Dave--efharisto, dank je wel, merci, gracias, grazie, thanks!
Dave's Questions for His Nominees (Including ME!)
The answers to his 11 questions came fairly easily. Just a few needed some additional thought! So, to start off today’s Tech Tidbits Tuesday, here are Dave’s questions and my answers:
1. When did you start your blog and why?
I started Travel with Mrs. T. on January 5, 2015, a Monday, since I wanted each week to have a theme which is introduced in a “Main Event Monday”! I’ve been an educator for 25 years, and though I do not have a classroom here in my new temporary home in the Netherlands, I wanted to continue to inspire, inform, excite, explore, create and communicate. You can read more about me in my post: All About Me…Almost All For You.
2. Which country is your favorite to travel through, and why?
That’s an easy one. Though I’m from the U.S., and I’ve yet to visit all the states, my favorite country to travel through is Greece! I married a Greek, and we actually lived in Greece for 4 years. From Meteora to Mt. Olympus, Santorini to Skopelos (photo below), every place I’ve been reveals a new beauty that is Greece. That’s the reason I just started a new Instagram account. You can read more in my post: I Have This Thing With Greek Beaches!
Interestingly enough, it was my trip to Greece in 1986, when my husband and I were moving there, that was the most bizarre! The whole concept of moving out of state is daunting, let alone out of the country. We had only planned for 4 months before we moved, and then took Air Tarom, which was the strangest flight I’ve ever been on. Many of the seats were broken, and the backs were folded to the front. The cups they served drinks in had rims that appeared to have been pulled or sawed off. An entire judo team was on the plane, and were very loud making fun of all of the broken and weird things! Add to that, I started panicking since I knew no Greek!
4. What 3 items would you take with you if you had to live on a desert island for a year?
That’s a tough one. I interpreted this two ways, and with both, assumed that I could NOT take a person or phone!
A) If I could only take 3 things, other than the clothes and shoes on my body, I would take my glasses (which currently have 3 different prescriptions in wonderful progressive lenses), a large pot with a removable steel handle, and a piece of flint!
B) If I already had the basic items for survival, then the 3 things I would take with me would be a solar panel to power the other two items, my Canon EOS Rebel T2i and my Surface tablet—so I could enjoy past memories and record new ones!
5. Do you have a role model/hero/someone you REALLY admire?
My grandmother (photo below from 1973 with my brother and me in Atlantic City). She died in 1984, a month before I got married, and was/is my role model. Her zest for life, her strong sense of ethics and morality, her caring and giving, helped shape me into the person I am today, and her love for dancing (she owned a dance studio) inspired me to pursue what I loved—teaching. I think of her every day, and hope that she is smiling when she sees me from Heaven.
My spare time activities include making crafts, enjoying photos on my Instagram feed, and taking my own photos. I love spending time with family and friends. Just this weekend, my husband and I attended a July 4th party a week late at a fellow American's house (party postponed due to the Tour de France) and then the following evening went out to dinner and a movie with another couple to see Terminator Genisys!
My favorite hobby though is reading. On a trip in 2001 to Greece for the summer, I took a large duffel bag with 70 paperbacks—particularly crime and mystery novels. Unfortunately it got rerouted to Milan instead of Athens, but I got it back the next day! That’s why I love my Nook, though I usually take a few new thick paperbacks for trips to the beach! When I went back to the U.S. for a month this March, ‘escaping’ the winter in Utrecht, this is one of the books I read at Lido Key in Florida (photo below).
Not sure! Of course, this answer would have been more interesting when Dave first asked the question back in June before the Greferendum and its OXI result, and then this morning’s difficult decisions. I think the Greek people will make the most of any decision, but there is a LONG road ahead. I’m honest enough to admit I don’t know enough to support either stance, though I did save some drachmas when Greece switched to the euro in 2002!!
8. Hamster or Parrot?
This was another one where I have two answers.
A) If it is about which one do I want as a pet—hamster, since it’s a fairly quiet creature, except when running around on its wheel! Plus, since I travel so much, it would be rather easy to get someone to pet-sit!
B) If it is about which one would I rather be—a parrot, since I would love to be able to fly, and someday want to go skydiving! (My favorite bird though is a hummingbird--busy like me!)
9. What are the first five tracks on your travel playlist?
Bohemian Rhapsody—Queen
We Will Rock You—Queen
Happy—Pharell
I Will Survive—Gloria Gaynor
Everybody Dance Now—C & C Music Factory
You can really tell my age with this one. I’ve been to 3 Queen concerts in the '70s and '80s, and an MTV concert where various artists, including C & C, each played 3 songs. At the time (1990), we were the oldest people in the audience! I seem to make a habit of that—I just accompanied some of my friends to the Maroon 5 concert here in Amsterdam (photo below of Adam--yes, we were that close--we stood for over 4 hours). Also, about 2 years ago I went with my adult children to see Avicii--they joked that one of the security guards and I were the oldest people there! I love music; since my grandmother was a dance teacher, I grew up with all types of music and dance!
Yes, I rode a tandem bike in Long Island, New York back in 1984 with my husband, who was then just my fiancé! My future in-laws had a tandem bike, and rode it around their neighborhood. We took it for a ride one morning. I rode on the back seat, and have to admit, I disliked NOT being in control of the steering!
11. Where are you going on your next trip?
We actually just booked tickets last week for our upcoming trip to Greece; I’ll stay a month! Two of our friends are coming with us, and on the planned agenda, which is growing as I type, are Athens, Meteora, Delphi, Thermopylae, and Sounio. I also want to visit an island that I haven’t been to before, so I’m still researching! Milos is at the top of the list right now! You can read the list of islands I’ve already visited in my post: What's Your Dream Vacation?
Probably before that though, we’ll take some other shorter trips. Our central location in Utrecht in the Netherlands is great for 2- or 3-day, weekend trips to Belgium, Luxembourg or Germany. My husband’s cousin is coming for a visit, so we'll probably go someplace new with him and his wife!
My Nominees
Now, the part I pondered over for weeks. I’m supposed to nominate new bloggers who don’t have much of a following just yet, BUT, I’ve been following mostly veteran travel bloggers, many of whom travel with their children. In fact, just this week Flashpacker Family had a great post: Travelling with My Kids Changed Me: 11 Moms & Dads Share How. I commented (see below) and I started to recall all of the wonderful day trips and longer vacations I have taken with my children.
*Jessica and Robert, from Family Travel Times
*Monkey and Lulu, from The Talking Suitcase
*Finley and Cooper, from The Adventure Ahead
*Mattias and Markus, from Carpe Diem Our Way
*Mr5, from Not a Ballerina
*Stela, from Cool Kidz Cool Trips
My Questions for My Nominees
I’d like each child, or siblings together, (with a little help from their parents, if needed) to talk about themselves similar to what Bailey on Dish Our Town wrote, Lars and Anya on Wagoners Abroad wrote, and what Suitcases and Sippy Cups wrote about their children: Ryan, Evan, Aidan and Morgan. I also love Simon’s interview questions on his About page on his blog Planet Kiwi, so I’ll start with one of those.
1. What do you like best about traveling?
2. What’s your favorite place that you’ve visited?
3. What’s the worst thing about a long trip?
4. What’s your favorite song to listen to or sing?
5. Who is your favorite character in a book and why?
6. What’s your favorite game to play on a sunny day?
7. What’s your favorite game to play on a rainy day?
8. What’s your favorite topping on pizza?
9. What’s your favorite way to travel—plane, bus, bike, car, train, or boat?
10. If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?
Parents, if you and your child(ren) choose to accept the award, please let me know when you’ve answered my questions! I’d love to read them in a future post on your blog! (Please know I also understand if you choose not to—our blogs are very public!) Then, together, please come up with 10 questions you’d like to ask other bloggers, and then let them know they’ve been nominated! I have a feeling that most of you have been nominated in the past yourselves!
Thank you again to Dave, and to all of the parents of the nominees! I’ve learned a lot from your pages, and enjoy reading your posts, mostly though links I get from following you on Facebook or Instagram—my two favorite Social Media!
Now, I can’t leave without a question for all of you, so…
What’s your favorite way to travel—plane, bus, bike, car, train, or boat?
Let me know in a comment below!