Sunday, November 2, 2014

Vacation questions answered!

When I go on vacation and come back, if someone is kind enough to ask more than one or two general questions about my vacation, I find they usually aren't the right questions. This certainly isn't their fault. How are they to know that I might be in Rome for the baroque art, pizza, and cappuccinos and will just feel bad, like I somehow fell short, when they ask if I went to the Colosseum, and I have to answer "No".

I have been to Rome twice now. I've seen the Colosseum, from outside, but, well...


This is why I've taken to asking myself all these tourist questions, ahead of time, on my blog, and then, when I come home, I fill in the answers.

This is the blog post you are reading now.

The funny thing is that my own questions of myself, I know now from experience, are by no means perfect. They can still miss the point, but at least they tend to be in the general area and get close to those things that are important to me. This is because myself before vacation, myself on vacation, and myself just after vacation, still have many, many common interests! And I'm not about to accidentally ask myself, about my trip to Disney World, "Did you go that that new Harry Potter park?"

No. That's not in Disney World, and I refuse to elaborate!

"Why do you ask these questions?" You ask. 

I hope to vicariously relive the joys of vacation by answering them. You can vicarious too, if you like, and if you're okay with vicarious being a verb.

So here are my questions. As you will see they indicate a strong interest in food, animals, and Disney.

1. How was that modest, but well reviewed hotel?

I had to warm to it at first, but between the glass elevator and the balcony that we could see fireworks from, well, after a couple days I was all in.

2. What park did you like best?

Easy question. The Magic Kingdom.

3. What was the best meal?

Er, well, I'll just go with the Pooh Puffed French Toast at the Crystal Palace, mostly because Pooh and Tigger were there. And the Pooh puffed french toast.

4. What was the best snack?

That weird apple marshmallow drink with passion fruit foam in Gaston's Tavern, Magic Kingdom. Espresso over gelato at the Italy Pavilion in Epcot was maybe second.

5. Any decent coffee?

No, not really if by decent I mean "really good". Plenty if by decent I mean "adequate".

6. Did you see Pooh?

Oh yes! I even hugged Pooh!

7. Elephants?

Yes, not very satisfying though.

8. Tigers?

Yes. Pretty neat for a zoo. He was sprawling amongst Indian temple ruins.

9. What was the most exciting animal you saw?

The deer we saw from the Disney Ferry Boat. Though I don't mean to say some of the Animal Kingdom animals weren't amazing, particularly the Vulture, also various birds I cannot name, lions, giraffes, and that African cattle with the huge horns. Oh, and I really liked the lizard I ran into outside a bathroom at Epcot.

10. A little bitterness can leaven the joy. What was disappointing to you on the trip? 

The crowds mostly, but also the scale of everything. So many people in such large environments had a deleterious effect on magic and joy.

11. What was your favorite ride?

Splash Mountain. Splash Mountain. And Splash Mountain. I also loved Splash Mountain.

12. Is ineffable Disney magic swirling yet in your heart, or is it quenched at last?

I guess somewhere in the vast space between. Or, requires a more complex answer.

13. Did you get a Disney themed souvenir ice cube tray? 

Yes. The ice I cool my work drinks with will be in the shape of Micky Mouse's head.

Thanks for coming. We'll probably do this again next vacation. 

Ah, alas, but when is the next vacation!!!


  1. Very exciting about the ice cubes!

    1. Indeed! I had a glass of water today with Mickey Mouse ice cubes and much like my vacation the cubes swiftly melted away. May need to up number of cubes in glass and also up number of days in vacation.



