we would be visiting. The class we chose was very receptive and went above and beyond what we were expecting them to learn, and more important… retain.
As part of the project we were doing with the class, we had a frog made for us that we named Polly. Polly was to go on the trip with us and we were going to tell the class about the trip through her eyes. Polly even had her own t-shirts from England, Ireland and even WVU (of course)!
Well, we went a step further…we thought it would be fun to invite a celebrity along on the trip or at least invite one to the school to read to the children and possibly encourage them to want to read.
After tossing some names around, we thought that Ellen Degeneres would be the perfect choice because she likes children and always seems to be doing nice things for people. We wrote to her show but unfortunately did not hear anything from her. This did not discourage us and we decided we would still take “Ellen” along…”Ellen on a Stick” was born!
We created our own “Ellen” and what really surprised us the most was how receptive people were to having their picture taken with “her.” We have hundreds of pictures of people from all over the world posing with “Ellen on a Stick.” We took along a travel journal and many people wrote nice notes to Ellen encouraging her to visit our school.
After the trip was over, we made a power point presentation and sent it to Ellen’s show. Believe it or not, we actually got a phone call from one of her producers. Unfortunately, it was the final week of taping for her show in 2007 and nothing ever came of it but we still had that brief moment of excitement when we thought we would actually hear from Ellen herself.
In the section on England and Ireland 2007, you will be able to read about many of the funny adventures we had by having “Ellen” along with us and see some of the pictures we took. Who knows? You might even see yourself or someone you know. I won’t spoil the surprise yet but we got to meet someone very famous by having “Ellen” with us. More on that in the England and Ireland section as well.
The youtube video below is the first part of the presentation we sent to the show.
Part of the invitation we sent to Ellen
“One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.” - Henry Miller
Bonaire is in the southern Caribbean and is part of the ABC Islands which is comprised of Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao.
Bonaire is known in the scuba diving world as “Diver’s Paradise” because of the many wonderful dive sites and beautiful, undisturbed reefs. Bonaire was ahead of the pack in declaring itself a marine park which helps to protect these reefs.
Even though it is best know for diving, there are other ways to occupy your time on this quiet, unassuming island. There is also the opportunity for excellent snorkeling, windsurfing, hiking and just relaxing by the pool and enjoying the warm breezes and tropical sun. There is a lovely promenade along the ocean which makes for pleasant, safe strolls. The constant winds make it pleasant to walk despite the hot Caribbean sun.
There is a lot of Dutch influence on the island because it is part of the Netherland Antilles. The languages commonly spoken on the island are Dutch, English and Papiamento which is their local language. In addition to the guilder which is the local currency, the U.S. dollar and the Euro are also accepted.
Because it is so well know for diving, there are many excellent dive operations available. Some are actually located on hotel sites and some are located at a separate location. Boat dives, shore dives and night dives are among the offerings by the various dive shops.
There are many different types of accommodations there. There are hotels, resorts, condos and apartments as well as single family homes for rent. We have tried several options during our trips there and have had good experiences at all of them.
Because of the small size of the island, once you are there it is very easy to drive around and find your way. It is no problem to rent a car or truck and because they drive on the same side of the road as us, there is not the problem of worrying about driving on the opposite side. It is fun to drive around and see the different areas of the island.
There are flamingos, iguanas and parrots which are easily spotted while driving or walking. There are also free roaming goats as well as donkeys. There are not as many donkeys wondering around as there used to be, but it is not uncommon to come across one here and there. The reason they are not around as much as before is because there used to be a lot of problems with them wondering in front of cars and getting hit. To try to combat this problem, many donkeys were rounded up and put in to a donkey sanctuary where they are now protected.
Over the years we have met many wonderful people there and actually stay in touch with a couple when we are not there. We of course have some favorite restaurants that we return to more frequently than others. Some of our favorites are Paris Bistro (excellent French onion soup and Panini), Papagayo for breakfast, It Rains Fishes, Bobbejan’s, City Café and The Rib’s Factory. Because they distill their own water from salt water there, the water is safe to drink and tastes very good.
After traveling to Bonaire seven times in the last 11 years, I have to say it almost feels like going home when we make a return trip. Even though it doesn’t have the nightlife and crowds that some of the other islands have, that is actually part of its charm and one of the reasons we continue to return.
Some pictures of our last trip to the island of Bonaire:
Waterfront scene in Kralindijk
Donkey alongside the road
Flamingos
Sunset in Bonaire
Town scene from Karel's pier
The 2006 group tour was to England and Ireland. We started by meeting Linda, our tour guide at Heathrow airport. We proceeded to our hotel the Strand Palace which is in an ideal location for walking to many areas, some of which include Covent Gardens, Trafalgar Square, Buckingham Palace and the London Eye. Our first day included a walking tour to Trafalgar square and then heading back to our hotel for an early dinner and rest to make up for the time difference and lack of sleep on the plane.
The next day included a guided sightseeing bus tour around London. Some sights we saw were Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, Hyde Park, Royal Albert Hall, and Piccadilly Circus to name a few. We visited Christopher Wren’s St. Paul’s cathedral built in the late 1600’s after the Great fire of London destroyed the previous structure. This is also the place where Princess Diana married Prince Charles. Our tour that day ended with us observing Her Majesty’s troops performing the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace. Free time that afternoon was spent exploring London on our own.
We were off to Oxford the next day for a walking tour of Britain’s oldest university town. Later we visited Shakespeare’s Stratford-Upon-Avon where we saw the town’s Tudor-style architecture. While there we toured Shakespeare’s birthplace and his wife, Ann Hathaway’s thatched cottage.We traveled through the beautiful English countryside next to scenic Wales where we boarded a ferry to cross the sea to Ireland. We spent a couple of days in Dublin, the capital city, which is located along the River Liffey. Our tour of Dublin included the National Gallery, Christ Church Cathedral, Phoenix Park, Parnell Square, O’Connell Street and the former Parliament House. We visited St. Patrick’s cathedral where the well known Irish satirist is entombed. We also visited Trinity College to see it’s impressive library housing the brilliantly illuminated Book of Kells.
After our stay in Dublin we traveled through the beautiful Vale of Avoca to the Meeting of the Waters, a spot beloved by the poet Thomas Moore. During a visit to Blarney castle, we were all able to kiss the famed stone to acquire its legendary “gift of gab”. Our final stop that day was in Cork, the “City of Bridges”.
The next day’s highlight was a tour of the area’s breathtaking Ring of Kerry which winds along 126 miles of rugged coastal scenery. Afterwards we drove to the Killarney area, famous for it’s beautiful lakes and mountains. Many of us went on a jaunting car ride there. Jaunting cars are wagons pulled by horses and driven by a joke telling coachmen or “jarvies” who describes the area you are driving through. It is a nice peaceful way to enjoy the surrounding scenery.
Some things not to be missed while visiting England and or Ireland are Guinness, fish and chips, mashy peas and sticky pudding. Of course there are other wonderful dishes you might want to sample during your meal times.
Our final day in Ireland was spent preparing to leave from nearby Shannon airport for our return flight to the U.S.
Stratford-Upon-Avon
Ring of Kerry
Jaunting Car Ride
Buckingham Palace
The Treasures of Italy and Sicily was our group tour in 2005. We started out in Venice, the “Jewel of the Adriatic”, where we met up with our wonderful tour guide, Anna Maria. During our time there we saw the Doge’s Palace, Piazza San Marco and visited St. Mark’s Basilica. A glass-blowing demonstration at a local glass factory ended our morning tour before having a free afternoon to explore Venice. During our free time we took a gondola ride through the many canals and did some shopping before returning to our hotel.
The next day on our way to Florence, we drove via Romeo’s and Juliet’s Verona. That evening we enjoyed a walking tour of Florence, once known as an important center of artistic patronage under the Medici’s. On our guided sightseeing tour of Florence we saw Giotto’s Bell Tower, the Baptistry and the Piazza Della Signoria. We toured the Duomo, the Church of Santa Croce, the Galleria dell’Accademia to see Michelangelo’s “David”, as well as a local leather shop.
From Florence we drove to Assisi to visit the Basilica of St. Francis before heading to Rome. In Rome (the Eternal City), we visited St. Peter’s Basilica which is the world’s largest church and the Sistine Chapel to see Michelangelo’s superbly painted ceiling. We saw the ruins of the Roman Forum and the Arch of Constantine as well as visiting the Coliseum.
From Rome, we followed the Highway of the Sun to ancient Pompeii for a guided tour of the city’s well-preserved treasures once buried beneath the ashes of lava from Mt.Vesuvius. A scenic drive around the beautiful Bay of Naples led to Sorrento with it’s romantic cliffside setting.
The next day brought a drive to Reggio Calabria to board a ferry to Messina in Sicily wherePhoenicians,Greeks,Romans,SaracensandNormans all left their marks through the ages. That night we stayed in theTaormina area where we saw Roman and Greek remains and visited the Greek Amphitheatre, dating from the 3rd century B.C. Our next stop was the former Greek colony of Siracusa to visit the Ear of Dionysius, the Greek Theatre and the Roman Amphitheatre.
After leaving Taormina we proceeded to Palermo for our final evening in Sicily before returning to the U.S. Our visit to Palermo, the Sicilian capital, included seeing the Quattro Canti, the Piazza Pretoria and the Piazza Bellini. We also had visits to the city’s 12th century Sicilian-Norman style cathedral and the magnificent Palace of the Normans.
Some things we definitely thought worth sampling during our time in Italy and Sicily were wine, Lemoncello, ice cream, pasta, olives and a wonderful candy made in Taormina.
Gondolas in Venice
Leaning Tower of Pisa
Assissi
Inside Coliseum in Rome
Bay of Naples
In 2003 our group tour was London and the Continent. The trip was ten days long and we visited England, France, Switzerland, Germany and Holland.
We began the trip in London where Louis met at the airport. He is multilingual and was our guide for the whole trip. The first day we were tired from our long flight so we had a slow day. We were staying at the Kensington Close hotel in South Kensington and started off our day with a walking tour of Trafalgar Square after riding the tube to that point. After that we had some free time to explore before heading back to the hotel for dinner and bed.
The next day brought a guided sightseeing tour of London and many of its famous landmarks…Kensington Palace, Hyde Park, Royal Albert Hall, Piccadilly Circus, Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament. A visit to St. Paul’s Cathedral was included before heading to Buckingham Palace for the Changing of the Guard. That afternoon we traveled to Windsor Castle, Queen Elizabeth’s favorite royal residence.
The next day we left London and crossed the English Channel starting at the Cliffs of Dover and arrived on the Continent in France where we proceeded to Paris. During our time in Paris, we saw the Place de la Concorde, the Place de l’Opera, the Eiffel Tower (which of course we went up in)!, the Champs Elysees and the Arc de Triomph. We toured Notre Dame Cathedral and the Louvre where we saw IM Pei’s glass pyramid and were able to see Winged Victory as well as the Mona Lisa and many other fabulous art exhibits. The only problem was not having enough time to explore everything.
After our time in Paris was up, we boarded Europe’s frastest train, the TGV which was bound for the charming Swiss university town of Lausanne. We then continued on to lakeside Luzerne where we saw the Lion Monument, the Kapellbruecke spanning the River Reuss and the ancient walls and watchtowers encircling the old town. A drive through German’s enchanting Black Forest brought us to the Black Forest Clock Center where we learned about the area’s traditional cuckoo clocks. After this, we proceeded to the “Student Prince” town of Heidelberg for a visit to its medieval castle.
A morning cruise along the Rhine River past fairytale castles and the Lorelei was a wonderful way to relax before continuing on to Cologne, one of German’s most historic cities. There we visited the striking cathedral.
The final country on our tour was Holland where we cruised the scenic waterways of Amsterdam, located along the River Amstel, aboard a glass-roofed launch. We also toured a diamond shop where we were introduce to many beautiful diamonds.
As we left for home the next day, we were exhausted but everyone felt they saw and did a lot of exciting things over such a short period of time. The general feeling of the group was “we can always sleep at home”!
Black Forest Clock Center
Amsterdam Canal View
Trafalgar Square
The Louvre