It's Like We Know What We Are Doing

Wednesday, June 1st I told Mom as we were planning the trip to Australia, "I am going to take one day and do a wine tour.  You, Dad and Elias are not invited.  I will set up a tour for you guys for that day.  I hope you don't mind." Here's the thing.  I wasn't doing this to be a jerk.  I wanted to do a wine tour while we were in Australia.  No one else cares about a wine tour.  Mom drinks very rarely (or whenever I bring a bottle to her house).  Elias has learned he is a beer person (he's 20... of course he's a beer person right now).  And Dad isn't allowed to drink.  A wine tour would not hold any interest for the rest of the family.  Not only would we have to pay for three people to go on a tour that is not relevant to their interests, but then I'd be stuck feeling guilty because they are on a tour that is not relevant to their interests. The family was sent on a tour of the Blue Mountains.  Which after we met up la...

September 4th, 2015 The difference between our last hotel and our new hotel was striking. We unwillingly left the five star life behind as we drove to Haro.  The modern architecture and amenities of the Marques de Riscal were in our rearview mirror.  Our new location would be just a bit different. Enter the Hotel Los Augustinos . Los Augustinos is arguably the best hotel in Haro.  But let's be realistic.  There aren't a ton of hotels to choose from.  This building has had many incarnations since it was built in 1373. Yeah.  You read that right. 1373 is not just a number.  It's an actual year .  Knowing this has place has so much history kind of baffles my mind. So the building.  It started off as a convent, but in the centuries since, it has been a military garrison, a prison, and a hospital.  In 1989, the former convent became a hotel.  Or as the Los Augustinos likes to say, a four star hotel. Cool...

September 4th, 2015 Waking up in a Five Star Hotel isn't any different than staying in a non-Five Star Hotel.  It just takes you a little longer to get going.  Because why leave a comfy bed when you can stay in one for  just  a little longer. Truth be told, we didn't have to race in the morning.  Well...we had to rush a little bit.  We only had one night in the hotel.  And unfortunately, we couldn't have a late check out.  So we lingered a bit more than we probably should.  But we couldn't start the day without a good breakfast. Breakfast was included with the stay.  I know it was part of the package, but honestly, it seemed like they weren't checking any rooms.  My guess is they knew who everyone was as we walked in the door.  So maybe you don't want to saunter in without knowing if breakfast is included in your stay. Our breakfast began with a glorious buffet.  It wasn't until midway through the breakfast that...