Yo, ho, ho and a bottle of Rum!

We're back from the cruise!

We had a terrific time both on board the ship and in each port that we explored.

Visiting Russia was just surreal.  I'm so looking forward to writing about our trip.

But first there's a mountain of laundry to get through. (Have I mentioned that we don't have a dryer?  I've actually now spoken the words "I'm gonna go hang the clothes on the line."  Seriously?)

 Then there are the 1,500 photos to sort and edit.  I can't wait to relive all 10 days.

And weren't my guest posters fabulous?  Thank you so much, Sarah, Gina, Erin, and Jade.  

And I love that my husband Matt did a guest post!  (Thank you, Darling.)

Thank you so much for all of your comments.  We've read them all and I'll try to start responding to them tomorrow.  I've seen a lot of new faces commenting and I'm so excited.  Welcome!  As always, thank you all so much for reading.
It means the world to me.

I'm not quite ready for the fun to end, so today I have a post for you involving booze!

You're never too old to learn, right?

So you can imagine my delight at being invited to attend Rum School!

On a lovely Wednesday evening, I took the DLR (Dockland Light Railway) to the Canary Wharf and alighted at the West India Quay Station.  I can't believe I haven't been to this area of London yet.  (I even stumbled upon a Royal Baby sand sculpture as I walked around waiting for Matt to join me.  Cute.)

 

There are several large listed warehouses along a canal that were once used to house imported goods, particularly rum and sugar.  They are now home to several restaurants and bars with huge areas of outdoor seating, perfect for a nice dinner out and a stroll.  If you walk all the way down to the end you will find the Museum of London Docklands (that's on the list for a future visit.)  You will also find Rum & Sugar, a restaurant/bar featuring British fare and rum.

We knew we would be sampling rum later in the evening so we thought we should get there early and have a bite to eat (good call).  We were there before the after work crowd and were quickly seated in the sunshine.  Matt had the homemade beef burger and just barely managed to keep the juices from getting all over his work shirt.  I had the daily special which was a pan-fried steak and chips.  I'm always a little nervous ordering steak because you just never know how it's going to turn out.  I hate a tough steak, but this one was really good, perfectly cooked and tender.  The fact that the special included a glass of wine was a bonus.

 

Everyone was sitting outside because it was such a pretty day.  But they have a great indoor space with a massive bar.  They were also setting up for live music outside.  But it was time for us to be schooled. 

We joined our other classmates for Rum School!

They divided us into two groups and our group went first for the Cocktail Masterclass.  It was so much fun!  I want to be a bartender now.  We even got to do a little over the hand flippy thing (technical term) to pour the rum.

We each made a classic Mojito (yum!) first, followed by a Rum Cosmo (yum!) and then spicy layered rum shot (Wowza!).  You can imagine by this time we were all in pretty good spirits.  (Pun totally intended.)

Then the chef came out and enticed us from our cocktails.  The length of the bar was laid out with small bites, both sweet and savory, all made with rum.  Of course, they were all terrific, especially the panna cotta.

Then it was time for some very serious rum tasting.  We tasted six Flor de Cana rums varying from white rum to an 18 year old golden rum.  Matthew was loving this.  He used to work in the drinks industry and knows his liquor (in a developed-palate way, not a frat-boy-trashcan-punch sorta way.)  I just took a sip of each, shuddered a bit and passed the rest to Matt. 

I even managed to test out my new cocktail skills and make another Mojito. It was quite good, if I do say so myself.  We were each presented with an official certificate declaring us graduates of Rum School.  

 It was such a great night out.  You just need 10 people to book your own Rum School and it would be perfect for a Stag Do or Hen Party.  (Just be sure to eat first.)

A huge thank you to everyone at Rum & Sugar for a great night.
You can find them on Twitter and Facebook.

You can also read Fiona's take on the evening at London Unattached.  

Now aren't you craving a Mojito?

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*We were invited by Rum & Sugar to attend the Rum School for the purposes of review.  All photos and opinions are 100% my own.  As always, I promise to be open, honest and transparent with my readers.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask.


You can find this review and many others in my
London Attraction Guide. 

Tips for Conquering a Fear of Flying

Well, our cruise is over and we are flying home from Copenhagen.

So today I thought I would re-post this article about conquering your fear of flying.  

It originally appeared as a guest post a few months back

on Casey's blog We Took the Road Less Traveled.

She is also a cruise lover and if you haven't seen her blog,

you should definitely spend some time with a cup of tea exploring her archives.

She is one of my favorites.

It's not something that I talk about often, but I can be a bit of a Nervous Nelly.

Oh, who am I kidding?  I have full blown anxiety disorder.

(Way to over-share, huh?  As my husband says... "You're so American.")

  But, I am determined to not let this wacky, chemical, hormonal thing that

happens in my brain to prevent me from having these moments

and experiencing life to the fullest. 

And I don't want you to live anything but your best life either.

Because medication isn't an option for me,

I've come up with all sorts of tricks to hide manage my panic.

 

Today I'm going to share a few tips for managing a fear of flying.

I hate, hate, hate, hate to fly.

No really.  I hate it.  But, I do it all the time now.

(Thankfully, it 's getting easier.)

I basically treat my flying anxiety like a naughty child.

I fill up a Hello Kitty backpack full of every conceivable trick

and distraction that I can think of to keep this little brat in check.

And then I just start whipping stuff out, right and left to see what works.

Here are a few things in this bag of tricks that have worked for me.

Don't feed the monster.

Get plenty of sleep the night before and have a nice, light meal before flying.

Anxiety loves a tired, hungry, hungover flyer like I love Iced Tea.

Control what you can.

Plan out everything and consider the whole process before you set out to the airport.

Leave yourself plenty of time to get checked in and through security.

Prepare yourself for lines and delays. 

I'd rather have an extra hour to relax at the gate than

to be racing for the gangway at the last minute. 

But, life and delays happen.  Try to stay positive and flexible.

Knowledge is power.

I realize that panic isn't rational and you can't just "decide" it away (if only).

But knowing what to expect when you're flying, can be very helpful.

Google common noises that you'll hear when you are flying.

Do some research on exactly how it works and read about "the dreaded T word."

(I have to whisper the word "turbulence" or my brat goes completely nuts.)

Use your imagination for good rather than evil.

 I recently read that planes are meant to fly.

They are happiest and at their best when up in the air.

That's really helped to ease some of my fear.

Suddenly I'm that kid from The Never Ending Story riding on the 

back of that cute flying dragon/dog creature,

instead of in this massive piece of machinery that I don't understand.

(My pop culture references are quite dated, aren't they?)

Distract that brain.

Like a naughty child, you can tell when your mind is getting wound up. 

Find some good distractions.  A book that you're already engrossed in is perfect.

I never start a new book, because I just find myself reading the same sentence over and over.

Reading magazine articles about travel and strong women,

helps me to feel more brave and courageous.

And it helps to focus on all of the magical destinations out there rather than the scary flight.

Music is always powerful.  It's hard to be upset when you're listening to 

the soundtrack for Mamma Mia or some good 80's hair bands.

Flying 101 - Don't forget to breathe.

 I always use deep breathing exercises which definitely helps.

I'll often find myself holding my breath to the point of dizziness without even realizing it.

So breathe deep calming breaths.

I've also tried some reflexology by massaging the padded area at the base of my thumb

or my finger tips.  I read about it somewhere and figured it's worth a try. 

Try not to watch the clock.

I obsess over time when I'm flying.

I have to know exactly what time the plane will take off,

exactly how long we will be in the air and what time we are landing.

I do this game of checking the time and calculating exactly how much longer.

I try to go as long as possible without checking the time,

so that when I do look, more time will have passed than I expected.

(I realize I probably shouldn't admit to this behavior, but it's just reality.)

 Make a human connection.

I always take a look at the people around me.

I look into the eyes of the flight attendants and think about their families.

I look at the children and little ones around me and

think about the bright futures they have in front of them.

It seems to help me to think about life in the big context

rather than just me in this little space and time,

hurtling through the air in a metal tube.

(Because that's not scary at all, is it?)

Those are most of my big tricks.

I've usually exhausted them all by the time we are fifteen minutes into the flight.

So, then I just wake up my husband, ask him for his wallet,

tackle a flight attendant and demand a Gin & Tonic.

 (Yes, the pillar of support that is my husband sleeps through all of my internal turmoil.)

Lastly, I would say "Don't be so hard on yourself."

Panic and anxiety are real.  It takes epic effort to control.  It's not fun.  It pretty much sucks.

But, there are many others who get it and understand the

Herculean effort it takes to get on that plane each time.

 

And it is absolutely worth it!

 What's in your bag of tricks to get you or someone you love through a flight?

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Best Guest Post Ever!

For my final guest post this week I have a very special treat for you today!

After months of prodding, The Englishman has finally written a guest post for me.

It's pretty laughable that in my house I'm the one who claims to be a travel blogger.

My husband Matthew is the traveler (and writer) in the family.

 I'll let him tell you a little more about it.  (I might have snuck in a few captions.)

 

He's is always happiest when we're traveling.

People say I’ve been lucky to travel so much – 104 “countries”* and counting. They’re wrong - luck’s not a factor.  I’ve chosen to spend lots of money on getting out and seeing the world.  And I don’t regret a penny of it!

*A country as defined by the Travellers Century Club.  Which takes a very liberal view on what is a country.  By most traditional definitions I’ve been to around 90 countries.  I’ve also been to all 50 US States, but that’s another post entirely.

I love hearing stories from his travels.  Yes, that volcano is erupting.

My parents ignited my wanderlust with the annual summer pilgrimage to the sun from Gatwick.  This was back when the departure lounge overlooked the runway and you passed the time watching the planes come and go.  I loved seeing these improbably large hunks of metal gracefully rising into the sky, wondering where they were going, and what the passengers would experience when they got there.

He now needs to take me to all of these places.

My country tally accelerated sharply when I joined the workforce, as I was drawn to jobs involving travel.  In my 20’s I experienced the exotic through work (such as Ghana, Barbados, Venezuela) as well as the less exotic (Belgium, Luxembourg and Jersey).  As my income grew, my holidays got more adventurous and  I picked up some rarities (such as Macao, the Gambia and the Maldives), but also some more conventional destinations (Canada, Turkey and Ireland).

Yea.  Who's this guy?  Doesn't even look like the Matthew I know.

Into my 30’s, I realised a great way to travel was to live in different parts of the world.  So I spent the decade living in Australia, Singapore and the USA, which allowed me to travel to some really beautiful places (such as Vanuatu, Laos and Nicaragua).  And to some fascinating but challenging countries (such as Bangladesh, Syria and Colombia).

This is from our first cruise together.

In my 40’s my world changed.  For the better.  (Hello, darling!)  I married Selena on my 40^th birthday since then it’s been a delight to share my life with someone who shares my love for travel.  So far we’ve explored new ground together (Portugal, Greece and Morocco), but we’ve also revisited some old friends, which has allowed me to see them anew through Selena’s eyes (Spain, Germany and Holland).  I can’t wait to see what’s next (Poland?  Bosnia?  Uzbekistan?)

This hat was pre-marriage and is not Wife Approved.  But look where he is!

The world is a big place, with so much to see and do that I think it’s a tragedy to live your entire life in one small corner.  So get out there and travel, people!

Again with the unapproved headwear.

A baseball cap.  Now this we can work with!

 

If you like my story, let me know and maybe I’ll come back and write some more!

Matt

Jeez.  He's such a name dropper.  India, Croatia, Singapore.

Isn't he wonderful?  I think so.  I'm convinced that he needs to have his own Travel blog.

He reads every single comment that I get on this blog so

please show some blogger love and leave him a comment.

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