Topic: Vacations 2014

[blotter]

just finished two weeks vacation.   
this year we did only two small short camping trips and lots of house work.

here's the Matrix loaded as always, be it a 2 day trip or for a 2 week vacation.
second shot is our little camping setup.

[Sir Osis of Liver]

Heading East on Wednesday for a couple of weeks to see the family. Also looking forward for some proper seafood.

[Noto]

Just got back from a weekend diving the Straits of Mackinac.  Somehow, I have a better tan now from scuba diving than I would on a beach - go figure.  Hell, even the judge in court this morning commented ("I see you had a good weekend, Mr. Noto?"  "Following my annual visit to Sault Ste Marie to visit my brother?  I couldn't imagine a better vacation spot." - she laughed).

anywho, we dove out of St. Ignace and did the Northwest, Sandusky, and Cedarville.  The Northwest was a brig that sunk in ice, but the other two were amazing:

Sandusky - built in 1848, sunk in 1856 losing all lives on board.  Looked like:

Now looks like:


and then there was the Cedarville - amazing wreck.  600+ ft-long freighter, sank in 1965 due to a collision with a Norwegian icebreaker.  Unfortunately, the captain was a bit of a toolbox and made some very poor decisions, causing 29 deaths.
Looked like:


Now looks like:

Too big to get a shot of what it looks like underwater, but it was hella awesome.

[phazotron]

That's a nice shot of the wreck.  How deep are they?

[Noto]

That's a nice shot of the wreck.  How deep are they?

From my dive computer, typically going close to, but not touching the bottom:
Northwest - 73ft
Sandusky - 83ft
Cedarville - 107ft

[phazotron]

That's a nice shot of the wreck.  How deep are they?

From my dive computer, typically going close to, but not touching the bottom:
Northwest - 73ft
Sandusky - 83ft
Cedarville - 107ft

And I don't like swimming if I can't touch the bottom! 

So at what depth do go from normal scuba to the point where the "bends" starts taking effect?

[Noto]

The 'bends' are not directly as a result of depth, per se, but based on time at depth.  There are dive tables to suggest how long you can stay at a certain depth before you go into "deco" (or decompression), after which you have to enter a chamber to decompress the nitrogen out of you.

So at 107ft, I can stay down for 16 mins before entering "deco", but that's not exactly telltale.  If you have a dive computer (and you should), your dive time will be significantly longer - I was down for 28 minutes on the basis of not being at 107ft the ENTIRE time.

[Julie]

here's the Matrix loaded as always, be it a 2 day trip or for a 2 week vacation...

For some reason, I love pictures of vehicles loaded up for travel.

You guys pack neatly.

[2JDM]

My cousin and I are thinking of going to Amsterdam, Munich, Berlin, and Prague at the end of September, into October. Non-stop, roundtrip flight to Amsterdam from Toronto is $764! We are taking the train and/or flying within Europe.

What are some things to do for two 25 y/o single males?

Munich: OKTOBERFEST! 

We might stop by the Nürburgring too!

[Hannibalsmith]

My cousin and I are thinking of going to Amsterdam, Munich, Berlin, and Prague at the end of September, into October. Non-stop, roundtrip flight to Amsterdam from Toronto is $764! We are taking the train and/or flying within Europe.

What are some things to do for two 25 y/o single males?

Oh boy, where to begin...

[Hannibalsmith]

Three more days until we leave for the drive to Cape Canaveral...then Disney Cruise! The countdown is on.

[KD]

Three more days until we leave for the drive to Cape Canaveral...then Disney Cruise! The countdown is on.

That's a cool place!  It's been many years, but one of the highlights of my many trips to Florida.  We were really surprised by the abundance of wildlife within the boundaries of the base.  Kind of a neat and encouraging contrast to the technological wonders contained within.    Enjoy!

Bon Voyage on the cruise as well.

[Hannibalsmith]

Three more days until we leave for the drive to Cape Canaveral...then Disney Cruise! The countdown is on.

That's a cool place!  It's been many years, but one of the highlights of my many trips to Florida.  We were really surprised by the abundance of wildlife within the boundaries of the base.  Kind of a neat and encouraging contrast to the technological wonders contained within.    Enjoy!

Bon Voyage on the cruise as well.

Thanks! We've planned some spare days before and after the cruise to do some sightseeing along the Florida drive. Kennedy Space Centre is number one on my list. St. Augustine and Savannah are up there as well.

[huota]

My cousin and I are thinking of going to Amsterdam, Munich, Berlin, and Prague at the end of September, into October. Non-stop, roundtrip flight to Amsterdam from Toronto is $764! We are taking the train and/or flying within Europe.

What are some things to do for two 25 y/o single males?

Munich: OKTOBERFEST! 

We might stop by the Nürburgring too!

That's a nice itinerary, should keep you well entertained.  As always, reserve enough time to stay in each city. I would stay at least two full days in Munich and Amsterdam, at least twice that in Berlin. To me Berlin is the most interesting place of these three by far, but of course it all depends on one's interests. Haven't been to Prague, so can't comment on that.

Btw, if you're planning to go to Oktoberfest, be sure to reserve your table asap. Some people reserve theirs one year in advance...

[Scaerio]

My cousin and I are thinking of going to Amsterdam, Munich, Berlin, and Prague at the end of September, into October. Non-stop, roundtrip flight to Amsterdam from Toronto is $764! We are taking the train and/or flying within Europe.

What are some things to do for two 25 y/o single males?

Munich: OKTOBERFEST! 

We might stop by the Nürburgring too!

That's a nice itinerary, should keep you well entertained.  As always, reserve enough time to stay in each city. I would stay at least two full days in Munich and Amsterdam, at least twice that in Berlin. To me Berlin is the most interesting place of these three by far, but of course it all depends on one's interests. Haven't been to Prague, so can't comment on that.

Btw, if you're planning to go to Oktoberfest, be sure to reserve your table asap. Some people reserve theirs one year in advance...

Berlin is a huge, fascinating city -- well worth 4 days.  Lots to see and do.  Prague is architecturally beautiful - it was barely harmed during WWII, so the old city is pretty much original.  As huota said, your personal interests will determine what you find most interesting. 

[Julie]

My cousin and I are thinking of going to Amsterdam, Munich, Berlin, and Prague at the end of September, into October. Non-stop, roundtrip flight to Amsterdam from Toronto is $764! We are taking the train and/or flying within Europe.

What are some things to do for two 25 y/o single males?

Munich: OKTOBERFEST! 

We might stop by the Nürburgring too!

That's a nice itinerary, should keep you well entertained.  As always, reserve enough time to stay in each city. I would stay at least two full days in Munich and Amsterdam, at least twice that in Berlin. To me Berlin is the most interesting place of these three by far, but of course it all depends on one's interests. Haven't been to Prague, so can't comment on that.

Btw, if you're planning to go to Oktoberfest, be sure to reserve your table asap. Some people reserve theirs one year in advance...

1TSX, I have heard the same thing about Berlin vs Munich. We will be in Berlin in Sept-Oct. too. We have planned 3.5 days and 3 nights. We have also planned to visit VW's Autostadt in Wolfsburg, which is only 2 hours away. Since Berlin is kinda far away towards the east, we figured it would be a great time to visit Wolfsburg while we're in that area of the country. Those who have visited VW's Autostadt have recommended two days (indeed, tickets are available for 2 days), as it's apparently hard to cover in a day.

We were in Munich two years ago for 2 days, and that was good enough for us. (Including the BMW Welt & Museum.)

We were only in Amsterdam 1 day. We were alright with that.

Berlin is a huge, fascinating city -- well worth 4 days.  Lots to see and do.  Prague is architecturally beautiful - it was barely harmed during WWII, so the old city is pretty much original.  As huota said, your personal interests will determine what you find most interesting. 

I agree with Scaerio about Prague. Beautiful city. We spent 3 days and nights there. Could have probably done all we wanted in 2, but at least more than one day is needed IMO.

[Julie]

1TSX,

I forgot to mention, although we thought 2 (full) days in Munich was fine, we really did love it and other parts of Bavaria, like Fussen (1 hour 40 min away, where we spent another couple of days).

An acquaintance of mine who's German says Bavaria is "warm" (not the stereotypical German image) and we agree. We look forward to going back again.

[huota]

I agree, Munich is great place. Consider allowing one day to check out the Olympic Park and BMW Welt/Museum, in case you happen to be interested in cars

1TSX, you may want to stay in Friedrichshain or Kreuzberg-Friedrichshain areas in Berlin and they're just a stone's throw apart so you can easily check out both neighbourhoods. Nightlife is very active in both of them. Lots of hotels and hostels to suit your tastes and budgets. That said, my favourite area to stay in Berlin is near Hackescher Markt in Mitte. This is a little bit more polished area with very good transit access to places and also a walking distance to many cool cafes etc. And as always, I have to recommend Transit for some good Asian food.

[Scaerio]

I agree, Munich is great place. Consider allowing one day to check out the Olympic Park and BMW Welt/Museum, in case you happen to be interested in cars

1TSX, you may want to stay in Friedrichshain or Kreuzberg-Friedrichshain areas in Berlin and they're just a stone's throw apart so you can easily check out both neighbourhoods. Nightlife is very active in both of them. Lots of hotels and hostels to suit your tastes and budgets. That said, my favourite area to stay in Berlin is near Hackescher Markt in Mitte. This is a little bit more polished area with very good transit access to places and also a walking distance to many cool cafes etc. And as always, I have to recommend Transit for some good Asian food.

If you are thinking of going to the infamous Berghain (the name is a mash-up of Kreuzberg and Friedrichshain), then do your best to not look like two heterosexual male tourists.  It's not a gay club, but the owners (who are gay) and the doormen are very picky about who they let in, and prefer a crowd that is decidedly non-mainstream.

Yes, I've been there a couple of times, thanks to friends who know people and have gotten my name added to the guest list.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/germany/berlin/10601482/Berghain-how-to-get-into-Berlins-most-exclusive-nightclub.html

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berghain

[huota]

I agree, Munich is great place. Consider allowing one day to check out the Olympic Park and BMW Welt/Museum, in case you happen to be interested in cars

1TSX, you may want to stay in Friedrichshain or Kreuzberg-Friedrichshain areas in Berlin and they're just a stone's throw apart so you can easily check out both neighbourhoods. Nightlife is very active in both of them. Lots of hotels and hostels to suit your tastes and budgets. That said, my favourite area to stay in Berlin is near Hackescher Markt in Mitte. This is a little bit more polished area with very good transit access to places and also a walking distance to many cool cafes etc. And as always, I have to recommend Transit for some good Asian food.

If you are thinking of going to the infamous Berghain (the name is a mash-up of Kreuzberg and Friedrichshain), then do your best to not look like two heterosexual male tourists.  It's not a gay club, but the owners and the doormen are very picky about who they let in, and prefer a crowd that is decidedly non-mainstream.

Yes, I've been there a couple of times, thanks to friends who know people and have gotten my name added to the guest list.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/germany/berlin/10601482/Berghain-how-to-get-into-Berlins-most-exclusive-nightclub.html

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berghain

Yes, Berghain crossed my mind