Meander Ingwa

Trader Joes now carries a Ristretto pod designed to go in to Nespresso machines

there are very few quality decaf mass brew products. Really a disappointment when a good restaurant simply has terrible decaf. Not the way to end an evening . I am a Seattle girl and good, strong, rich coffee is my morning ritual since 1973

I love Dan Dan Mian dry noodles but Mala Xiao Mian has my heart, the more buzz the better. I have 5 days in London before my next ship and I am spice loading there with 2 new places to try and a return to my favorite.

please tell me they use good, solid, Sichuan spices in the noodles

La Havre. Bayeaux museum and the tapestry or Rouen and the cathedral there. I would choose the Tapestry with only time for one but both are historic Brugge. Stunningly beautiful town to walk about. Canal boat rides to see sights.

As mentioned, if you look on the map this hotel is almost surrounded by high security government buildings. It is a very nice hotel in a nice area. I feel very safe in London, safer than in my own home town. You don't have to stick close to your hotel for dining and being just steps from the tube station, you have a world palate of dining choices to explore .

Have never been stopped in customs, ever, at Heathrow. Unless you have something to declare, you have your passport scan and walk ( and walk and walk) to your onward transportation . My last trip in February was no more than 45 minutes. In December was even less than that. All on weekdays, early morning from USA

do you have a budget limit? Viking is ticking you boxes for enrichment. They do not, however . offer single passenger rates and rooms. They offer both ocean and river cruises. They are very good about ranking their excursions as to activity level. Every port includes one excursion and often it is a bus tour. While they do not go out of their way to do solo matching, their ocean ships are small( under 1000) and their dining and social experiences are "user friendly" They have extensive river choices and off season too.

Belltown, which @Glaciers is mentioning is filled with restaurants many of an excellent standard $$$. YOu can get overwhelmed at choices. Seattle loves to eat. for lunch, you simply cannot go wrong with an on the go eating tour of Pike Place. My sentimental favorite is the little donut machine which occupies a space where, when I was 4 years old, I spilled a soda Going out to eat something like a hotdog and soda with my mom was a monumental treat. I was mortified. That was 1961 and I can remember everything about that little space , It was Orange soda. If it IS a game day, The baseball stadium is close and is quite nice. There are a ton of food vendors including a small percentage of vendors who represent their local food truck or restaurant. Considered one of the top food stadiums in the country https://www.mlb.com/mariners/ballpark/top-eats enjoy your visit

OK then you have the options for effectively getting to Seattle from Vancouver to pick up the second leg of your journey. Train or Quick Coach . Me personally I would go train because I love a train ride. Sit on the right hand side. There is a hotel right across the street from Pier 66 that many cruiser use. You can Uber/ Lyft/ taxi from King Street Station. upon return there is the local light rail ; LInk Light Rail by Sound Transit, that runs from several downtown stations including next to King Street Station ( international district) to the airport. The fee is nominal, a couple dollars

Ok I was confused by what you were trying to accomplish. I have figured out you are sailing in to Vancouver and want to sail out of Seattle . Quickcoach dot com. Bus coaches from the cruise terminal to Seattle. Stops in Seattle at convention center, pier 66 and Pier 91

I am slightly confused by your not wanting to round trip to Seattle from San Diego. Your flying in to Vancouver then driving right back to Seattle means going through immigration twice. One direction car rental particularly across the border will carry a premium charge. Have you considered flying in to Portland Oregon and driving north. Or consider Alaska airlines in to Paine Field which is in Everett . You could easily Uber/Lyft to downtown Seattle. Downtown hotels can be had for far lower than 300-500/ night

The Charter Hotel is one block from Pike Place Market and part of the Curio Collection at Hilton. Many excellent restaurants in and around The Market including Matts (reservation needed) and Lowells and the Athenian( informal and iconic).

Or anywhere for that matter, they are the bain of urban sewer industry

Saw someone mention that they bring those disposable food service gloves. The secret is knowing how to take them off without contaminating your hands. Hand sanitizer does not go far with Noro, but does help with other contamination .

I know that and I never implied he should reconsider. The hotel is great and a very convenient location for getting around, which I praised.

like I said, subjective. I have a fondness for Marchmont Street ,north from Russell Square stn. I dont think someone could be disappointed in London, because if it is not right there and making you happy, there is someplace just over the way or down , around the corner

I use google search for the specific city / town / region what is the weather in Narvik like in august. You can also search weather town name august 2022 to see last years weather ranges weatherspark dot com is handy find your place click on the calendar what you need to take depends on you and what you are use to I was in shirt sleeves last month, in San Diego while my friends from the deep south needed jackets sweaters and fleeces for the 64 degree morning

I would not be out at Heathrow if I wanted to visit in London. It is a long way out and back particularly after theatre other evening events. For layover the hotel is fine, for getting in to town, not as much St Ermins is a good location , VERY highly rated. The St James tube station is served by two useful lines for getting out and around town. Very walkable for the classic touristic places. The very immediate neighborhood Is largely government and business focused. It is a little lacking in character and "local places" for food and drink. that last is a bit subjective. Cannot help you with St Andrews.

The upside of solo travel, particularly if you are retired , is the ability to up and go on short notice. You can take advantage of last minute deals which even when charged at double occupancy are a huge deal. You are not tied to another's schedule or needs I have my eye on grabbing a last minute repositioning from Tokyo to Vancouver in the Spring. More of an excuse to visit Kyoto and coming home the slow way

Along Elliot , through the Sculpture Park and up to the Center, during the day, it is fine. During summer this is a busy, popular area. You will see the same mix of people you see in any city urban area, vacationers locals and people down on their luck.

This would be my nightmare. I am not in grade school and I dont want to be "assigned" a place at a table. I want to be able to dine when and where I choose. Feel free to offer me a spot, but please do make me take a spot.

there are cruise and tour lines that do accommodate the solo passenger to the same standard as pairs. The ones I have looked at include Tauck, Hebridean and OAT. The first two are admittedly a more expensive vendor. Hebridean provides a very focused and specialized trip with , if I remember correctly, 4 staterooms on their small ship that are for singles. Tauck , as well has solo staterooms on some of their riverboats. OAT is primarily a land based tour company . They cater to the over 50 ( though not entirely) and offer solo pricing. The few trips I have looked at, however, it appears that they dont have up front pricing on Pre - Post extensions. I have to dig deeper. They have an Ethiopia trip with Spice Island extension that sounds very unique and appealing and their Peru+ Galapagos or Ecuador + G are very appealing with 6 days on ship. The monster cruise ships can afford the single stateroom as they work on a volume basis. I dont want to be on such a ship, posh penthouse or inside a sardine can , windowless room.

I have a carry on Eagle Creek and it is at least 15 years old. Soft side has been a real trooper. I mostly check it since I travel a lot with equipment that has to be checked and I pay no baggage fees, so it is convenient.

most cruise lines will provide a shuttle service