Discovering Another Mad Dash (Oct 14): Heading Home and Finally finishing this TR #1523 (05/03)

[franandaj]

You put so many pictures in such a short period, my browser times out before they can all load, I get to the funny sign and then it's all red x's

OK, I finally got them all to load....great shots what an eclectic parade.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Wow, that Moomba festival looks like a lot of fun! Thanks for sharing!

What a great parade. All those scavenger hunt finds.

I know. I was debating whether I flood the hunt thread with them....and I decided far better to share than not.

#3 would be my first choice. Do you like skiing trees? Powder snow? Northern Japan is supposed to be awesome for both. Though a friend of mine just went. He bragged about all the new snow there and I told him we got about 1.5 meters while he was gone so I'm not jealous.Also TDL is the main reason I'd want to go to Japan.

Perhaprs if you visit there it would be a gracious thing to do as the rebuild what they have recently lost. Perhaps some good deals will come along too.

We have skiing through the trees in Australia.....and rock hopping....we would ski on 30 cm of snow!

Northern Japan is one of those prime ski spots to go to from Oz. It's only about 9 or 10 hours flight .

I can deal with the earthquakes (just)....and the tsunami (hopefully we'll be high enough in the snowfields)....but I'm not sure about the nuclear radiation. Deal or no deal. Just gonna have to wait and see what the outcome is. If it weren't for the radiation, I would go in a heartbeat!

I might just have to think about another trip to Whistler. .

Colton & I just "watched" the parade he really liked the Kangaroos on Santa's sleigh and the guys dressed up as tires. Looks like a really fun day!

Glad that you and Colton enjoyed it! The parade went for about an hour and it was really fun.

Well??? I don't see any pictures of the Sydney Mardi Gras anywhere.....

...and you can't fool me. You know you love Melbourne....you Syd-o-ney-sider you.

OMG Princess... it has been so long since we have been to Moomba! Your pic's make me want to go again ... maybe next year! It is such a fun celebration, sometimes we forget all the good things in our own backyard!

Maybe we can DisMeet there next year.

OK! You've convinced me...I'm coming to visit!

Let me know when. I'm good for a DisMeet.

You put so many pictures in such a short period, my browser times out before they can all load, I get to the funny sign and then it's all red x's

OK, I finally got them all to load....great shots what an eclectic parade.

Glad that the red X's changed to the eclectic parade.

 

[queenie82]

I might just have to think about another trip to Whistler. .

If you need some company I'm available

Well??? I don't see any pictures of the Sydney Mardi Gras anywhere.....

...and you can't fool me. You know you love Melbourne....you Syd-o-ney-sider you.

Errrr...yes well the Sydney Mardi Gras isn't really family friendly

But we did have the Vivid Sydney Festival

http://www.flickr.com/photos/snowqueenie82/sets/72157624170948696/

 

[AussieDisneyNut]

Hi Princess, I just heard that Hwy 1 between San Simeon and Carmel is closed because of some road slipping into the ocean!!! Look's like you enjoyed that route just in time! We are now planning to go up the 101, which in a way I am quite glad about as I suffer from car-sickness from time to time !

 

[queenie82]

Hi Princess, I just heard that Hwy 1 between San Simeon and Carmel is closed because of some road slipping into the ocean!!! Look's like you enjoyed that route just in time! We are now planning to go up the 101, which in a way I am quite glad about as I suffer from car-sickness from time to time !

OMG!!!!

PrincessinOz please stay home and don't plan to go ANYWHERE!!!!!

You're a bad luck charm

 

[skiingfast]

We have skiing through the trees in Australia.....and rock hopping....we would ski on 30 cm of snow!

Northern Japan is one of those prime ski spots to go to from Oz. It's only about 9 or 10 hours flight .

I can deal with the earthquakes (just)....and the tsunami (hopefully we'll be high enough in the snowfields)....but I'm not sure about the nuclear radiation. Deal or no deal. Just gonna have to wait and see what the outcome is. If it weren't for the radiation, I would go in a heartbeat!

I might just have to think about another trip to Whistler. .

Whistler? Why go there? If it's for challenge you shoud come to a place with real steep and deep.

There's always a few Aussies here. Is Amy your daughter or niece? She been a lifty for a couple years for the first half of winter and from Melbourne. DS is in love with her, but he's got about a decade until he can date.

 

[queenie82]

Big White Ski Resort is owned by Aussies so a great ski resort with ....wait for it.... REAL MEAT PIES!!!!
Sooooo good for lunch after a hard morning on the slopes. And yes I mean lunch. They would sell out of the Chicken Pies first usually.
And as to the slopes...great slopes!

DS would love it too as there is great kids area and a tubing park.

Note - I only suggest this as I've been there before and probably won't be back for a while. Hopefully if you do go there it won't crumble into oblivion

 

[PrincessInOz]

Hi Princess, I just heard that Hwy 1 between San Simeon and Carmel is closed because of some road slipping into the ocean!!! Look's like you enjoyed that route just in time! We are now planning to go up the 101, which in a way I am quite glad about as I suffer from car-sickness from time to time !

Just keep checking. HW1 was closed about 3 weeks before we left. It opened PDQ.

OMG!!!!

PrincessinOz please stay home and don't plan to go ANYWHERE!!!!!

You're a bad luck charm

Where are YOU going next?

Whistler? Why go there? If it's for challenge you shoud come to a place with real steep and deep.

There's always a few Aussies here. Is Amy your daughter or niece? She been a lifty for a couple years for the first half of winter and from Melbourne. DS is in love with her, but he's got about a decade until he can date.

There are a few Aussies here too....but where is here for you? To the best of my knowledge, I don't have a daughter or niece called Amy.....

note to self....go ask DH if he knows anything about the possibility of an Amy


I was thinking of Park City, Utah. But "here" might equally be as good ; although given my luck with locales at the moment, you might want to think it through....

Big White Ski Resort is owned by Aussies so a great ski resort with ....wait for it.... REAL MEAT PIES!!!!
Sooooo good for lunch after a hard morning on the slopes. And yes I mean lunch. They would sell out of the Chicken Pies first usually.
And as to the slopes...great slopes!

DS would love it too as there is great kids area and a tubing park.

Note - I only suggest this as I've been there before and probably won't be back for a while. Hopefully if you do go there it won't crumble into oblivion

I have an uncle in Vancouver and he skis Whistler. He has a friend that used to own a "cabin" about 5 minutes out of the Village. My uncle was concerned that we might not like roughing it! That "cabin" was better decked out than my home! 3 bedrooms, Jacuzzi, pool table, 2 bathrooms, heating, decking, amazing kitchen appliances....

 

[Mum from oz]

Wow Princess, finally caught up. I am amazed at how much you fit in and how many photos you can take, upload, edit/sort and post in such a short time!!

Looks like you did many wonderful things and had a great time making memories with DS! I definately want to explore SF one day.

 

[skier_pete]

Whistler? Why go there? If it's for challenge you shoud come to a place with real steep and deep.

There's always a few Aussies here. Is Amy your daughter or niece? She been a lifty for a couple years for the first half of winter and from Melbourne. DS is in love with her, but he's got about a decade until he can date.

OK...I haven't skied in Japan, but Whistler is one of the top Destinations in the world. I have a friend that owns a condo there, and have been three times...it has it's drawbacks (weather - heavy wet snow,expensive) and you have to ski up top for the best conditions, but the size and volume of terrain are insane outside of Europe. One of the nicest most compact villages you'll ever find, and that was BEFORE the Olympics. While it's not quite my favorite (that would be Tahoe), it's the closest in North America to getting the European big terrain experience. Plus no language barrier unless you count when they say "aboot" instead of "about". So, to say "why go there", unless your inferring Japan is cheaper or closer, I can't see why not.

There's also tons of Aussies and Kiwis there as well. (I guess getting a work-visa to Canada is easier than to the US since they are both "under the commonwealth".

Princess - we'll definitely try and meet up when I visit - if you are not off traveling the world / causing international chaos.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Wow Princess, finally caught up. I am amazed at how much you fit in and how many photos you can take, upload, edit/sort and post in such a short time!!

Looks like you did many wonderful things and had a great time making memories with DS! I definately want to explore SF one day.

Thanks for reading!

OK...I haven't skied in Japan, but Whistler is one of the top Destinations in the world. I have a friend that owns a condo there, and have been three times...it has it's drawbacks (weather - heavy wet snow,expensive) and you have to ski up top for the best conditions, but the size and volume of terrain are insane outside of Europe. One of the nicest most compact villages you'll ever find, and that was BEFORE the Olympics. While it's not quite my favorite (that would be Tahoe), it's the closest in North America to getting the European big terrain experience. Plus no language barrier unless you count when they say "aboot" instead of "about". So, to say "why go there", unless your inferring Japan is cheaper or closer, I can't see why not.

There's also tons of Aussies and Kiwis there as well. (I guess getting a work-visa to Canada is easier than to the US since they are both "under the commonwealth".

Princess - we'll definitely try and meet up when I visit - if you are not off traveling the world / causing international chaos.

Maybe you might want me out of the country when you visit....

 

[PrincessInOz]

I guess it is time to finish this TR and put down some final thoughts.

I am a Disney Tragic.

It is of little consequence that I have to fly 14 hours to get to California....that flight is all worth it when I step on a Disney property.

At one of my first DisMeets last year, TinkerbellinLousian asked the Dis-sers why they were Disney Tragics.

My response was simple. I have been a Disney tragic since my childhood when television became the family entertainment and Disney's Wonderful World of Colour was shown. Turns out that WWoC struck quite a chord with more than a few of the Dis-sers that night.

The impetus for this trip was the World of Colour show at DCA. As far as I am concerned, it is pure marketing genius to name a water, sound and light show with this name as I am sure that anyone who watched TV in the late 60's to mid 70's would remember the name.

No matter what anyone may think about the DCA show, for me the name itself engenders feelings of home, Sunday night round the telly with mum and dad and siblings, of watching Walt introduce the show....of wonder, of warmth, of love.


I have the travel bug.

Over the last year, I have been extremely lucky to have been able to fit in 3 trips to either WDW or DLR.

And hanging out on the Dis was always a pleasure because, as so many of you have pointed out, the best thing to beat the post Disney-blues is to be planning for the next trip.

I might have thoughts of travel germinating at the back of my mind; but at this stage, I do not know if they will include Disney or not.

I cannot ever envisage a time that I would stop travelling. I wish that every holiday would include a visit to Disney somewhere but I know that with my wanderlust and desire to see new things, this will not always be possible.

So hanging on the Dis will be bitter sweet. I will be looking half-enviously at everyone's PTRs and TRs and wishing that I would be the one planning yet another trip. But it is not yet my time.

And I have friends on the Dis; and I know that if I stop hanging out here, I will miss the friendship and laughs that I share with my Dis friends.

Thank you for the priviledge of your time to share my trip report with me. I had a blast on the trip and I had a blast putting this report together.

May your travel plans be long and frequent and until next time.....see you round the Dis.

 

[queenie82]

Although we don't see eye to eye on everything (it wouldn't be as much fun if we did) we are kindred spirits in that we are both Disney Tragics and both have the travel bug.

You have a ripper of a sense of humour and I've loved all your PTRs and TRs so I will definitely miss those while you are in this 'lull' between Disney trips.

While the WWoC doesn't really appeal to me (and I am VERY appreciative of your honest review) I have the utmost respect for the reason it struck a chord in you. It is memories that ultimately makes Disney special to us. We come to Disney from all sorts of approaches and walks of life so the 'details' of our love for Disney will vary greatly.
But we love Disney because it is a magical place, and the reason places like this are great is because you find more people who understand...

I hope you do get to Disney again soon. But just travelling is wonderful.

See ya round ya nutcase

 

[skier_pete]

Hey Princess,

Great final words. I'm with you - while I love Disney, I can't let that be my only travel destination, regardless of how tempting it is. There is much to see in the real world as in the World of fantasy and make-beleive!

I don't know whether the DIS allows TRs for trips that don't include Disney, but I for one hope you keep updating us with all your trips, if nothing else to see more samples of your great photography!

Hopefully you will continue to follow along with my TR, which will lead to a November 2011 PTR/TR, and hopefully a 2012 Australia TR!

SkierPete

 

[TheColtonsMom]

I guess it is time to finish this TR and put down some final thoughts.

I am a Disney Tragic.

It is of little consequence that I have to fly 14 hours to get to California....that flight is all worth it when I step on a Disney property.

At one of my first DisMeets last year, TinkerbellinLousian asked the Dis-sers why they were Disney Tragics.

My response was simple. I have been a Disney tragic since my childhood when television became the family entertainment and Disney's Wonderful World of Colour was shown. Turns out that WWoC struck quite a chord with more than a few of the Dis-sers that night.

The impetus for this trip was the World of Colour show at DCA. As far as I am concerned, it is pure marketing genius to name a water, sound and light show with this name as I am sure that anyone who watched TV in the late 60's to mid 70's would remember the name.

No matter what anyone may think about the DCA show, for me the name itself engenders feelings of home, Sunday night round the telly with mum and dad and siblings, of watching Walt introduce the show....of wonder, of warmth, of love.


I have the travel bug.

Over the last year, I have been extremely lucky to have been able to fit in 3 trips to either WDW or DLR.

And hanging out on the Dis was always a pleasure because, as so many of you have pointed out, the best thing to beat the post Disney-blues is to be planning for the next trip.

I might have thoughts of travel germinating at the back of my mind; but at this stage, I do not know if they will include Disney or not.

I cannot ever envisage a time that I would stop travelling. I wish that every holiday would include a visit to Disney somewhere but I know that with my wanderlust and desire to see new things, this will not always be possible.

So hanging on the Dis will be bitter sweet. I will be looking half-enviously at everyone's PTRs and TRs and wishing that I would be the one planning yet another trip. But it is not yet my time.

And I have friends on the Dis; and I know that if I stop hanging out here, I will miss the friendship and laughs that I share with my Dis friends.

Thank you for the priviledge of your time to share my trip report with me. I had a blast on the trip and I had a blast putting this report together.

May your travel plans be long and frequent and until next time.....see you round the Dis.

I am so going to miss your TR...don't you dare not hang around even if no Disney trip is in your near future...I for one would really miss you...your wonderful outlook & sense of humor often are my last smile or laugh each day. I have grown to really enjoy all my Aussie friends on the DIS and have often put off bedtime to see what you all will say when you start your day over there.

I too understand your travel bug...I wish International travel was in our near future I would love to visit Australia, but for now most of our non-Disny trips will be nearer to home. There is so much to see in Montana and the neighboring states that we are still exploring after 4 years of living here. Even if they are non-disney and you don't do full TRs I so enjoy your adventures and your pictures I for one would love to see you continue this thread with an occasional non disney trip or event.

Lastly I really did mean it when I said that should your family ever come our way on your travels we would love to share our slice of the world with you and finally meet you outside the box. Thanks for the memories...I hope to share many more!

 

[tiggrbaby]

Thanks for taking the time to share your trip and your awesome pics with us!

 

[QuirkyButterfly]

Thanks for taking the time to share your memories and photos with us. I have loved following along. I hope that you hang around even if there is no trip planned in your immediate future. Thanks for all of the tips and ideas for the California part of our trip.

 

[PrincessInOz]

The hard disk on our Apple Mac G5 died last week. It just didn’t get out of bed one morning and when we visited the Genius’ at a MacStore , they only confirmed that the hard disk was dead.
All our data is unretrievable and the only things of value there would have been our pictures, which thankfully DH had backed up on an external drive.
I’ve been slowly transferring the pictures across from the external drive to my laptop (and my external drive) and loading the ‘better’ of them into photobucket for backup purposes.

I mentioned the pictures to my friends in a box, particularly the 2007 trip, and a number of them thought I should put a Trip Report together (challenged me to it is more the case…).

The Itinerary for this 2007 TR include San Francisco, Toronto, Niagara Falls, Montreal, New York, Boston, Kennebunkport, Disneyland, Legoland, Sacramento and Napa Valley.

I've started writing the TR and it is being posted on the Other Lands section. Link is in here and in my siggie below.

Hope to see some of you there.....

Disclaimers:
1. Pictures have been taken by both DH and myself, in the days before we knew how to spell dSLR; so I consider them to be real holiday snaps.
2. Pictures are taken from Point and Shoot cameras that have single digit megapixel capability only. No correspondence will be entered into regarding the quality or lack there of.
3. Believe it or not….there is NO food porn. I appreciate that I’ve already lost a number of you with this statement….what can I say? It was 2007 afterall!
4. There will be gaps in my swiss cheese memory. What can I say? Again…it was 2007.
5. My mother came along on this trip. I will not be posting any pictures that include her; but she will probably be referenced in the TR.

 

[skiingfast]

Will the retrospective be tacker on this or linked on the end of this TR?

 

[PrincessInOz]

Will the retrospective be tacker on this or linked on the end of this TR?

I had a rather subtle link above...but here it is again: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2720766

Although I might consider also posting the Disneyland portion of the trip here as well when I get round to stringing the words and pictures together.