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The Steiners - Manny and Jennifer

We like to travel, are very picky about our itineraries but believe any destination has something interesting to offer. If you are looking for interesting itineraries, you will find them here, if you are looking for creative places to stay, you will not, our lodging philosophy is to use as many SPG, HHonors, and Priority Club points as possible. This means we stay in some world-class hotels, not the quaint and boutique places tucked away in a hard-to-find corner of town.

Manny has opinions on everything, visit TripAdvisor for his and other's reasonably reliable advice on travelling and where you will find comments on everything from restaurants to destinations. We also have an affinity for traveling on the rails, an indispensable resource for traveling by train is The Man in Seat Sixty-One, it is very detailed and gives a very current account of conditions on the rails. The worst rail agency so far goes to RILA, Bulgaria's corrupt state institution. Congratulations to Bulgaria. If you want good information on "beating the [corporate travel] system" then check out FlyerTalk.

Paris and the Sud-Ouest Memories Trip
September 7th 2004 -» September 17th 2004 The Balkan Capitals by Rail
September 2nd 2007 -» September 15th 2007 Holiday Trip to Paris and Eurostar to London
December 23rd 2007 -» December 30th 2007 30th Birthday in Florida Gulf Coast
April 12th 2008 -» April 14th 2008 Vegas and Southwest Canyons Road Trip
May 17th 2008 -» May 27th 2008 Hampton Roads Early America Exploration
August 17th 2008 -» August 19th 2008 Western Caribbean 5-Day Cruise
January 23rd 2009 -» January 29th 2009 Bahamas 3-Day Cruise
April 3rd 2009 -» April 6th 2009 Quadmodal Tour of Byzantine Europe
May 2nd 2009 -» May 16th 2009

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Joined on: August 11th 2007
Last Login: January 31st 2010

Blog Entries: 107
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Blogs & Travel Journals

by The Steiners, order by Date newest first.

By The Steiners
January 5th 2010

South Africa Day 11: Shopping in South Africa Africa » South Africa » Gauteng » Johannesburg

Last Minute Negotiations

We are in the Air France lounge now, whiling the time away in what is clearly superior to any of the Delta Sky Clubs so we cannot complain however we got to the airport early as I wasn't 100 percent on the departure time and had not had a chance to check, and it turns out the flight is delayed by 5 hours because the earlier flight came in late and the ever so pleasant Delta flight crew has to rest at the Hilton. So while they rest, the rest of us get to suffer, it is for safety's sake I [View Full Entry]

By The Steiners
January 4th 2010

South Africa Day 11: What to See in Johannesburg Africa » South Africa » Gauteng » Johannesburg

Walter Sisulu Botanical Gardens

Poor Gauteng, Jozie, Jo'burg, whatever you call her, she is much maligned by South Africans and foreigners alike, but this city has a lot to offer if you know where to look. Everything remains South African, so do not expect to be blown away by urban sophistication, but that does not mean there is nothing in the urban environment - shopping, residential neighborhoods, streetscapes, etc. that is not of interest. But the real interest is in what the greater province of Gauteng has to offer. The greatest Gold Rush in the history of the world occurred here and there is a [View Full Entry]

By The Steiners
January 1st 2010

South Africa Day 8: Cape Town on New Year's Day Africa » South Africa » Western Cape » Cape Town

Table Mountain from the Market

The drive from Kleinmond/Hermanus to Cape Town is surprisingly shorter this way than passing through Stellenbosh and Franschhoek. To be sure, the biggest issue with the last is that the road from Franschhoek is very windy as you are passing through the Holland Hottentots Mountains which makes what looks like a short distance quite long. High Places in Cape Town I knew when I booked us on tomorrow's Premier Classe train that trying to get things done on New Year's Day would be a problem. Well, it has been, although I don't think we missed all that much. We saw The [View Full Entry]

By The Steiners
December 31st 2009

South Africa Day 7 & 8: New Year 2010 Africa » South Africa » Western Cape » Hermanus

We are relaxing poolside today but the Arabella Western Cape Resort and Spa is a severe let down, right down to the restaurant manager making up today's forecast yesterday so that the day is only passable for the pool. I have figured out the right location in the hotel to make the internet work, so we want to wish everyone a Happy New Year 2010 before we drive off to Cape Town. We did not do anything too crazy last night, as a matter of fact I feel asleep as Moscow was celebrating the New Year, so about an hour early. [View Full Entry]

By The Steiners
December 29th 2009

South Africa Day 5: Definitive Guide to a South African Wine Tour Africa » South Africa » Western Cape » Stellenbosch

My first introduction to good South African wine was a Spier Reserve Pinotage 2006 I enjoyed in Virginia about a month ago, so I have been looking forward since then to having some good wine. South Africa is no California, France, or Italy but its wines are quite good and most importantly still very affordable for good quality product. We focused on Stellenbosch and Franschhoek area for our wine tour but be advised that the viticultural areas extend well beyond these areas and Paarl and include much of the area surrounding Cape Town and the Western and Southern Cape. The drive [View Full Entry]

By The Steiners
December 28th 2009

South Africa Day 4: Exploring the Cape of Good Hope Africa » South Africa » Western Cape » Cape of Good Hope

Our Suite at Westin Grand

We are back in South Africa and shockingly back in civilization. It's as if we came out of the jungle bewildered and to the posh sophisticates of Cape Town, I am very sure we looked that way. The change from a few hundred kilometers up the coast is significant, but in a way no different than if we tried to compare an experience in Boston with a small seaside town in the South. Cape Town is absolutely amazing, a huge divergence from Jozie. The Westin Grand is also leaps and bounds away from the scrubby Hilton. We had dinner at a [View Full Entry]

By The Steiners
December 27th 2009

Namibia Day 5: Walvis Bay Africa » Namibia » Walvis Bay

KFC Walvis Bay

We are to visit Walvis Bay today, but I am not sure that will be ultimately achieved. I was just awakened by Jennifer with sad news that has got me a bit depressed. Matt will know right off what I'm talking about - Urban Meyer is leaving college football and the Gators. I completely understand why he is doing it but I think that he and the people we have on the team these last few years are a group of very special people and it is sad to see that the season should finish this way. I think our loss [View Full Entry]

By The Steiners
December 26th 2009

Namibia Day 4: Atlantic Ocean from Africa Africa » Namibia » Swakopmund

Courtyard at Villa Margherita

Looks about the same except the sun sets on it from this side. We didn't really do any of the things we had planned to do today. We attempted to do them, including driving out to the Quad Bike stop just north of Walvis Bay, but Jennifer thought it was too touristy and there were definitely a ton of people and I was never all that hot on it so we took off. All of the tours are guided, which is probably a good idea for safety's sake but takes some of the fun out of it. The locals seem to [View Full Entry]

By The Steiners
December 25th 2009

Namibia Day 3: Sossusvlei and More Desert Driving Africa » Namibia » Sossusvlei

Sunsrise over the Namib

A LOT has happened in the last three days, so one day flows into the next and into the next. We are already the 26th here in Swakopmund, so a belated Merry Christmas to everyone, we miss you, but we have to admit that being the in the hot sweltering desert climbing massive red sand dunes and driving across moonscaped gravel roads makes you forget a little bit that it is Christmas! A quick recap on the relevant for Sossusvlei this AM. My favorite part of the trip so far. FINALLY After 1400 kilometers and 20 hours by bus, followed by [View Full Entry]

By The Steiners
December 23rd 2009

Namibia Day 1 & 2: How bad is the Mainliner Bus? Africa » Namibia » Windhoek

International Bus Terminal - Livingstone

The internet is very slow right now, probably a countrywide issue in Zimbabwe. We leave the hotel at 11AM on one of the combi vans to yet again cross the border and get to the international bus terminal in Livingstone. It will be a while before we post again. Probably not until we reach Sesriem in Namibia. When we arrive in Windhoek tomorrow morning, most likely late, I have to walk over to the Budget office to pick up the car and get back to pick Jen up with the luggage. Then we cross the foreboding Namib Desert to Sesriem, arriving [View Full Entry]

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The Steiners - Manny and Jennifer

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