Amazing Race-Where is the Persian Gulf?

Where is the Persian Gulf? Ah dud! At least Miss America knows where it is as she tells Brian, it's Dubai, surprise, surprise, because that is where the tallest building in the world is at. Now why would anyone want to build something touches the sky? Too scary, no wonder it brought tears to Mika thinking she was going to have to bungee off of it when all they had to do was to retrieve their clue. I'm putting Dubai on my bucket list although, I thought Vegas was hot, yes Virginia there is some place hotter than Las Vegas, Dubai! At a temp of 120 that's way hotter, yes Jeff, way hotter! Don't think I would want to live there, but to see that indoor skiing rink and that immense sand would be fun.

What happened to change Lance- talk- alot to Sir Lancelot? Lance looked like he was eating humble pie this episode, he barely did any yelling as he tells the camera, that he thinks he'll keep Keri, seeing how they've spent expenses on their wedding. In other words, he doesn't think he'll be able to get a refund for the tuxedo rental, so he better be nice to Keri other wise she might dump him after the race. When they were eliminated because they were as Keri said, directionally challenged, Lance barely went out with a whimper. Well, they weren't going to win anyway even if meathead made some amends. This episode was fun, from being hotter than hell to freezing ass cold, a good time was had by all. -Single D

The New Bachelor is!

Dallas commercial pilot Jake Pavelka! Ok so he did throw himself at Jillian, whom I'm sure at this very moment is regretting that she picked Ed ( that snake, womenizer ). Why do girls always chose the bad boys? Let's hope that Jake is not the mama's boy that he appears to be. He did come away last season as that weepy wimpy clingy guy, yuck! Girls hate that even if he is a pilot. Come fly me with down to Acapulco Bay, ah don't you love Sinatra? -Single D

Amazing Race-Cambodia/Survivor Samoa

I think it should be a rule that you must know how to say the place you are going to. Geez, put a lisp in it. Cambodia. This episode was a near perfect leg for Zev and Justin with the exception of one major mistake, losing the passport. It's a wonder they lost their passport, did ya see their packs? When they crossed the finish line, they knew they were missing one, how's that? I'm thinking if they knew they were missing their passports why didn't they try to go back and find it? When Phil told them to step aside and go through their things, did you see what their packs looked like? No wonder it's missing, what a mess. Wouldn't you keep the passport in a wallet on a string around the neck? I know whenever I go with my passport, it is safely tucked under my shirt around my neck. I bet those two never even ventured out of LA.

When Zev and Justin along with Lance and Keri arrived at the airport only to find that the first flight out of Vietnam was booked, I thought for sure one of those teams would get the boot, but as dumb luck would have it, they both managed to get on board with the other teams.

Still hate Lance and Keri and poker girls. Maria was all weepy because she wasn't a good enough monkey. Get over it, heavens you got one of the easier challenges! Act like a monkey, how hard was that? Poor Zev, he really did look like the clumsy school boy when he couldn't do that monkey act. He pitched a hissy fit, I know, my bad.

True stupidity reared it's head when most of the young'ins didn't know that it was Jackie Kennedy in the picture. Leave it to dad Gary to figure out that was Jackie O. Who was it that said it was some Cambodian princess? Mika or Meghan, both are dumb as rocks.

I so totally loved the Russian Market, for sure I would have lost that challenge being so distracted with all the stalls and souvenirs. Wait I need to buy presents!

Well, better now for Zev and Justin to leave, they weren't going to win the race anyway, I'm just surprised they lasted as long as they did.

Survivor Samoa-

Funny that the two people who think they are running things are named Russell. Pudgy Russell has my vote to win this thing, he is cunning and devious, although he better watch out, some one's bound to catch on to his game play, if he doesn't eliminate them first. He has everyone so duped they just follow his instructions like it's Stepford Samoa, so they deserve to get the boot. Speaking of Stepford Samoa, the other team is like Stepford Survivors with all of them doing their morning yoga and stuff. The only two not Stepford Survivors are Sambo and Yasmin. Someone forgot to operate on them to remove their personalities. And why was Jaison getting all upset when Ben called Yasmin "ghetto". Why does it always have to be about race?? Come on, I use ghetto on anyone that has no manners, who is crude, rude and a big mouth which was totally Yasmin when she visited the other camp. Hello, you were just supposed to visit and lay low and get the dirt, not dish it out. No excuses for Ben, but he was just calling it like he saw it, I don't think he thought about race. Well, Yasmin was voted out because she just wasn't Stepford enough. I hope they keep Sambo around but she is so at odds with her team but I don't think they will kidnap her and bring her to the big house to remove her soul and take her lifeless eyes. She'll never be Stepford. I think she's waiting to see if Rambo will rescue her.

-Single D

Amazing Race-Vietnam

My new favorite team is the Harlem Globetrotters, Big and Fat or whatever their names are. I'm surprised that they are travel savvy, either that or they've had great luck, but it's still early. The team that screws up but have yet to get eliminated and are on my very last nerve is Lance and Keri. Are they dumb as rocks or what. I would not want Lance defending me in a trial, he'd end up at the wrong court house. He's a better handyman the way he tore into the vcr tear apart challenge. He's more brut than brains. Come on, he doesn't know to look inside the bullet for the clue. I was so hoping they would be lost FOREVER! I bet Keri didn't even know they were in Ho Chi Minh City! Another team that forgets to use their brain, Zev and Justin, go ahead take the biggest most awkward animal to push all over Vietnam. Come on, low center of gravity, hello! And if I were Tiffany I would have pushed that statue right into Maria's big butt, hello, need some help here! Maria just went merrily on her way collecting balloons on her way to an afternoon tea party. Poor Tiffany was so exhausted I thought she was going to pass out. Swift kick to Maria, this poker friendship is over! Too bad Marcie and Ron got eliminated. Didn't anyone tell them this was a race? I think they thought they were going the park or something, but at least it looked like they were having a good time. See, now if I could only mellow with age! -Single D

Amazing Race-Japan and Vietnam

Amazing Race premiere did not disappoint. It was tense from the get go when Phil said in his dead pan style, racers begin racing. No wonder he didn't win the Emmy, at least Jeff Probst gets his Dr. Phil on with the Survivors, which by the way, totally hate that Russell or in the words of guest Blogger Jeff "He is a devil. I just hope that he remembers in these reality shows whenever someone says that they are controlling everything and everyone, that little light they see toward the end of the tunnel is not really the opening, but the train barrelling down the track toward them. Hopefully he will be reminded of that next week."

I was disappointed that the Zen yoga couple didn't make it out of the starting gate. I wanted to see more yoga in the hood out of them. The couple to hate this season is definitely Lance and Keri with Maria and Tiffany, the poker players a close second. That Maria, what was up with her, is she so delicate that she can't stuff a wasabi roll down her fat throat? Gwad she gives Asians a bad name. And I'm sorry, Assburger (or however you spell it) that Zev is just plain odd. Brian and Ericka are pretty pathetic at any challenge and probably won't last long as they try to politely urge each other on. Dark horse, no pun intended are the Harlem Globetrotters, Herbert and Nate or Big and Little whatever, I think they might give everyone a race for the money. Good places so far, Shabyua square is definitely on my bucket list as well as Vietnam, truly amazing.-Single D

Kanye West Learn Some Manners!

I didn't watch the VMA's since I'm like a billion years old according to my daughter, but in reality, I was probably watching some other reality show. The next day in my car on the way to work, I heard a snippet of it on the radio, the announcers were like that Kanye, was that staged? Was Beyonce in on it? When I heard the whole thing, I was wondering what did Taylor do after he did that? The next evening I just happened on the rerun of the VMA so my daughter and I watched. Thankfully it was on at the very beginning because I don't think I could stand to watch something I would have to ask my daughter, whose that? When Kanye jumped on stage and grabbed away Taylor Swift's mic away so he could tell everyone who he thought should have won, I was floored! (which by the way, I love that video "You Belong to Me"), Who the H does he think he is? What a jerk, what a classless ASS! or in the words of Obama himself, he's a jackass and who in my opinion doesn't deserve any ounce of fame. Taylor on the other hand proved herself poised beyond her 19 years and graciously said her thank yous afterward and quickly left the stage. She is a role model to all young people. Even the next day on The View, she continued to be well spoken and mature about the whole thing. Kanye, on the other hand, is not in anyway a role model. He continues to blame his outrageous actions on the death of his mother, even going so far as trying to squeeze out dry tears on the Jay Leno Show. He describes himself by saying that some celebrities take the time off to mourn which he didn't, meaning that he's a celebrity, oh brother! Your bad manners stem from the fact that your reality of fame has gone berserk in that over sized head of yours. No amount of apologizing can ever get back that moment that was to be special, a once in a lifetime feeling for Taylor Swift and you blew it! Kanye, you need to do more than just apologize for your bad behavior, you need to realize that, shocking, the world does not revolve around what you think, in fact, no one cares what you think, no one gives a damn, so get over yourself, man up and become something resembling a decent human being. Oh by the way, boycott all things Kanye, probably the only thing that would bring him down would be $$$. Kudos to Beyonce for doing the right thing! -Single D

Big Brother Season 11-Finale-Jordan Wins!!

First off, let me say this, did Julie Chen join the Snuggie Cult? I know she's got a pea in the pod, a bun in the oven, an egg incubating, but did she have to wear her snuggie from home? Usually she's quite chic, baby or not, but that blue slippery moo moo thing she was wearing was just awful. Did she need the big sleeves to hide the key she was inserting into the lock for America's vote? If that was the case, then why didn't they just put in the key before the show that would have solved that and she could have worn something stylish. Now on to the finale. Wasn't that the greatest thing since chocolate cake? Jordan really came through in the end when she won the last challenge. I was OMG, she misses the Jeff question and then it comes down to a tie. We all know Kevin's pretty smart, a barracuda underneath all that foo foo, so I didn't think Jordan had a whip of a chance with that last question that involved of all things, math! I'm like OMG, she's going to lose! When Julie announced 51 to Jordan's 50 and to Kevin's 80, whoo hoo! Wasn't it cute how Jeff defended Jordan in the BB house? He's more like her big brother than would be bofriend. Lydia is still gross as ever, Jessie's still a meat head, and Russell is just plain Russell. Jordan decides to take Natalie to the finish, good choice, but I was sad that Kevin didn't win second place. $50 grand could buy a lot of scarves! I was so totally shocked when Jessie voted for Jordan. I think all that sniveling chatter that Natalie did about how she piggyback on the strongest players worked against her. Just showed how parasitic and annoying she was. Of course Jordan was still in the dark about just how deceitful Natalie played the game, how it was like good vs. evil. Jordan is just plain naive. Well, good for her winning, let's hope she doesn't give it all away. "I'm gonna buy my mama and brother and me a house, give my aunt some money for her kids to go to college", (do you know how expensive college is?) and maybe buy a car. Now you can afford to take Jeff to Hawaii, except girl, I think he's more into that friend's with benefits thing. This turned out to be a better season than I had expected. I thought it was going to be an Evel Dick ending and then I would have to swear off ever watching Big Brother again!-Single D

Guest Blogger-Jeff's Thoughts on Big Brother Season 11

Love the blog, hate that picture! Watching BB right now. Question, how much longer are we going to have to listen to and see Janelle and Evel Dick in regards to this show? Wasn't thier 15 minutes of fame up like months ago? They are like the zombies or vampires that never die. Thery both have been back several times since they were on before> Shouldn't they be out trying to find a real job somewhere? Does that mean that Jessie will be back again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and agai........................................................................................................................................................................Sorry dozed off there for a second. What is up with the producers of this show? Besides the idiots, imbeciles, flamers and other losers they put on, they bring back those 2 dinosaurs. Just hope BB12 is better than BB11 has been. Okay, I'll get off my soapbox now. The little chiwawa just got smoked by the ditzy blond in round 2. Did you hear her explanation, she knew the order but it wasn't her fault, the ball went into the wrong hole!! Damn that ball!!!!! She was practicing rolling that ball into holes last night for at least a half hour and made Kevin stay out in the yard with her so he could hear her talk and knock the balls out of the hole for her. Even when he offered to go make her a sandwich she made him stay there. Now she's the LOSER and won't be the final HOH. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha owww! I laughed so hard I fell out my chair, landed on my butt and cracked it.-JEFF

Nice Job Jeff!

All I can say is YIPEE! Finally some Big Brother redemption, I was just about to write Jordan off. Come on let's face it, she's rode the coattails of Jeff. Jeff gave her the HOH. So when Jordan won the second round, I was floored. I thought for sure Natalie was going to ace this one. I mean, Jordan can't throw, roll balls and then to try to get them in the right order, come on! But hey, it felt like the Kentucky Derby, now if she can only pull off the last test!-Single D

Jeff's Thoughts on Big Brother-Season 11

BY GUEST BLOGGER-MY FRIEND JEFF!!! I can't believe tonights episode. Here are my thoughts and the what I'd like to see happen . Just wanted to write some stuff down while it was fresh. Well the Final 3 for BB11 has been set. Kevin, holding the POV decided to use it and take himself off the block. Not an unexpected move. I’m pretty sure that anyone faced with the choice of taking yourself out of harms way (on the block in this game) or staying and hoping that someone else will have your back would be foolish to do the later. Jordan, being the only other person available takes Kevin’s place on the block. Kevin then has the job of casting the only vote on who will be evicted and who will stay and play in the Final 3 competition. Both Michelle and Jordan are given the opportunity to explain why they should be the one selected to stay while the other goes to the jury house. Now before Kevin casts his vote, we must look at the last 2-3 episodes. First Jeff won HOH and nominated both Kevin and Natalie for eviction. Then he stupidly decided to listen to the lies that both Natalie and Kevin told, fanning his paranoia and turning him against Russell. Russell had been an ally prior to this and although he was an instigator against numerous people in the house, he hadn’t done anything against Jeff while Jeff was HOH until Jeff started listening to the people he nominated. Jeff then won POV and pulled Kevin off the block and replaced him with Russell. Now why would you pull one of your own nominations off and replace them when you could have just made the nomination to begin with. Bonehead play Jeff. And he would pay dearly for it. By pulling Kevin off the block he started a snowball of events that would directly lead to his eviction a week later and put us in the situation where Kevin and Natalie both survive. Now Kevin hadn’t won anything at all until week 8 when he finally got HOH. He repaid Jeff’s kindness for removing him off the block the week before by first saying Jeff was safe from eviction and then turning around and nominating him anyway. I didn’t have much respect for Kevin all season long. Until week 8 the most he did was sashay around and complain about not winning anything. It was also at this point that he and Natalie cemented their alliance. Jeff was evicted and then Natalie won HOH. The last couple shows he’s appeared to be having second thoughts about Natalie and not trusting her but then he goes along with what she wants. Either he is playing that up for the episodes or he’s flat out lying about it. Even on BB After Dark on he spends most of the time with her. Natalie who in my humble opinion is the perfect example for an advertisement for propolatics. All she does is consume oxygen and expel hot air. Her voice is like listening to someone scraping fingernails across a blackboard, her habit of basically repeating whatever question she is asked before answering and her head bobbing and eye blinking make me wish I could reach into my TV screen and just choke her or knock her out. When she won HOH she kept saying that “this is for your Chima, this is for you”. Just to refresh my memory, who was responsible for Chima being not only evicted from the house but kicked out of the entire game…oh that’s right it was……..Chima for her diva attitude, not following the rules that she agreed and I’m pretty sure probably signed for and throwing her mike into the pool instead of wearing it. So for Natalie to make her comments the way she did was stupidity on her part, in my humble opinion. This was the first competition that she had won but she made it sound like she had conquered everyone else and was the last dumbass standing. Natalie then proceeds to open Pandora’s Box and is able to spend a total of 20 minutes with her boyfriend who proposes marriage to her. That poor dumb bas&@*d. He should have run away as soon as she was locked inside the house. Since she got the “good” karma from Pandora’s Box while everyone else was being irritated by surprise guests dressed as a rather large rotund baby, a vertically challenged copy cat and a giant roach spraying “people” spray, she then tells everyone else in the house one of the stupidest bold face lies that backfired on her, forcing her to come clean. Even as she was explaining what had happened, you could see that no one was buying that one either. During Tuesday’s show while she was up in the HOH room talking to Julie Chen, she said that by lying about her age from the start she thinks everyone thought she among other things, naïve, immature, not intelligent (all things she is) and that helped her get this far in the game. And the worst part, she believes this equine excrement. She got this far in the game on the coattails of other people; first Jesse, then Russell, then Lydia and finally Kevin. In fact she did say in tonight’s episode that she would take the blood on her hands for Michelle leaving. That is the first thing she had had to do this game. Hopefully Kevin who appears to be seeing the light (way to late in the game) on her true personality (or lack of one) will decide to throw her under the bus and take Jordan to the final 2. I feel sorry for Michelle and Jordan. They were both favorites of mine from the start. In fact I voted for Michelle to have the cou’p de tate instead of Jeff. But I think Jeff played it better than Michelle would have. Michelle has been the target of some of the worst players that I’ve seen in this game in a long time. I don’t think she deserves the abuse she’s endured but she’s hung there as long as she could. Jordan seems to have come from a very sheltered life. She has some common sense and isn’t stupid but not the sharpest tool in the shed. I don’t think she has any street sense. I see her like that cute little polar bear cub from the Berlin zoo named Knut. According to the law of the jungle where only the strongest survive, he would have died had humans not fed him and nurtured him. They kept him alive and he can function in his sheltered world of his cage, but he will never be able to survive in the wild. He has lost most if not all of the normal instincts that he was born with. Jordan will function just fine in her sheltered world back in North Carolina and maybe she can learn enough to survive in the hostile world of places like Los Angeles, Chicago and New York but she’ll also need a lot of luck or someone to look after her. If I were King for a Day and could decide who would be in the final 2, it would be Michelle and Jordan. Natalie would be expelled like her “homely” Chima and Kevin would be sent to the jury house. Let’s hope that if Natalie and Kevin end up in the final 2, Natalie’s eviction meeting speech and final farewell video to Michelle comes a haunt her. And if it is Kevin and Jordan in the final 2, maybe Kevin will regret his last words to Michelle before he voted her out and those words come back to bite him in the butt. Although he would probably enjoy that.-JEFF

Big Brother-Season 11-Boo Hoo Goodbye Jeff!

I've had it!!! I am not watching Big Brother any more this season!! Yep you heard me, I didn't mumble! What with Jeff gone, all that delicious eye candy gone with him. As my daughter says, he's yummy! Reminds me of my friend Bruce, but in a straight way! And the thing that is really setting me off is Natalie winning HOH. That lying, sneaky, insect phobic hommie. She really needs to go back to her girl gang or where ever she came from. The one time we need Michelle to use her brains and win the final answer, Michelle falls short. Ok, she has a bad memory, maybe she didn't even remember the soda can challenge for all we know? A little birdie, who shall remain anonymous (Jeff), told me he had read a blog that said the key that Jeff found held the Diamond veto and he pulls himself off and Natalie goes in his place and gets sent home. Wonder who dreamed that scenario, ALL THE HORNY WOMEN IN AMERICA, I'm sure!! I kept waiting for Julie to say that there was going to be a twist with the voting, I'm like, come on Julie spill it, spill it! But no, I sat on the couch, dejected like I just lost my job, my dog, my leg, and my car! In the end it wasn't so bad that Jeff left, didn't we all scream at the TV for getting rid of Russell? I knew Jeff was going to eat it. So he deserved to get sent home. But what rankles me is Natalie winning HOH. That tears it! Does she have to be so gleeful? I could spit nails!!! Sure enough, Michelle and Jordan are going up. At least one of them will have chance, my bet is on Michelle. Until then, I'm not watching the next episode, can't stand Natalie throwing it in their face-go home little girl, don't you have a bank to rob or something?-Single D

Big Brother Season 11-Goodbye Russell

Let's see.....Jeff wins HOH, nominates Natalie and Kevin, Jeff wins the POV and removes Kevin and puts up Russell. Russell gets the boot. Was that smart? Why is it that no one seems to notice that Kevin and Natalie are thick as thieves? Let's see, Jeff and Jordan are a pair, Michelle and Russell are a pair, and so why wouldn't anyone in the house notice that Kevin and Natalie are a pair?? HELLO!! Me personally, I think that it was the dumbest move on Jeff's part to oust Russell. At least he has shown that he can be true to his word. Does Jeff really think that Natalie and Kevin will keep their end of the bargain because they haven't been asked to prove themselves yet? It would have been the smartest thing to have evicted Kevin this week since he's the stronger competitor over Natalie, she can't win for beans! Then that would have opened the door next week for someone other than Natalie to become HOH and then she would have been evicted. Now it looks like Jeff and Jordan (if she doesn't win) will go up against each other. Jeff better win the POV because one of them will be going home. Jordan, you can thank Jeff for that. Well, we'll see tonight. My friend Jeff already gave me the spoiler, but maybe he's pulling my leg because it's not who I want to see win HOH. waaaaaaaaa!-Single D

Favorite Destinations 7-6

7) Koln/Cologne Germany-For me traveling to Germany, there is a special quaintness about the country and once you step out of the train station in Koln you can't but help fall in love with this charming city on the Rhine. The first thing you see when you leave the train station in Koln is this massive cathedral that is one of the most amazing cathedrals in Europe. It is massive and imposing. From there charming streets that lead you invariably to the river lined restaurants. Sure they are expensive and touristy but hey, that's the price to eat with such a beautiful view. We happened upon an unassuming restaurant right next to a Thai restaurant run by a lone waiter shelping beer and brats in the rain holding an umbrella. Good beer, good brats, nice price!

Caution tip: Don't buy the sweet pretzels from the bakery near the train station, they are awful, buy the donuts!

6) Lucerne, Switzerland- A beautiful and charming city on the lake. We stayed at hotel on the other side of the beautiful wooden bridge which crosses over the river. On the older side of Lucerne are lots of restaurants, the only dilemma is which one. There was even a restaurant that served horse (appalling!) give me the fondue please! Take the boat cruise around the lake, it's a nice ride and you get to see some quaint Swiss homes where I'm sure Heidi lives. The shopping is fabulous from Swiss knives, charming Black Forest cuckoo clocks to Swiss watches. Shopping tip: Don't be cheap-buy the Swiss watch, you'll regret it once you get home. I bought a Swiss watch on my last trip in 2004 and have yet to replace the battery!-Single D

Big Brother-Goodbye Crazy Lydia

And right when some sense was finally sinking into the gelatinous stuff they call brains, Natalie and Lydia finally remembered that Jesse was doing both of them. Oh hello!! Jesse should surely consider being head of some cult the way he brain washed all the divas in the house. Natalie and Lydia hated each other when Jesse was in the house, once evicted they weep for their fallen idol. What short memories everyone has. This eviction round, Lydia had to go, she was this close to going postal. That girl is really scary, not to mention that she is really scary in that leotard and pink hair. And how gullible are Jordan and Jeff when Kevin, who isn't going to win any academy awards with his Big lie to J & J that Russell and Michele are in an alliance. Are J & J dumb as rocks or what? They deserve each other. Oh no, Kevin would never lie, except when there's a 1/2 mil at stake! And what about all those crocodile tears that Natalie was shedding from her phone call from her dad. As my friend Jeff says, it's not like they've been sequestered years, they know going in that that they will not have any contact, so what's all the crying about? Geez, grow a set! Now that the two biggest drama queens have left the house what will everyone do? I don't know about you, but I'm going to miss all the tension Chima caused. Guess it's time for Russell to go ballistic again, he's paranoid, he's got a short fuse, and he loves to goad people on. Jordan and Jeff better wise up or they will get their dumb asses evicted.

Surprised that Jordan had that good of memory during the Veto Competition, maybe she isn't a dumb as she appears to be? HOH looks like it could be a nail biter as Kevin could win it. Natalie doesn't have a chance, but I'm hoping for J & J or Michelle, because those are the only semi sane people in the house.-Single D

Favorite Destinations 11-8

11) Brussels, Belgium-home of Mannkenpis. Yes, pronounced Man Can Piss and it's exactly that. Legend has it that a little boy saved Brussels during the war by peeing on a bomb. Well, if you have to have a mascot, he sure is cute enough. I missed Mannkenpis many years ago, so I kept seeing this statue in various outfits, so I made sure to visit him this time. As we came to the end of the street corner, there was a crowd and there he was, he wasn't wearing any clothes and people were snapping pictures, of course my husband did his best impression of Mannkenpis for our picture. We happened to be at the next train stop, Gare de Midi to go to a carnival when we came upon 4 hapless Japanese girl tourist all lugging the same black and white polka dot suitcases, were they in a Japanese girl band? Surely they were lost and in the wrong part of town. I was wondering what in the world were they doing in this part of Brussels, (kind of seedy and run down) when they stopped us. They asked us in very broken English if we knew where they could find the Moooka Pisaa, to which I said "the Mona Lisa?" My daughter said no Mom, they're asking for mannkenpis! Poor things, wrong train stop and very lost. The best I could we tried to direct them back to the train station to Central Station. This was probably lost in translation.

A must see Grand Place, which it surely is. Unfortunately Brussels is full of competing restaurants with hawkers at every turn, eaters beware! Every other street have their specialities from mussels (a speciality) to Greek and Italian. We found the best Chinese food restaurant, take the street from the Drug Opera, away from Grand Place, to the main boulevard, look for the McDonald's on the corner, and turn down the street, I think the restaurant had the word Bowl in it. Really good! Another eating tip: Moka Cafe in the Royal Gallery, good food and reasonable prices. A must in Brussels, the waffles, try it with bananas, cream and nuts, delicious!

10) Lake Como, Italy-While not exactly on the major train routes, Lake Como is a nice place to stop and relax on your way to the southern Italy. The lake is beautiful. We took a boat ride around the lake in hopes of seeing George Clooney's house, whom we are told is the unofficial mayor of Lake Como. Cool off your tooties in the lake and relax from the hustle and bustle. Ah, if only I could afford a house here, one can only dream!

9) Amsterdam, Netherlands-What's not to love, more canals, dutch clogs, cheese, bicycles, more bicycles, and fabulous double salted dutch licorice. What is especially wonderful there, everyone speaks English. Bruges and Ghent have nothing on Amsterdam with their lovely canals, so what if some of the most charming canals are in the red light district, although I heard they are trying to clean that part up. Haven't been to Amsterdam in many years, but definitely worth a visit if you've never been there. The train station alone is amazing and lands you right in the heart of the city.

Hotel hint: The hotels do not use sheets on their beds. I ran down stairs to tell the tiny front desk that the bed hadn't been made. He asked, was a comforter on the bed? Well, Yes, Then the bed is made, that's the Dutch way, he says.

8) Siena, Italy-Just a short bus ride from Florence is the beautiful town of Siena in the Tuscan countryside. Meandering cobblestone streets and beautiful old building along with another amazing plaza. It can be really hot there so make sure you stop and have the gelato. Be sure not to stir up the ire of some of the town's roving Gypsies, like my sister-in-law did when we were there. The Gypsies got on our bus back to Florence by way of the back door. When she reported it to the bus driver, he promptly ignored her (guess he didn't want the evil eye put on him). Well, nonetheless, my sister-in-law starts giving the Gypsies a hard time. When we were getting off the bus, the older Gypsies woman gave her the evil eye while pulling at her hair (sister-in-law later encounters really bad luck???) If you can avoid the Gypsies, then a trip to Siena is well worth it!-Single D

15 of My Favorite Destinations/Destinations 15-12

And now for my list of some of my favorite places that I have visited.

15) Paris-how many times have I heard the people say they love Paris? I bet they all speak French! Sure Paris is a beautiful city with amazing architecture, but come on people, when you get off the train at Gare du Nord, it's a shock to the system. There are millions of people wandering around with that dazed and confused look on their faces. No one can read French and the lines for information are about two hours long. Once outside, you either line up in a long queue for a taxi or you take your chances on the metro hoping that you bought the right tickets. Yes, the French are snooty, won't give you the time of day, but at least if you try to speak French, they will try to speak English. For all it's faults Paris is truly a beautiful city. I love the street markets where they sell the most fantastic selection of meats and cheeses, who knew you could buy seven different kinds of sauerkraut?

Shopping tip: buy from the hawkers selling Eiffel tower souvenirs behind the Eiffel Tower (not at the park in front), they have the best prices, 3 key chain Eiffel towers for 1 Euro. you'll regret not buying them once you get home.

14) Bruges/Brugges Belgium-After many years hearing that Bruges is one of the oldest cities in Europe, I almost expected to see some Flemish painter in Renaissance garb walking down the street, instead it was throngs and throngs of tourist to which unfortunately Bruges has caved into with their modern display of trendy shops and touristy priced restaurants. I was mildly surprised that the canal rides were still reasonable, 6 euros per person. Bruges does have it's charm and although they call it the Venice of the North, it reminded me nothing of Venice. Eating tip: There is a little sandwich shop near the canal boat operators that sells fries (very popular in this part of Europe) sandwiches and snacks. It's a two woman operation, but they must be making a fortune for us fellow travelers that refuse to spend more than 5 euros for lunch. It's pretty good with a nice view of the canal. Get there early, it's crowded and there are only about 4 tables.

13) Ghent/Gent Belgium-If Bruges was too touristy, then Gent is the place everyone should be going to. It's got the magnificent cathedral, a castle and lots of shopping. The only drawback is that it is not walking distance from the train station. You have to take a bus to the city center which is about a 15 minute ride. It's worth the visit.

Coffee tip: Go to the department store in the center where you'll see a sign on the second floor that says buffet. That caught my eye. Buffet is not what you think, but it is a pretty decent coffee pastry shop at reasonable prices. The coffee is strong and the pasties are delicious.

12) Cologne/Koln Germany-When one arrives from the train in Cologne, the first thing you see when you get out of the train station is this massive cathedral. It's so beautiful and awe inspiring, worth the trip alone. Along the Rhine River, there are many restaurants catering to the tourist. The quandary is which one? After walking up and down, we settle on the one that seemed to be the underdog of restaurant row. It seemed less pretentious and pricey and was manned by one lone waiter (whom I was fairly sure that he was also doing the cooking). In fact when we started to talk to him, to give him some helpful restaurant tips (since we once owned one) we told him to buy some new table and chairs (he had plastic white ones). Turns out he was also the owner, lived upstairs and was very grateful for our suggestions. Here we had very good bratwurst and fries for 5.99 euros.

Snack tip: Don't bother with the sweet pretzels near the train station, you know the ones with the bees stealing the sugar off them. They look amazing, but were plain awful. Hunt down the vendor that sells the giant German pretzels. His stall is nearer to the mall shops.

More trips next post!-Single D