The McClendons float down the Li River. Photo courtesy of Scott McClendon

Banner image above: Hotel of Modern Art near Guilin

Giving Thanks For The Memories
It’s that time of the year. In November, we stop to give thanks for family, friends, and good health — and those of us who are avid globetrotters also express gratitude for the travels that have enriched our lives.

La Jollan Jeanne Jones is especially grateful for the "short, but fabulous" trip she made to Washington, D.C. last spring with her 12-year-old granddaughter, Riley. Jones says Riley was at the perfect age for this trip because she had just studied U.S. history in school.

"We were only there for four days, but with the help of the concierge at the Park Hyatt Washington, we were able to cover a lot of ground." (www.parkwashington.hyatt.com)

According to Jones, "the Park Hyatt in Georgetown is a family-oriented hotel with a concierge desk that specializes in coordinating individual tours for their guests. The guide they booked for us was a real miracle worker. He arranged a private tour of the White House led by one of the President’s secret service agents and enabled us to see many parts of the Capitol not normally open to tourists. This included going on the floor of the House of Representatives and into the private reception hall of the Senate. At Arlington Cemetery, he positioned us perfectly for the Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier."

A cruise on the Potomac to George Washington’s home was another highlight.

"During the trip on the Spirit of Mount Vernon, the captain gave a running commentary on the points of interest along the river. After the mansion tour, we enjoyed lunch in the Mount Vernon Inn Restaurant, where the staff wears period costumes." Jones and her granddaughter also enjoyed the DC Ducks — vintage vehicles from World War II that "tour the city like a bus and then go down a ramp into the river for a boat tour of the waterfront."

"Very comfortable shoes are mandatory for a trip like this," Jones cautions. "We also visited the Washington Monument, the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials, the Vietnam Memorial, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, the Library of Congress, the Smithsonian museums, and the Holocaust Museum. Plus we managed to squeeze in dinner and a play at the Kennedy Center." La Jollans Betsy and Scott McClendon also experienced special access and insider events when they visited China in April 2006.

"We were dreading being part of a tour," Betsy told me, "but Imperial Tours enabled us to go behind the scenes and have extraordinary adventures." (www.imperialtours.net)

"When we visited the Forbidden City in Beijing, our group was taken to a gate that led to a private section of the grounds. Upon admittance to the Palace of Gathering Excellence, we were treated to sights that few other travelers see — including colorful ceramic tile work, marvelous gargoyles that indicate the status of the person who lived there, and windows covered in delicate silk."

Outside of Beijing, the McClendon’s group of 16 visited the Great Wall of China at a point that is well away from other tourists and vendors. The big surprise came when they walked to the first turret and discovered tables set for lunch. While they dined, the group savored a 360-degree view of the wall and surrounding brush-covered terrain through the arched openings of the brick turrets.

Another memorable meal took place on the grounds of the Hotel of Modern Art near Guilin. Here, in a spacious garden devoted to contemporary sculpture and outdoor art, each guest cooks their own traditional hot pot lunch using individual woks. (www.relaischateaux.com)

After spending the night at HOMA, (Hotel of Modern Art) an exclusive Relais & Chateaux boutique hotel, the McClendon’s group floated down a rarely visited stretch of the Li River in two-person bamboo rafts. Large tour boats clog other sections, but the Imperial Tours group only fisherman, cormorants, and the occasional water buffalo.

When I asked Del Mar resident Ingrid Hoffmeister if she’d be giving thanks for an especially terrific trip this year, she said "most definitely."

"In March I went trekking in Nepal with an old friend from England and another California friend. We first flew to Kathmandu, then Lukla, and then we walked to Namche Bazaar, Khumjung, and finally Tengboche Monastery below the summit of Everest. This is the well trodden path of climbers heading for base camp."

"Destination Nepal Trek & Expedition arranged every aspect of the three-week journey. This included providing two Buddhist guides and two young porters. They also arranged all our food and lodgings in Himalayan tea houses, plus a night at Chewang Monastery and tea with the llama." (www.destination.com.np)

"Whatever concerns we each carried dissipated with every forward step. Unhindered by high-altitude sickness and the disparity in our ages (62, 58, and 42) we followed guide Dawa’s mantra of ‘walk slowly and drink lots of water.’ Five to eight hours a day walking created hearty appetites for vegetarian diets that suited the tea house kitchens."

"We began to experience the concept of living in the now. Perhaps all those prayer wheels and stupas along our path less trodden were taking effect. Our hearts filled with joy as we observed the towering Himalayan peaks like Kantega and Ama Dablam."

And so we give thanks for the travel experiences that enrich our lives — and for the comfortable shoes that make it all possible. — Elizabeth Hansen

Bode Museum on the Spree River

East Berlin — Center Of Europe
As one former East Berliner put it while leading me through the trendy kiez (tiny neighborhood set around one or two streets) of Kollwitzplatz, "We had every necessity in the GDR [German Democratic Republic], we just didn’t have choices." To illustrate the point, I learn that there was only one brand of car available in the GDR, the Trabi, which was all but made of plastic — and there was a 15-year waiting list just to get one.

Just how far the former communist sector has come in under 20 years is staggering; there are nothing but choices now. As I chatted up some Czechoslovakian girls in a nightclub located atop a communist era building in Alexanderplatz, they set me straight: "Now, Berlin is the center of Europe."

It helps to reflect back to 1920s Berlin — progressive, liberal, and culturally advanced — to appreciate the city today. A walk through the kiezes reveals that this mindset has been rebirthed — cafes, bars, art galleries, boutiques, restaurants, bookstores, bazaars, community gardens, and theaters are everywhere.

For a unique taste of how bohemian East Berlin has become, venture out to Mauerpark (Wall Park) in Prenzlauer Berg, where every Sunday the overwhelming flea market attracts thousands of bargain-hunting artists. When you’re done perusing, stroll over to Cafe Pasternak for breakfast — Berliners set aside entire Sundays for breakfast, no matter the hour.

Music and art are everywhere in Berlin. Live orchestras and operas can be found in any of the city’s three opera houses. Or head out to Hackescher Markt to watch a stage performance in one of the 1920s ballrooms that survived the war. Shows like Soap, which mixes circus-style acrobatics with the sex appeal of a cabaret, play to packed houses.

Nightclubs and bars abound, and there is no last call — drinks are poured around the clock. Hipster lounges offer everything from beer to wine to absinthe (perfectly legal in Berlin). The popular club Weekend rides high on European trance music with a dance floor of 30-somethings undulating shoulder to shoulder. If piano bars are your thing, try the Checkpoint Bar in the Maritim Pro Arte Hotel.

Speaking of the Maritim, the hotel’s second location in Potsdamer Platz is a stunning display of 1920s design and a further testament to the new booming tourist trade — it caters toward conventions and meetings and houses the largest ballroom and presidential suite in Berlin. Almost all of East Berlin’s hotels were built within the last ten years. The average room will run you about 150 euros per night, compared to London’s 300 euros.

The center of Berlin, where East meets West at the Brandenburg Gate, is a history buff’s dream. Though Checkpoint Charlie is primarily a tourist trap today, there is a lot to be found nearby — a walk with Richard Campbell, a former CIA officer who was stationed at Checkpoint Charlie during the infamous tank standoff between Russia and the U.S., will unveil many truths not found in tour books. Points of interest include Hitler’s bunker, the Nazi book-burning site, standing portions of the Berlin Wall, and the Holocaust Memorial. Watch the buildings as you pass and you’ll notice bullet holes from the war. (rgc2012@yahoo.com)

Berlin has 175 museums, but perhaps the most impressive is the collective found on Museum Island, which includes the Altes Museum, Alte Nationalgalerie, Bode Museum, Neues Museum, and the Pergamon Museum. The musuems are currently being upgraded at a cost of over 1.5 billion euros. The GDR Museum, opposite the Berlin Cathedral, is a somewhat hands-on experience that includes a mock-up of a GDR-issued apartment, and a Trabi to sit in. (www.museumsinsel-berlin.de, www.ddr-musuem.de)

For a closer look at some of Berlin’s contemporary galleries and architectual high points, guided walking tours, such as the one hosted by GOArt Berlin, will yield hidden secrets one would never find otherwise. (www.goart-berlin.de)

Chocolate is a must when you’re in Germany, and no other chocolatier is more famous than Fassbender and Rausch, located in the Gendarmenmrkt. The real treat lies upstairs in the shop’s restaurant, Schokoladen. Try a salad sprinkled with shaved chocolate or a chicken breast smothered in chocolate sauce — it’s quite an experience. Be warned, the chocolate drinks are rich enough to induce a coma. (www.fassbender-rausch.de)

Restaurants, like museums, are plentiful, from Italian to French to Japanese, and more. For something truly eclectic, try the top-rated Margaux, located on Unter den Linden. The Pigeon with Summer Herbs and Sting Ray with Horseradish are absolute musts. Atop the Reichstag Building, a tradional German meal of meatballs with mustard can be found in the Kaefer Restaurant. Perfectly prepared venison scintillates at Schwarzenraben, or savor pumpkin soup at Diekman in Weinhaus Huth, located in Potsdamer Platz — site of the Berlin film festival in February.

No trip to Berlin would be complete without local beer — more specifically a Berliner Weisse. This slightly sour beer is mixed with raspberry or woodruff syrup, and served with a straw to enhance the rush of alcohol into the body. Sit along the Spree river, which runs through the center of the city a la Venice, and soak in the sights, smells, and sounds of the center of Europe. — Ryan Thomas