Figure it's the end of April and time to start future travel plans.....

Currently in Fort Collins through the week (through May 1)
4-8 Tulsa
Planning on:
11-15 Colorado Springs
18-22 Oklahoma City
Hoping to have Memorial Day week at home but might end up in Shreveport.

NYC for the Brooklyn Half Marathon

Roadtrip to Starkville, MS for my son's graduation mid-month. Haven't done an 8 hour car ride in a while.

Scotland (Isle of Skye and Edinburgh) and then London at the end of May and first week of June.

amsterdam next week

May kicks off my busy season:

Work:
Marshall, Texas
Lake Jackson, Texas
Las Cruces, NM

Personal:
Philadelphia for The Roots Picnic

I am going to Italy May 6, returning May 24. Round trip to Milan, with the first leg from DFW connecting at JFK.

3 nights in Milan, where I will see a concert at La Scala, The Last Supper, and the cathedral, among other things.

Take the train to Monterosso al Mare and spend three night in Cinque Terre.

Next, take the train to Florence to pick up a rental car, and probably see San Gimignano on my way to Siena, where I will spend two nights.

From there, I drive to Montepulciano for three nights exploring the Val d'Orcia and surrounding towns.

I return the rental car to Florence and spend two nights there. This is the only place on my itinerary that I've previously visited, and, having seen David at the Academia last time, I will skip that in favor of the Uffizzi and the Pittii Palace.

I will take the train to my final base, Bologna, for three nights in the food capital of Italy. I may take a tour of a cheese factory and basalmic vinegar acetaia around Modena, but will definitely stop in Modena on my way back to Milan to see the Enzo Ferrari museum and the city center.

Final night will be at the airport Sheraton because I have a 7:00 am connecting flight to Heathrow.

Nice.
I love Edinburgh.

And you're getting there as the days are longer.... Last time I was there it was end of july/first of August and it was still twilight at 10pm.

El Salvador and Mexico City. Quick trip. Doing the pyramids in Mexico City and assuming the security will be intense.

People have loved this in Modena: https://www.travelingspoon.com/hosts/6053-owner-led-balsamic-vinegar-tour-&-tasting-in-vignola

I've also worked with Arno Travel & Access Italy for Bologna insider tours

Have fun!!

Gila Wilderness in New Mexico for a couple of weeks.

Pattaya/Koh Larn for a 4 day weekend.

San Antonio for Memorial Day. Haven't been to Texas in a while.

Asheville, NC for a long weekend starting Friday. Looking forward to a couple days of hiking and scenic drives

Fly to Munich (connecting through Heathrow), head to Salzburg, Austria, Innsbrook, into northern Italy, then head north to Berchtesgaden, and spend several days in Munich before flying home.

Asheville NC for mostly hiking and some South Slope craft beer tasting.

TXCityAggie said:

---

Pattaya/Koh Larn for a 4 day weekend.

---

Koh Larn isn't bad, certainly better than Pattaya and Jomtien beaches. I like Cosy beach just below the Sky Gallery and 3 Mermaids restaurants in Pratamnak. I recommend heading another hour or so south to Koh Samet if you haven't been yet.

I haven't been to Samet yet but plan to go in June when I have a longer break...looking forward to checking it out. I actually don't mind Dongtan Beach in Pattaya and Koh Larn for an easy weekend from Bangkok. The heat is so bad right now that any beach will do.

Moto trip into Croatia and Slovenia

This month I'll be in Paris, exploring the Normandy region on private tours, and continuing to Munich with visits to Eagle's Nest and Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site, along with a curated Munich food tour before ending back in Paris focused on gaining firsthand insight to better design seamless European itineraries for my clients.

Looking forward to seeing Pointe de Hoc and the climb James Earl Rudder scaled on D-Day. I most certainly will send a pic for the Ags here.

We were in Normandy last summer. There are so many great spots to stop and visit. I was a little bit disappointed with Pointe du Hoc, only because the memorial is surrounded by very ugly chain link fencing. I'm not sure if this is to protect the memorial, prevent people from falling over the edge, or both (or maybe it was just temporary?).

There is an old bunker built into the cliff that you can go into. It has small rectangular slit windows that look out over the water. It's very moving to go in there and imagine what the Germans must have seen coming for them.

There also are quite a few old German batteries and bunkers that are quite a site to behold. Many still have the huge guns intact. Others show incredible damage from the shelling. There was one that was built and occupied so quickly that the cement was still wet, and you can still see imprints of the German soldier's footprints.

There is a sculpture in Arromanches-les-Bains depicting soldiers emerging from the surf while an older version of one of the soldiers watches was one of my favorites. It's a beautiful and very moving installation. It's near the parking lot for the circular theater. This is also a beautiful view of the town below and gives an impressive perspective of the remains of Mulberry Harbor.

Thank you for the info, I will let you know if the chain fences are still at Pointe de Hoc. I love WWII history so this trip I'm so thrilled to be going on.

harringtontravelco said:

---

This month I'll be in Paris, exploring the Normandy region on private tours, and continuing to Munich with visits to Eagle's Nest and Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site, along with a curated Munich food tour before ending back in Paris focused on gaining firsthand insight to better design seamless European itineraries for my clients.

Looking forward to seeing Pointe de Hoc and the climb James Earl Rudder scaled on D-Day. I most certainly will send a pic for the Ags here.

---

I spent over a week in Normandy in 2022. We rented a house in Port-en-Bessin for six nights. Had a private guide for a day to concentrate on the American sector, and did Pegasus Bridge and the British/Canadian beaches on our own. Made an overnight trip to Mont St. Michel which was also great. Unfortunately, I believe the museum housing the Bayeux tapestry is closed for a couple of years for renovation. If you are driving to Normandy, you can stop in La Roche Guyon to see the Chateau that served as Rommel's headquarters on you way there.

San Francisco for work. Probably won't get to see anything.

Leaving tomorrow for Conneticut for 2 weeks. Also going to Rhode Island.

Amsterdam for four days at the end of the month.

Waco
Plano
Reno / Virginia City / Lake Tahoe
assuming no spur of the moment work trips like last month where I went to Tallahassee on 1 day notice

LAS (for work)
SJD (for fun - thank you JMac!)

Going to Vegas for the first time since Feb 2020, right before the world shut down.

I used to go 1-2x a year as hubs would go 2-4 times a year for work. Last time I was there for a conference I spoke at and the 3 nights was too long.

Spending 4 nights this time but hubs doesn't have to work during all of it so we may actually get out of the city. I've never done Hoover Dam or a Vegas show, so think we will do both of those.