Sacramento Travel Group Meeting - Saturday July 18th @ 10 a.m.

Party on! We'll be there -- with the first planning spreadsheet for our 2016 trip.

Ed & Lauri

I can't wait for the meeting...where are you going?

At this point plan is -- Paris, Provence, Italy (with a few days in villages), Budapest, Vienna, Prsgue, Berlin and Frankfurt. April-May.2016
All suggestions welcomed.
(Ms Jo, hoping to see you in late May.)

Yes, David. we keep thinking we'll take a longer trip and just see one or two places in depth ... but other places call out to us "because we're so close. " May even cross paths with your Village Italy tour (just going at half your speed.)

I'll be there! Can't believe it's been 5 years!
Will have to leave early, though. Probably around noonish.

I'll be there. I need to leave by about 2:00 or so, though...enough time for me to jump out of the Annivesary Cake.

Which is why you're coming.

Already ahead of you there, David ;-) Just getting my pre- and post-tour sections worked out so I can get a jump on accommodations.

Ed & Lauri, we'll have to make a point to cross paths!

We are going to have to cut out a bit early too. I'm thinking around 2:00ish. It looks like a shorter than usual meeting this month!

An early wrap-up? Are we even allowed to do that? Do we need to let Panera know?

I feel a little panicky - it's been so long since this has happened ;-)

It sounds like some Bay Area peeps are coming. My friend Marie plans to come. I told her it would be good to get to know people before we go on the VI tour. She has met Eileen before, but she's coming anyway. :P

KISS MY GRITS.

You know I tease. I adore you, even when you try to take my family heirlooms. :-)

Happy Anniversary you guys!!!! Lift one for me!!

Thanks, Nigel ! Will do ;-)

David, I think the Guides have an out:

"Participation: Although we want everyone to have a good time, it sometimes happens that someone participating in a tour can misbehave or do things that are incompatible with the safety, comfort, or convenience of other members of the tour. In those circumstances we have the exclusive right and discretion, to expel someone (even you) from a tour at any time, without any claims by you against us."

Actually, looks like they have lots of outs...

Do the tour bus drivers keep duct tape on their buses?

Gosh, Andrea, it was just a couple of your family's heirlooms. You act like it's a big deal. You have more...

Maybe we should start Eileen's bail fund now? Before she goes all bus-people?
Advantage to going as a group -- no need to take selfies. With or without a stick.

I plan to come too!

I will be there,my trip is closing in.
Mike

I'm in town and plan to be there. Will be good to see everyone. Do I need to pack an overbite bag?

It will be good to see everyone tomorrow. Even if it is for a shorter than usual meeting. I have some exciting news to share.

Margaret, I have an overbite bag, too. I call mine a retainer case ;-) Normally, yes. I think this meeting might be shorter than usual, though...at least the Main Instigators won't be there much past 2:00 or so.

Mike, I look forward to seeing you tomorrow!

David, if you were referring to the POTUS, that 'threat' might have gotten you a visit from The Scary Men at the very least :-( I'm just trying to keep myself from getting duck taped, ala air marshall-style 8^0

See you, Sat, BG!

Hi! My name is Elizabeth McGough, and my husband Steve and I are scheduled for the Athens and the Peloponnese tour on Sept. 9. We are "newbies" to Rick Steves' tours, although we have both traveled in Europe in the past.

I would like to join the meeting tomorrow, and have the address. Could someone please give me an idea of the schedule - the meeting starts at 10, goes until ?, and involves lunch? Do I ask for the group by name, or just look for the people who look like they like to have fun?

Thanks,
Elizabeth

Hi, Elizabeth! We'll be at the (only) long table in the middle of the restaurant; there's usually some Rick Steves books scattered about. (We're on the other/larger side of the restaurant from the smaller ordering-counter side.) There are a few people there by 10:00, if not earlier, but we're the rowdy group! Everyone else there is quietly eating their breakfast/lunch LOL!

Our group doesn't have a scripted agenda. The first two people who get there start talking...then people get added in as they arrive. We're usually there until at least 4:00, and sometimes later than that! Some of us eat breakfast and/or lunch there if we get hungry. There's no set lunch or anything like that; just go order something if you're hungry. Whenever you need to leave, just leave. People can come and go as they like...as I said, there's no agenda so simply stay as long as you want to. We get up and move around so we can talk with everyone. It's very informal.

I look forward to seeing you tomorrow!

(The are two Panera's in Natomas - the one on N Freeway, NOT Del Paso.)

Oh - I see that David has pretty much said what I said, so you know it's true ;-)

See you tomorrow!

Thanks for the info. I look forward to meeting you guys tomorrow. I'll need to leave shortly after lunch - still shopping for some non-cotton, non-wrinkling, quick-drying, packable tops/shirts. Wish me luck!

We will be there! Counting down....two weeks to go! Look forward to seeing everyone!

Well, it's 1am, but if I can get off the laptop and asleep I will be with you all as well. I don't want to miss the 5th anniversary and CAKE, but I need to leave the meeting by 12:30.
I took the Greece tour 6 years ago and would be happy to talk with Elizabeth ...

Happy anniversary all! We got 5 miles from home and my 84 Volvo decided not to go to Sacramento today. Shout out to AAA, who came to our rescue once again.

So while you're enjoying cake we will be home watching Rick Steves videos (Do we get tickets for a valiant try ??)
Ed and Lauri

Sorry you and Ed didn't get to go Lauri -- I decided to stay home too. We will try again .....

Happy Anniversary you guys!

Sharyn came, but we missed the rest of you Bay Area peeps. We had a great meeting and thanks to David's generosity we had some nice anniversary gifts. I ended up with a DVD of The Way. I've been wanting to see it. Jim got the book Toujours Provence by Peter Mayle. I'm sure I'll enjoy reading it too. Thanks again David.

Thanks Andrea -- we had car trouble. Glad it was fun!

The meeting was very nice and I was very happy to participate in the anniversary celebration.
Big THANKS to David for the "door prizes!!!" I was also able to get a copy of "The Way" and enjoyed watching it last night.
See you all in the Fall.

Is there going to be an August meeting...or will ya'll be in Italy (that ya'll was for Eileen)???

I can tell you all about my Croatia/Slovenia trip and I need help planning my Netherlands/Belgium trip. You all always have good lodging and restaurant tips.

Kaye from Folsom

Hi Kaye! Yes, we will be having a meeting. It will be announced soon. It will be on 8/15 at the usual time and place.

And for whomever it may concern...we've only NOT held a monthly get-together on the very first Dec after we started meeting, and that was because it was Christmas Day. And only once have we ever held it on a Saturday other than the 3rd Sat of the month, because practically no one was going to be in town for that one day...and that was years ago.

Very early on, it was important to us to have a fixed day and fixed meeting place for those people not on this forum, or those who just wanted to drop by without checking the forum first. And, of course, for us regulars who needed to be able to plan months out in advance ;-)

Great gifts David.... I loved "My Life in Ruins"... pick that one Lauri!