(Virtual) East Bay (SF area) Travel Group Meeting - Sat, Sept 12, 2020

I'm looking forward to getting the inside scoop on Sicily at this meeting!

Speaking of inside scoops, I wonder if dessert stalls there are aware that over in Girona (Catalunya) they are claiming to have invented making ice cream sandwiches by putting a scoop or two inside pastry and then warming it in a panini press -- this kind of thing (I think) has been available in Sicily for centuries.

I’d like to join and look forward to traveling to Sicily as well, definitely on my future travels list!

I’d love to attend. I’d like to revisit Sicily (even if virtually for now). Thanks!

mln and Valerie - I've sent the September meeting link to each of you.

Everyone - please doublecheck that you actually receive the meeting link when I claim I've sent it. On occasion I get errors, and while I usually realize it and resend, I don't want to miss anyone. Thanks!

We'll be there!

Great, Carol! I've just sent you the link.

Count us in!

Lauri and Ed

Please count me in too!

Can’t wait to return to bella Sicilia! 😊

Laura B and Priscilla, I've just messaged you with the meeting link for Sept 12th. Please make sure you did get it, thanks!

This sounds like a really fun travel meeting! Can't wait!
Christine

I’m in, yhea Sicily!

diveloonie aka Tammy and Christine, I just messaged you with the link.

Ci vediamo in Sicilia!

I'd like to take part too.
Thanks for hosting this.

You should now have the link in your messages, SharYn!

Thanks! I've got it.

Looking forward to our meeting on Saturday, Sept 12th. We have a full agenda that is likely to go a full 2 hours. See you all "in" Sicily!

I'll be there to talk about some of my experiences in the Aeolian Islands just to the north of the island of Sicily.
Would it be possible to email the meeting link and pw to our special guest? That would be much easier for someone who isn't normally a part of this forum. I was certainly confused the first time I tried to join and we wouldn't want to hold up the meeting.

Grazie Mille!
Jeff

JeffWilbur - I've just sent you the meeting link via private message. I can also send it via email, if you wish. (Please supply the email address via message, not posted here on the thread, for security.)

We're also looking forward to visiting the Aeolian Islands, especially since most of us are less likely to be familiar with them! I've added them into the meeting description. And you and our guest will be up first on Saturday to take us there!

Would love to join this meeting, having been on the Rick Steves Sicily tour myself, and had the same tour guide as Jeff Wilbur did on his Sicily tour.

Dan, we'd love to have you join us! I've just sent you the meeting link via private message. See you "in" Sicily!

I'll be there. Got the link, thanks!

Marvelous, Barbara N, see you on Saturday!

I WOULD LIKE TO ATTEND ZOOM MEETING

Hi conilowe1, great! Glad to see that your RS forum friend (bugslife) got you set up with an RS forum account. I will send you the meeting link via private message. Please make sure you receive it.

Everyone - please check to make sure you have the link for tomorrow's meeting and send me a private message if you do not, thanks!

This is my first meeting. Zoom is asking for a password. What it is?

Hi. Can’t access zoom mtg it’s asking for a user name and password.

Valerie

Today's meeting was like a banquet -- abbondanza!
The table was crowded with delicious tidbits :-)
Thanks to CWsocial for gathering us together, and it turned into kind of reunion with Tommaso, the RS guide!

Thank you everyone for sharing your experiences traveling in Sicily! It was fun to take a tour of all the different towns and sites. I really appreciate the efforts that everyone put in to bring us on today's adventure!

For those who had difficulty joining, and even a couple who weren't able to get logged in - I apologize. It was entirely my fault. I did not make it known - and will do so going forward - that the security of our meeting setup now requires that you log in through your personal Zoom account or a Facebook or other "known" login. I will clarify that requirement for future meetings. Again, I'm sorry to those who were frustrated in their attempts to join.

Thanks to Jeff, Tomasso, Ann, and Catherine. It was so interesting to 'visit' a different part of Sicily and to 're-visit' places through the eyes of others.

Tammy asked how I planned our trips and I feel I didn't really answer the question. So here's the steps I take.
1) Decide which country we want to go to, when, and for how long then start following plane fares up to 11 months in advance.
2) Look at the RS itinerary if he goes to that country and google 10 or 14 day itinerary for whichever country it is. Ten days for a three week trip or 14 days for a four week trip, because we're slower travelers. Also search for best places to visit in 'country'.
3) Pick which towns/sights we want to see and make a tentative itinerary.
4) Sometimes I ask for help with our itinerary on RS forum and/or TripAdvisor. Dangerous because there are usually suggestions for more places than we can go or to do things we can't do. Sometimes we have to add days to our itinerary.
5) Add towns/sights to our itinerary. Research transportation options if not renting a car.
6) When we're satisfied I book hotels, apartments, or b&bs on booking.com.

I hope this is what you meant about planning.

That's a great method for planning your trips, Carol! I especially like the bit about adding time to a RS tour itinerary. He builds breaks into his schedule but his tours are rather fast-paced.

I learned a technique from Lauri on how to organize an itinerary in a spreadsheet. Maybe she could share that with us some day. It's really quite good.

Jeff

Thanks for the compliment, Jeff. As I remember it, my planning spreadsheet laid out each day of travel with city name, when reserved the hotel name and cost (and cancel-by date), transportation method and cost, specific prebooked activities, notes about possible activities and days closed. All costs in local currency, with a column for USD equivalent using an estimated € to $ rate Color coding for holidays (May !) After totalling the costs above, I added guesstimates about food cost based on $100 per day, cost of doggie sitter, and a lump for "miscellaneous".
Then I put the spreadsheet aside until I could face the grand total.
Last trip I used TripIt to organize hotel, train and car reservations, and just waited for the credit card bills to arrive at the end.

We also use spreadsheets. I use one each for lodging; tentative itinerary including days, hours, cost of sights; restaurants we might want to try, addresses, etc; transportation info such as train/bus schedules, connections, cost, etc. If we're driving we use Google maps and map out our route and stops for sights along the way, just to get an idea of the driving time. We download off line Google maps as well as Here We Go maps for the country. Here We Go seems to be better for walking directions in towns. We also keep a spreadsheet for expenses but only update it before we leave with costs already paid and then after we return with the remainder of what we spent. Yes, we are one of those who keep an old fashioned little tablet and record what we did, where we ate, and what we spent at the end of each day. It gets harder and harder to remember, especially on a long trip. We like to know how much each trip costs, mainly for fun, and it's also fun to compare food, museum, etc prices within and between countries.

Planning makes for a trip that's less stressful and more enjoyable. But as you might guess, we have a lot of time on our hands right now.

I doubt that anyone will read this late comment about our September topic of Sicily,
but I was listening to a lecture about the travails of the Byzantine Empire in the mid-7th century,
when they were busy killing each other over theological puzzles and being killed by on-the-move Muslims,
and for a while the capital was moved from Byzantium/Constantinople to Syracuse -- yes, that Syracuse:

Here's a confusing rundown of the excitement surrounding the emperor who re-located to Sicily:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constans_II

Confusing and somewhat humorous rundown.

That's one way to stop religious disputes - "prohibit further discussion." Apparently there was no first amendment in the Byzantine Empire. See a few ornaments you like at the Pantheon? Sure, take those home with you. Changed your mind and don't really like the Pope after all? Simply declare that he has no jurisdiction. Younger brother looking a bit too fondly at the throne? Best to have him killed off altogether.

No wonder he was "assassinated in his bath...with a bucket."