Busy Bee Traveler

15/07/2025

13/07/2025

😢

🚨BREAKING: Unfortunately The historic Grand Canyon Lodge, the only lodging on the Grand Canyon’s North Rim, along with the visitor center, the gas station, a waste water treatment plant, an administrative building and some employee housing has been destroyed.

Two wildfires are burning at or near the North Rim, known as the White Sage Fire and the Bravo Dragon fire. The Bravo Dragom fire is the one that impacted the lodge and other structures.

The Dragon Bravo Fire began on July 4, 2025, as a result of a lightning strike within Grand Canyon National Park.

The fire was initially managed with a confine and contain strategy, which included multiple containment features to protect structures, facilities and infrastructure. On July 11th the Dragon Bravo Fire was driven by strong northwest wind gusts, uncommon to the area, and jumped multiple containment features.

The fire is now being managed with an aggressive full suppression strategy as it rapidly grew and is now sitting at 5000 acres…

26/06/2025

Validation Confusion: The Quick Guide to Italian Train Tickets

Traveling by train in Italy can be incredibly convenient and scenic, but the ticket validation system often leaves tourists scratching their heads. Here's everything you need to know to avoid fines and travel stress-free.
The Golden Rule: When to Validate

VALIDATE if you have:

Paper tickets purchased at the station or to***co shops
Regional train tickets (Regionale or Regionale Veloce)
Any ticket WITHOUT a specific seat reservation

DON'T VALIDATE if you have:

High-speed train tickets (Frecciarossa, Frecciargento, Frecciabianca) with seat reservations
Intercity tickets with seat reservations
Digital tickets on your phone
Tickets purchased online with specific train times and seats

How to Validate Your Ticket
Look for small yellow or green validation machines near the platform entrances. These machines are about waist-high and have a slot for your ticket.
Steps:

Insert your ticket into the slot (usually arrow-side first)
Wait for the machine to stamp it with date and time
Remove your ticket when it pops back out
Keep your validated ticket throughout your journey

Common Mistakes to Avoid

The "Already Validated" Myth: Some tourists think their ticket is automatically valid when purchased. Paper regional tickets are NOT valid until stamped.
Platform Panic: Don't wait until you're on the train to realize you need validation. Machines are on the platform, not onboard.
Weekend Confusion: Validation rules don't change on weekends or holidays.

What Happens If You Don't Validate?

Ticket inspectors (controllori) regularly check trains and can issue fines ranging from €50-200 for unvalidated tickets, even if you have a valid ticket that simply wasn't stamped.

Pro Tips for Smooth Travel

Allow Extra Time: Factor in validation time, especially during busy periods when machines may have queues

Have a Backup Plan: If validation machines are broken (it happens!), immediately find a train conductor when you board and explain the situation

Keep Your Receipt: For online bookings, your email confirmation or app ticket is your proof of purchase

Check Your Ticket Type: When in doubt, ask at the ticket office (biglietteria) whether your specific ticket needs validation

Regional Variations

While the basic rules apply nationwide, some regions have slightly different colored machines or procedures. When in doubt, follow the lead of local passengers or ask station staff.
Quick Reference Card

✅ Validate: Paper regional tickets, tickets without seat reservations
❌ Don't Validate: High-speed tickets with reservations, digital tickets

Remember: It's always better to ask station staff if you're unsure rather than risk a fine. Most Italian railway employees speak basic English and are helpful to tourists.
Buon viaggio! (Have a good trip!)

21/06/2025

If you love history, you’ll enjoy this historical fiction from the French Revolution. I could hardly put it down! Based on a minor character in The Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens.

20/06/2025

Current read!

20/06/2025

Saving this for a future itinerary!

An eclectic itinerary for lovers of art, history and French cuisine.

08/06/2025

Sunday May 18: Departing Paris for home! We awoke to a clear morning with the moon still high in the sky. Within the hour, we watched as the clouds drifted through La Tour Eiffel from our balcony. It was time to zip up our suitcases for the last time, (mine missing one wheel now), and head to the airport for home. We had added a little extra time due to our previous airport debacles.
Our Uber, a sleek black Tesla with a cool-see through roof, arrived within 3 minutes, and we were off to the airport. Or so we thought…
After a few turns, our driver, who didn’t speak English, kept having to make direction changes as roads were closed. Street after street after street of outbound one-way streets towards the airport were CLOSED. He turned left, right, u-turned, j-turned, circled, cursing and exclaiming under his breath - and finally out loud. Other cars were doing the same. We knew we were going in circles, as we kept seeing the same buildings!
Finally at a big roundabout, an official of some sort was diverting traffic. Our driver stopped and asked him “What was going on?”
It was a MARATHON - AND a VINTAGE CAR “Rallye des Princesses” on the same morning! We pulled up next to one of the princess rally cars, number 87, a cool 1977 Ferrari driven by Margaux and Laura Bodard, and I got a great shot of the driver giving us an intense stare. https://www.peterauto.fr/en/events/rallye-des-princesses-richard-mille/
We thought we were going to miss our flight! He finally ended up one street away from where we started, and angrily muttered “Macron” as we passed that street. I guess the president’s road closures had affected him too!
Anyway, our 35-minute drive turned into almost one-and-a-half hours!
I had used my Google translate dictation app to tell him our flight departure time, terminal, etc., and as he pulled into the airport departure lanes, the traffic was backed up and crawling along. He swiftly dodged down the arrivals ramp, parked and got us unloaded, locked the car and waved us to follow him inside. He showed us the elevator, and told us to go up to departures, and “Bon voyage”! I told him Bonne chance (good luck” for his deliveries the rest of the day, and we raced to make it through security, and to our gate just in time.
Whew! What a dramatic end to our 18-day trip to Italy, Croatia and France!!

07/06/2025

May 17 continued… After dark in the 8th arrondisement, Paris. A black tie affair seems to be happening across the street at one of the embassies. We walked a bit, and then tried to make our way back to our hotel. At the corner of our block (our hotel is on the same block as many embassies and Macron’s place), heavily armed largely muscled military men told us we could NOT go up the street to our hotel! So we walked around to the next corner on the other end. AGAIN, you may NOT PASS! What?? That is our hotel - here are our passports!
“Non!” There is a line of other tourists trying to get to their hotels also. We are getting upset now, as it is getting late and we depart in the morning.
So Wally asks the guards if this is because of Macron? They shake the heads yes. Wally’s says loudly, “Macron sucks!”, to which the guards smile and shake their heads in affirmative, agreeing! I might have added a comment to his 😁😱 But they still won’t let us pass.
So we walk down and around to another street, ending up back at Bugsy’s Pub. We decided to go back in and have some drinks and hope Macron departs the party soon. One of the bartenders told us that the guards have done that to her when she was trying to get to work. Insane! So several drinks later, we head back toward Hotel de Castiglione and the guards are gone. Whew!

06/06/2025

Continuing our afternoon walk through the 8th arrondissement - past the Tuileries through the Place de Concorde, past the Ave des Champs Elysees and Arc de Triomph, then along the Seine River and Bateaux Mouches (*note: there are public pay restrooms next to them!!), towards the Eiffel Tower for sunset… Lots of young locals were hanging out along the river with snacks and drinks to enjoy sunset. Great idea!

05/06/2025

While walking around our 8th arrondisement neighborhood in Paris, I was awestruck by these gorgeous Tree of life” sculptures by Tuscan sculptor and artist Andrea Roggi. The first is at La Madeleine, on Place de la Madeleine. Learn more about him and his creations at: https://www.andrearoggi.it/index_eng.html.