Having found conversations with taxi drivers are a good opportunity to practice my Spanish, today after a medical appointment in Benidorm (Spain), in Spanish, we spoke about the summer traffic and its many inconveniences. After some other topics, we ventured into one my favorite topics: food. When I menitoned I particularly enjoy going to local Spanish restaurants to my taxi driver, he said his wife work at (Terraza) Eucaliptus in Albir and makes all the paellas. I responded I knew of the good reputation of their paellas and had eaten at this nearby restaurant solo and for a ladies´ luncheon.
It´s often difficult for people learning to speak Spanish to speak Spanish to native speakers. Living in a place where the spoken language is different than your own can be a challenge. I think it is essential to learn the language of where you live as a sign of respect and desire to really integrate into all areas of local life. It is also very helpful when you need assistance at a store or pharmacy, receive a phone call about appointments or deliveries, etc. And the locals really appreciate your effort. If I am unsure of something, I say it in a questioning inflection to indicate I am looking for corrections or confirmation. So take every opportunity to practice your developing new language skills with a native speaker.
Upon arrival home, the taxi driver wished me well and complimented me on my Spanish saying he understood everything I said. So take the available opportunities to practice and improve your new language skills.
Scallops grainee; figs with bacon; crab, baby eels, and shrimp in garlic mayo. Knowing your home country’s language is also helpful when trying to decipher an inaccurate translation in to English.
After 10 years, I am still regularly shocked at the very low cost of medical care and medications in Spain compared to California when I moved from there at the age of 57 ten years ago. In Spain, the quality, availability and ease of getting treatment without a referral by another doctor or authorization has always been easy. My initial annual policy required for a Spanish residency visa, here in Altea on the beautiful Costa Blanca, was about 1100 Euros (approximately $1000) with no deductible, and no co-pay. About three years ago, I had a serious accident, eventually requiring almost three months of hospitalization in Intensive Care. The insurance paid 100% of all my medical care in the hospital including specialist treatments. After discharge from the hospital, I developed a toe sore that was not healing, so I stopped into the local treatment location, which are accessible no matter where your primary treatment is. I was quickly seen by a nurse, who looked concerned, and brought in a physician to consult. They had me return every two to three days to clean, treat, and wrap the wound until adequately healed: easy, excellent care at no additional cost to me.
One important caveat: when someone with good private medical insurance has a medical problem, that person may be admitted to a hospital whereas someone with the same condition with Spain’s public health care coverage may not. Similarly, if someone with good private insurance is hospitalized, many people believe the patient may be kept longer than necessary in the hospital and may have unneeded medical tests or procedures. When people ask about how long a person’s stay in the hospital was, often the first question is if the person has private insurance.
My annual policy costs have increased an average of 100 Euros a year, and now is at 2000 Euros for a year. I seldom need prescription medications, but both prescription and non-prescription medications are surprisingly cheap here: I seldom pay over 10 Euros for any of them. However, not all medications available in the U.S. are available in Spain, and vice versa. Cost, quality of care, and treatment outcomes are far better here in Spain and many other countries, without the angst of worrying whether you can get needed treatment. As a statistician, it is clear to me that the costs of medical treatment and medications in the United States is unnecessarily increased because of the many hands in this lucrative pot.
I want to alert folks to two incidents of taxi troubles I had during my recent travels. The first was in Istanbul while readying ourselves for our Venice Simplon-Orient-Express from Istanbul to Paris. After a day out seeing local sites like the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia and Grand Bazaar, we got in a taxi and gave our hotel destination, the driver asked with what currency we would pay and we said with US dollars. We then were driven in what seemed to be an unecessarily circuitous route, because he claimed there was excessive traffic. At the end, the fare was far more than it should have been so I said I needed to use my credit card which was in US dollars. He argued, insisting on cash, and was unwilling to take the credit card (in spite of it saying on his windows he did.) He told us to go to an ATM to get cash. At that point, we exited the vehicle and gave him the same cash as we had been charged for a similar taxi trip, and walked down a street toward our hotel where no vehicles could drive.
In Paris, I found a great live jazz venue, Le Duc des Lombards. After the main act and the jam session, I went to the nearby taxi rank (stand) where there were numerous taxis picking up passengers. I got in a vehicle that looked like the other taxis, but made the mistake of not looking at the meter when I got in, which I normally do. Already en route, I realized there was no meter. When we got to my hotel, he told me a ridiculously high fee for the same route I had taken earlier. I mentioned there was no meter showing the fees, and he claimed he was Uber. I told him I did not request Uber and that because I got in his vehicle at the taxi rank, I would not pay the amount he was trying to charge. I gave him an amount similar to what the charge was for the taxi to the jazz club, and then exited the vehicle.
Attempts by both drivers at continuing to be argumentive and trying to insist I pay more were ignored in both instances, and I went in a direction where neither could drive and where there were plenty of pedestrians.
I recently completed my 10 year Spanish residency renewal, which was fabulously easy, with apparent decreasing regulation the more years you have been residing in Spain. I will provide links to my initial non-lucrative Spanish residential visa, and the steps involved. I did my initial non-lucrative residential long-term visa in San Francisco (California), but keep in mind that when I did mine in 2013 Spanish embassies who processed them in different cities in the U.S. sometimes had different procedures, even differences between the embassies in San Francisco and Los Angeles.
I had always completed my initial, one year, two year,2nd two year, and five year non-lucrative Spanish visa renewals myself, but for my 10 year, I decided to use a gestor or gestoria (administrator, manager, consultant who helps people to negotiate the particulars of the sometimes difficult to understand legal requirements) to assist with the process as it involved getting a Spanish criminal record check. In my area of the Costa Blanca, in Altea and Albir, I found a gestoria who confirmed I already had a long-term duration visa, but I still needed to renew it as my other 5 year visa (NIE) was expiring. I was given an appointment a few days later for which I was asked to bring my visa renewal application form, passport, NIE residency card, health insurance, tax paid, and padron (your registration in your town with your current address.) The gestoria simply asked me to send a photo of the aforementioned docs. (The links above to my prior blog posts about my Spanish residential visa and renewal applications had some expired links which I hoped I have removed.)
When I arrived, she had all the needed forms completed and I just needed to sign and pay what I felt was a reasonable fee for this quick, convenient process (133 Euros), done in less than 10 minutes. A few days later, I received notice from her office of my appointment to have my fingerprints taken at the police in Benidorm to complete the process, which was just a few days later. (I had heard of many complaints from people having difficulties securing appointments with the Benidorm police for the fingerprinting, but my gestoria apparently had magical or well-connected powers.) I just had to take a current regulation photo, which I was able to have done next door to the Benidorm police visa office, but you can get them in advance anywhere that does them for visas. After that fingerpriinting, I was told to return on a specific day four weeks later within a four hour time period, no appointment needed, to retrieve my new NIE card, which I did. Both police appointments were quick and efficient. Interestingly, with the 10 year visa, I am now allowed to work (not a chance), and there are other new perks, that didn´t apply to me.
After a fab train trip on Venice Simplon Orient Express Istanbul to Paris route last September (2023), I was searching for a new travel experience. I had previously taken an overnight train from Paris to Venice, which was a disaster. With the success of the recent delightful, luxurious Orient Express trip, I dared to explore boat travel in Europe.
I was looking for a small boat that would offer daily ports of call where I could disembark and explore. My initial searches yielded many popular destinations with excursions, like castles and other iconic sites but they included many cities and historic sites that I had already seen. I find no reason to repeat visits to a castle or many of the other historic sites that I had previously explored.
I happened upon European Waterways tours, which occur on a comfortable barge, with scheduled stops at or near smaller towns, and only a small number of passengers. They describe their barge tours offering “a balanced daily blend of gentle cruising and fascinating experience.” I elected to take a week-long river barge tour of Burgundy with the major cities being Dijon and Beaune. Each barge cruise offers a tailored itinerary, for example, mine focused on gastronomy and the acclaimed wines of Burgundy. Other options are tours which focus on outdoor experiences such hiking and biking, etc. Hot air balloon rides are offered on some tours.
Our tour departed by two comfortable vans around 1:00 p.m. (1300) on Sunday from a very centrally located hotel in Paris in which we could stay or there was an option to meet them there for the departure. To keep things simple, I chose to stay at their scheduled hotel departure location. The transport took about three and a half hours each way between Paris and our Burgundy location. Another tour with a different itinerary departed and returned on our same dates and times.
Our comfortable, well-appointed “barge” featured six good-sized rooms, with more space than I expected including the bathroom. Our group consisted of four couples, and two single women. One of the couples had done previous river barge tours, and thus had booked this for the latest one. All Americans, the people on our boat were amiable, interesting, intelligent, well-travelled, kind, with not a single negative comment or interaction with staff or fellow travellers. We had communal breakfasts, lunches and dinner around one table, and we elected to change seats at each meal for changing experiences. The French chef was spectacular in providing delicious regionally-inspired dishes, adjusting meals to the special dietary restrictions of two passengers. Stephan personally presented information about the impending meal, including ingredients, preparation and other details. Since I am a “foodie” I briefly spoke with him about his last work experiences which included Mozambique and Zanzibar (places I had travel connections with) and the latter where he had a restaurant until Covid struck.
Staff on the boat (two to one passengers to staff) were professional, courteous, and attentive, including noting individuals´ preferences and special needs of the passengers. All of the passengers thought it was a stellar experience. The only disappointment some of us had was that we had envisioned the boat would pull into the towns on our itinerary where we could disembark and wander at our leisure. None of the towns on our itinerary we went to were on our boat´s dockings, so we had to be transported by the two vans to those locales, led by our boat´s conceirge. From the barge´s docking site, there were riverside walking and biking trails, with bikes available from the boat.
A three and a half week eight country Abercrombie and Kent luxury African trip and safari was my first “trip of a lifetime” in 2008. The highlights, for me, were the animal safaris and local tribes or organized groups who performed songs and dances in Ethiopia, Tanzania, Mauritius, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Mali (including Timbuktu), and Morocco. I had previously been to Kenya and Tunisia, so this made a total of ten African countries I had visited. More on some of the special experiences in upcoming posts, but having recently seen a lot of interest about elephants on tv and blog posts, I felt compelled to share one of my favorite animal citings: a big group of elephants.
Elephants, Elephants, Elephants. Note “bull” (male elephant) protecting crossing. He was “in musth.”
On one of our drives at Mala Mala in South Africa, bordering Kruger National Park, we first saw a few elephants crossing the road and then going down a gulley. I anticipated the typical small herd of elephants, but more and more kept coming. and What I found particularly interesting is that even though we were on one of the safari vehicle roads, the elephants coming out on the road from the large trees and ground foliage were largely unnoticeable, until crossing the road. Then they quietly disappeared down the gulley.
Following time-robbing Covid and a serious physical injury, I decided my first major trip in several years would be the Venice Simplon Orient Express (VSOE). At the time of my booking, this once-a-year historic, luxury train trip had two route options: Paris to Istanbul, or Istanbul to Paris. Even booking a year in advance, this special itinerary was already almost sold out. So I quickly booked one of the few remaining cabins for my middle son, Michael, and myself, both of us train aficionados. The only openings were for the Istanbul to Paris route, which in retrospect seems to have been the better option, as this route provided (to us) an increasing level of interest and sophistication.
We arrived in Istanbul with two nights to explore the city (and, in the event of unexpected mishaps, to make sure we would not miss the train’s departure). I had been to Istanbul previously with my youngest son but enjoyed the fresh perspective of this more recent visit. We took in some of the usual tourist sights like the Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque, in addition to the Hippodrome. We also explored the Grand Bazaar, ending up at the restaurant of internationally-known chef Nusr-Et Steakhouse Etiler, a.k.a. “Salt Bae” – he now has 16 restaurants worldwide. We also lapped up all the varying different, interesting and delicious foods. My son found a great live music spot, Nardis Jazz Club, with a stellar vibraphonist.
On Friday afternoon we eagerly headed to Istanbul’s train station, where we were greeted by festive décor and welcoming, costumed staff. The train was stunning and inviting. Being greeted by our future staff, especially the chefs, cooks, and sommeliers, led to even more heightened anticipation. While I usually only eat one midday meal daily, the food was so delectable and exquisite that I ate both the lunch and dinner meals. Meals onboard the train were consistently the best foods I have ever had in one place, and I have been to lots of fab places worldwide – from many three-star Michelin restaurants to delicious dives.
Décor in the train’s shared areas was elegant, including the three themed dining cars and the bar/lounge car. In the lounge was a grand piano where live music was played much of the day and evening by a pianist who has been playing on the train for many years, and who was very responsive to the audience.
The two-person cabins were surprisingly small. Even though the booking information indicated that there was only a sink in the cabin, and a shared water closet at the end of each carriage, we were nonetheless a bit surprised. There was no room in the cabin to store luggage and no closet; only a bar on which to hang your clothes for the current and next day or two. The always available stewards promptly retrieved our luggage any time we needed to pull out new attire and re-pack items no longer needed. In spite of its small size, the cabin was comfortable and sumptuous. A bottle of my favorite champagne was in the room upon arrival, and just about any beverage of your choice was readily available, along with cabin service during the trip. With the exception of the formal meal on the first day, a light but delicious breakfast was brought to the cabin every morning, and snacks could be ordered any time.
We initially proceeded through Turkey and Bulgaria into Bucharest, where we had our first overnight hotel stay at the Athénée Palace Hilton, where we could enjoy a bath or shower, hotel amenities, and nearby attractions. That evening we were treated to a traditional Romanian feast at a Caru’ cu Bere, a gorgeous turn-of-the-century beer hall. Entertainment was provided in the form of live music and traditional dancers.
The next day it was, of course, a pleasure to be back on board, with the delicious food, wine, new friends, and live piano music. We were particularly impressed with the sommelier. When I learned most the staff were from the Veneto region of Italy or nearby towns, I mentioned many of my prior travel locales in the area, not just Venice, but Marostica, Bassano del Grappa (home to grappa from the Italy/Austria area), Padua, Asolo, Verona, buildings designed by Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio. Thus they were eager to recommend and serve us many fabulous (and some relatively rare) wines, mostly from the Veneto, but also other areas of Italy and France.
After another overnight on the train, we arrived in Budapest, Hungary. In spite of the extensive damage the city suffered during WWII, it has been beautifully restored and is one of the most stunning cities I have ever seen (in my travels to over 40 countries). Interestingly, they have the second largest synagogue in the world, after New York City. Again, we also had free time to explore. In the evening, we were treated to a grand private event at the Museum of Fine Arts. The evening began with a champagne reception under the portico, followed by a private tour of a gallery by an art historian, a five-course meal, and best of all, a performance of arias by the first soprano of the Hungarian Opera. Afterward, we enjoyed another relaxing overnight stay, this time at the well-appointed, luxurious Four Seasons Hotel.
Reluctant to leave Budapest, (I will be back), we boarded for the last leg of our train expedition. The 6th and final day of the trip, as we proceeded through the Champagne area of France, staff from Moët & Chandon boarded for a tasting to accompany our last lunch on board. They provided us several of their champagnes including Dom Perignon. I was never a fan of Dom Perignon, but hadn’t tried it for 40-ish years, so I tried it again: my opinion remained unchanged. My son and I both preferred the Moët & Chandon dry rosé, which one of the hosts said he also preferred. Unfortunately, they had no more of it on hand, but one of the enterprising VSOE wine staff brought us one from their ‘cellar.’
Stellar trip. Reluctant, but happy departure to our 2 days in Paris, where we enjoyed some of our favorite Parisian activities and dishes. Pricey but worth every penny.
The landing of Perseverance on Mars reminded me of some interesting past experiences. Bear with me as I do a sort of stream of consciousness that came to me watching the landing and communicating with friends. I have three friends who have worked for NASA, one of whom helped develop the Hubble space telescope. When this friend was working in Houston on the Hubble, he sent me a yellow page ad for a woman with my name, Dawn Starr, who was a “balloon stripper.” HAHA. When my youngest son was taking an aerospace class in junior high school, I mentioned to his teacher that I had a friend who helped develop the Hubble. She asked if he would come to present to the class. I was reluctant to ask, but he graciously agreed and did a great job. He lived only a few hours up the California coast, and brought with him some artifacts from the Hubble. He explained how they kept it charged all the time: in the sun, the batteries would recharge, then when dark they would rely on the batteries that had recharged in the sun.
Perseverance Mars Landin
As I mentioned the Dawn Starr balloon ad to a friend, we had a funny exchange about balloons and I mentioned there are balloon fetishes, as well as multiple other fetishes. There used to be a program on HBO called, “Real Sex,” which featured many types of fetishes, including but not limited to latex, dressing like babies, riding small ponies, etc.
So when my middle son went to be filmed for an HBO film, “I Have Tourette’s But Tourette’s Doesn’t Have Me,” I was surprised when I learned the film’s director was Ellen Goosenberg Kent, the same person who directed and produced “Real Sex.” I said nothing to my son until he was an adult. This 2005 film one an Emmy.
Hollywood was pretty run down when they filmed, but I found a nice, new hotel, The Delano, which had a sister hotel we had visited in Miami. Our friends, whose sons were also being interviewed and filmed for the film, had a different experience. Their boys wanted to know what the floor to ceiling pole was in their hotel room.
When I went across the street to an upscale restaurant, the woman sitting next to me at the bar was friendly. She was originally from South America. She said she worked doing ads for a weight loss pill. She was thin, so I asked her how much weight she had lost. She laughed and said none, that they had altered her ¨before¨ photos to make her look fat.
So those of you know me probably know I have three sons I love dearly, well at least most of the time. They have some neurological and psychiatric issues. Here is a confession of things I have said or done, which won’t likely be on the list of recommended parenting techniques. This is only a partial list.
Whenever your kids say something about planets, and you immediately say something about “Uranus.”
When you go into your son’s room with OCD and move his CD’s into a different place.
When you move other sons’ Playmobil characters into the wrong settings or change their hair or clothes to be a different gender or person.
When you tell you young (not yet aware) gay son that the gay son always takes care of his aging mother.
When your children don’t do their homework and even though you already bought a Christmas tree tell them that there won’t be time for them to decorate unless they catch up on their homework. When they don’t, we had a nude tree, but they still got presents. One got a piece of coal in his fireplace stocking.
When they turn into difficult early adolescents and you tell them they should go to another planet (not Uranus) until they turn human again.
When you take your eventual gay son to Gay Pride events and he is shocked.
When you tell same said son you will take his driver’s license away if he doesn’t take his college entrance exam. In spite of being a genius, he says he doesn’t know how to get to the local college. So he did take it, and in spite of not taking any of the typical pre-college entrance test prep classes, at graduation, it was announced he had the highest college-entrance exam score of anyone in his high school. He was also rated by one of the most admired and popular in spite of being the first person “out” in his high school.
When a son with a number of disabilities, but hugely intelligent, goes on to get black belt in Karate (even though resisting finishing), do stand-up comedy, be an avid dancer, economics degree from highly-rated University California Irvine, and now getting a master’s in Data Analytics at George Mason University.
When a son gets to be an Executive Chef at new and upcoming restaurant in DTLA, Belcampo. And is written up as chef of the week in the LA Times (yeah, that is how long things are relevant in LaLaLand). And also has done YouTube cooking videos. #family #fam #whatnottodoasaparent #belize
Starr Treks 