Photo books and how to use them

It's taken me ages but I've finally sifted through the 3500 photos we took in our month in the USA and put them in a photo book.

I've used Aldi photo books in the past and would happily recommend them, however, Bonus Print have some great offers available through www.moneysavingexpert.com so I used them this time.

Click on this link and you'll be able to see the album.

http://onlinephotobook.bonusprint.co.uk/view-online-photo-book/01f1b451-b5b8-42ad-8dc8-74f70a3ee1c6 

When you've done a big trip and you have so many fabulous memories I think a book is a marvellous idea. 

Imagine presenting 1000 individual photos to a friend and saying "have a look at these" - people would start running when they saw you coming. Photo books look wonderful on the bookcase and let you relive the good times in your own time. I look at old photo books all the time- more than I ever would on the computer. We also lost some photos when an old computer crashed so don't want that to happen again.

Top tips

Use your own photos as a background - it's a good way of including photos you may not bother with otherwise.

Maps of the areas or routes taken make good backgrounds too - you can download these within the Bonusprint website.

Put a border round your photos so they stand out from the background 

Take photos of souvenirs and include them - the back cover of this photo book is a photo of all the National Park brochures.

The odd full page or double page spread breaks up the book and is a good way of showing off photos you may be really pleased with. I used them for the iconic sights such as Niagara and Mt Rushmore.

Text boxes are useful for noting the names and dates of places visited, especially if you've gone off your route and visited out of the way places ( like we did with Bridal Falls and Snake Creek).

Have fun with it all - quirky angles, funny backgrounds, clip art etc all add to the impact.

Take your time - don't send it off until you're happy with it.

Happy photo booking 😀🐼

and finally....Atlanta and pandas

Atlanta

We travelled overnight on the Amtrak Crescent in a sleeper compartment (more about Amtrak in a separate blog). Got to our hotel in Atlanta at 10.30 am hoping we could drop our bags off (check in is usually 3 pm) but the very kind receptionist said we could check into our room as it was ready - result.

Had a bit of a lie down and then set off exploring the area. Atlanta has loads to do. It's the home of CNN, Coca Cola and the world's largest aquarium. I'm afraid we just wandered round looking at the shops and buildings and checking out the bars because this was not what we had come to Atlanta for.

Our last full day in USA

The big attraction for us (and by us I mean me) was Zoo Atlanta and the pandas.

http://www.zooatlanta.org/

The zoo has teamed up with Checker taxis to provide free taxis to the zoo from downtown hotels so we got one of these in the morning. I had booked the panda "wild encounter" which is where you get to go "backstage" - that is, behind the scenes of the panda enclosures to meet the keepers and one of the pandas. It cost $160 each and was worth every penny. As I was ridiculously excited we were there early but this gave us chance to see pandas before we met the Education Team. Yang Yang was having a doze (surprise)

Mei Huan and Mei Lun were messing around (as three year old siblings tend to do)

Up to 8 people at a time can join the panda wild encounter but we were lucky enough to be the only 2 so it felt like a private tour.

We were given a chance to go behind the enclosures and see where the bamboo is kept and how it is weighed so they monitor each pandas' intake. We saw a freezer full of samples of panda poo and urine (I've spared you the photo but believe me there is one - what hubby lacks in interest in pandas he makes up for with an interest in photography) and finally we got to meet - Lun Lun.

The lab coat and gloves are to protect the panda from any germs you may be carrying - not you from the panda. Fetching aren't they?

The tour is supposed to last around 45 minutes but we were there well over an hour chatting about all things panda. I'm lucky enough to have seen pandas all over the world including the panda centre in China where the 2 adult pandas in Atlanta came from so we were all swapping stories of experiences there.

After the tour we went and looked at ...you've guessed it ....the pandas. Yang Yang was wide awake now and put on quite a show playing with his food bowl

The sisters hadn't tired themselves out either and they were pushing each other on the swing

So Zoo Atlanta - big thumbs up from me. Had to pay to get in, unlike Washington, but for this reason and also the fact that it was mid week, it was a lot quieter. Atlanta gets very hot and the Zoo plans for this with air conditioned exhibits, plenty of drinking water fountains and misting showers to cool you off. Many of the animals are in air conditioning too. This zoo had a really nice feel to it - and better shops! It also offered the chance to have a "wild encounter" with other animals like tigers,elephants and tortoises etc. We rang for a free taxi back to the hotel and that arrived no problem - excellent service.

All in all this was the perfect end to a perfect trip.

Sadly the next day the only trip we took was to the airport for our flight home. It was a fabulous holiday but now I just want to make like a panda and relax!

Pandas in Washington National Zoo

There are 4 zoos in USA that have pandas; San Diego, Memphis, Atlanta and the National Zoo Washington. I went to San Diego in 2013 and will visit Atlanta on this trip. Memphis will have to be part of the next trip. I'm not suggesting I plan all holidays to revolve around pandas but it's nice when it works out. Come to think of it a lot of my holidays have been to countries with pandas; Thailand, China, Hong Kong, Scotland - moving swiftly on....

The National Zoo in Washington is part of the Smithsonian Institution, a group of museums and research centres run by the US government. This means, as with all Smithsonian facilities, entrance to the zoo is free. It is a short metro (subway / underground/ tube) ride to the zoo and there are 2 stops you could get off at. One is called Woodley Park / Zoo and the other is Cleveland Park. They are both the same distance from the entrance to the zoo, on the same road (Connecticut Avenue) but the walk from Cleveland is more downhill. They say the whole zoo is on a hill but after having been to Edinburgh Zoo to see the pandas I would describe this zoo as being on more of a slight incline - however, it's good to be prepared and on the day we visited it was very hot so every little bit of energy saved helps! Take water!

The pandas are quite near the entrance and are seen via an easily accessible walkway which passes the outside areas then goes in to the inside enclosures.

To find out the details about all the pandas here the zoo has a great website - it also has a panda cam!

https://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/GiantPandas/

On the day we visited there were 2 pandas on view Mei Xiang (who was inside initially doing exactly what you expect from a panda!)

and her baby Bei Bei who was born 2015. When we arrived Mei Xiang was inside and Bei Bei was outside up a tree. We went up to the Panda Cafe where there is a great view down into the outside enclosures and we had a pretty good view of him

until he came down from the tree in typical panda style - climbed half the distance - fell the rest

Anyone who's watched youtube clips of panda antics knows they bounce - really well - so Bei Bei was fine. His mum came and checked him out all the same but decided he was ok and left him to try and recover his dignity alone.

After this it was quite hot so the pandas took themselves off to the shade and assumed the usual sleepy panda stance. We felt quite lucky to have seen all this activity and interaction as pandas are not known for their energy (check out the Kit Kat panda advert to see what I mean https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnQKET83qKg )

We went off and checked out the shop and food court. We were here on a Saturday and entrance to this zoo is free so it was understandably busy when we were here. I wasn't overly impressed with the selection of "panda items" I could get but then I sometimes can be a bit too panda focused and forget there are other animals that are worthy of our attention. I also thought the food and gifts were quite expensive but if you balance that with the fact that you haven't paid to get in I suppose it makes sense. I managed to buy a few things anyway so I felt I'd contributed to the zoos income (and my collection of  pandaphernalia). 

This zoo doesn't have any opportunities to go behind the scenes with the pandas - for that we have to go to Atlanta and my next blog..... 

Washington DC in 3 days

We arrived in Washington DC on our Amtrak train - on time - into Union Station. Wow is it impressive...

Settled into our room and made plans for the next few day. We knew it was going to be hot (very hot) and that there is a lot of walking between and around the sights so we narrowed it down to the top things we wanted to see. As we have often done in the past we relied on the DK Top 10 travel guide to help us plan.

The next day we spent the morning in Alexandria, a suburb of Washington because hubby needed to collect something he'd ordered from a shop there. It was lovely walking around a leafy suburb and was a nice pause before the manic sightseeing ahead. That afternoon we caught the Metro / subway to near the White House and then we walked along to see the WW2 memorial, reflecting pool, Washington Monument and Lincoln memorial. 

Slept like a log after all that walking. 

Day 2

Spent the next day at the Zoo - worthy of it's own blog - watch this space..

Day 3 

We got the Metro to Arlington Cemetery. I had no idea how large this place is. As well as the 1000's of graves for members of the armed forces it has sections for ex-slaves, a monument to Women of War, one for nurses, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the graves of some past US Presidents. There is a hop on - hop off trolley bus tour that goes around the cemetery and I would strongly recommend taking it as it would a) be exhausting to walk around it all b) you'd probably miss some of the major sites.

After Arlington we went to the Air and Space Museum. The one part of the Smithsonian we were very keen to see. There are lots of museums, galleries and archives (and the zoo) that make up the Smithsonian and they are all free to get into. They are only open from 10 - 5.30 which is a bit of a pity as it would be great to visit some of them later in the day when it is cooler, however, knowing the times means you can plan efficiently (are you getting the message - PLAN!!). Although there are loads of wonderful exhibits relating to flight and space it is the early developments of flight and air travel that fascinates me as well as aerial warfare so I was keen to see those particular sections. I was really thrilled to see Amelia Earhart's plane.

The next day we were catching the overnight Amtrak to Atlanta so wanted to take it a little easier. We did a little shopping in the morning and then, partly as there were thunderstorms forecast and partly because it felt fun to, we went the cinema (movie theater) to watch the new Independence Day film. 

And that was our 3 days in Washington. You could pack in a lot more than we did but we really enjoyed what we did and we felt we saw everything we wanted too.

The zoo up next - pandas !!

New York City in a day (and an evening)

Arrived at New York Penn Station on the Amtrak East Regional train - on time at 4.20pm. Checked into our hotel and went out. Photo warning... there are so many iconic images of New York you just can't help taking photos - believe me these are a tiny % of the photos we took.

We have been to NYC before but regretted not doing the Top of The Rock (Rockefeller Centre) so walked up 8th street and did that - the views are amazing. As always people say these views are the best but it's all subjective, We preferred the views from the top of the Empire State Building and I'm sure the views from the 100th floor of the One World Trade Centre are pretty good to. Anyway - tick that box - we've been to the Top of the Rock.

After getting our feet back to ground level we walked along Broadway to check out Times Square. The streets of Manhattan NYC are laid out in a grid formation so it's easy to find your way around (although I do get a bit confused with East and West - New Yorker's are also very helpful folk and we had no problems asking for and getting directions). Even though it was night time it felt like you needed sunglasses for Times Square.

We walked back to our hotel - it was about 9.30pm, there were loads of people still around - this city really never does sleep! We felt quite safe.

Next day we wanted to visit the 9/11 memorial so rode the subway downtown - it is quick, efficient, easy to use.

We had visited the site of the Twin Towers in 2007 when it was still a building site and pile of rubble. It had felt very emotive back then but now there are 2 memorial pools engraved with the names of people lost on the day it was even more so. 

Also near the site is the Oculus, the new transport hub of NYC designed to look like a dove - I liked it.

After visiting these 2 sites we walked down to Battery Park and rode the, free, Staten Island Ferry. This is so worth doing - it costs nothing and sails past the Statue of Liberty plus you get a great view of the NYC shore line. It takes about 25 minutes to cross and you have to get off the Ferry but you get straight back on to the returning ferry if you want to (or stay and explore Staten Island).

After the ferry ride we got the subway back up to 14th street and walked along The High Line to 30th street (not far from our hotel which was on 34th). The High Line is literally a garden in the sky. It has been developed from the remains of the disused overhead railway and winds it's way for a mile and a half through the buildings of NYC. I loved it - it is also free. There are food carts on the line and art installations. It is calmer and cooler than the streets below and you get the feeling that you are walking through the secret back doors of NYC. I am so nosy I loved that about it.

We ended our day in NYC in the best way possible with a Broadway show - Wicked. Our fave!

Rode the subway back to our hotel about 11.15pm - it was busier at that time than it had been earlier on, probably because of all the shows letting out.

And that's it - an evening and a day in New York.

There are so many places you can visit. We'd written a wish list and stuck to that, I'd certainly recommend planning your sightseeing if you ever come to NYC.

Next stop is Washington DC.

Boston in 2 days

After arriving in Boston at midnight, after 16 hours of travelling on an Amtrak train that was 4 hours late we jumped a taxi to our accommodation, got checked in and went to bed.

That gave us 2 full days in Boston - here's what we did....

Day 1

Ambled over to Boston Common

and picked up the start of the Boston Freedom Trail. For those who don't know Boston was the starting place of the American Revolution which led to it's independence from Britain. The city is full of historic buildings and links with people pivotal in the revolution and The Freedom Trail is the way to discover it all.

Here's a link that explains it all better than I can

http://www.thefreedomtrail.org/ 

It's really easy to follow the trail - it is literally set into the pavement as a line of red bricks

On the morning of Day 1 we followed part of the trail and lasted until lunch time. It was very hot and for those of you who know me or have read my blog you will know that I have some problems with my joints so we decided to try one of the Hop on hop off tours. This turned out to be a brilliant idea. First of all we just sat on the trolley for one loop of the tour so we could see all the sights then we got off it and took the included harbour cruise - a really good way of checking out the Boston Harbour and see where all the Irish Immigrants landed during the potato famine - Boston has a huge Irish population. From the boat you also get a great sense of the old and new buildings that make up Boston today.

I would highly recommend the tour people we used. The staff we met were all very knowledgeable, friendly and proud of their city. The tour was really good value too, it included a 45 minute harbour cruise as well as unlimited use of the trolley all day (it ended at 5pm - we were on the last trip of the day and the guy even dropped us off outside where we were staying!) We used http://www.cityviewtrolleys.com/

That night we ate out in the bar that became the inspiration for the TV series "Cheers". They did good cocktails!

Day 2

We hadn't seen the USS Constitution (Old Ironsides) the day before so got the Subway over to where she is currently dry docked to check her out. As Wikipedia explains 

"USS Constitution is a wooden-hulled, three-masted heavy frigate of the United States Navy, named by President George Washington after the Constitution of the United States of America. She was launched in 1797" 

The evening of Day 2 was spent at a baseball game at Fenway Park - for a number of reasons.

• It is the oldest baseball ground in the US so historically significant
• We'd never been to one before so it was a new experience
• Fenway Park has links to the football (soccer) team hubby supports - Liverpool FC

It was a lot of fun - we saw the Chicago White Sox play (and beat) the home team Boston Red Sox. Friendly, safe atmosphere, very family focused.

Got there via the subway - really easy to do.

And there ended our 2 days in Boston. We felt like we'd seen and experienced everything we wanted to but you could easily spend longer there and it would be great for any history buffs.

Next up New York in one day!

Walking from Canada to USA in 20 minutes

After our 2 weeks on the road we gave back our Jeep and flew from Denver to Toronto, Air Canada. Great flight, no problems. Got a transfer from Toronto airport to Niagara Falls. To save booking a taxi across the border I did my research and identified the Crowne Plaza was the nearest hotel to the Rainbow Bridge on the Canadian side. We were booked in to the Comfort Inn The Pointe - the closest hotel to The Rainbow Bridge on the USA side ...so....
The taxi transfer dropped us off in Canada and we walked across the Rainbow Bridge, suitcases and all. It took about 20 minutes to walk across, clear customs/ border control etc and get to our hotel. Easy peasy. Saved us a lot of money and time as the vehicle queues on the bridge were massive but there were no people in front of us on the bridge.

Niagara Falls is huge and spectacular. People say the Canadian side gives the best view but we saw them from both sides and from the Maid of the Mist boat right up to them and I don't think it matters where you see them from as they are just awesome.

We spent a full day exploring all the different views of the falls and to be honest - that was quite enough for me. There are a lot of touristy things in the area, including casinos but they didn't appeal to me - although they are clearly very popular with others, as evidenced by the volume of people in the area.

Next up Amtrak trains and Boston.