Grand Turk, BVI (British Virgin Islands)

RATING:  $$$$+++++
Grand Turk, BVI (British Virgin Islands)
via Holland America Line's Westerdam cruise

We spent my birthday in Grand Turk, BVI.  What a gorgeous place.  The first thing you notice is how clean it is and that there were no beggars all over the place.  Everyone was so friendly.

A great -- FREE -- place to enjoy the day is at Margaritaville.  They have the most beautiful pools and swim-up bar, and you can just hang and have some fun there.

We also did a snorkel and stingray swim excursion which was offered through the cruise line, which was $59pp and worth every penny.  John's favorite place to be is in the ocean with a snorkel or SCUBA mask ... I, on the other hand, was very happy walking up and down the beautiful white sand beach taking pictures of him ... but here's a PSA:  WEAR YOUR SUNSCREEN.  I definitely learned my lesson.  It was an overcast day, so I didn't cover up, and yes, I GOT FRIED!!

Swim-Up Bar at Margaritaville

The stingray excursion is always fun.  This one is especially good because you get to walk in from the beach, whereas most stingray excursions (like the best one in Grand Cayman's Stingray City) has you land in the middle of the ocean on a sandbar (which is only waist-deep, too).  So this one was kinda cool that you can walk in and out of water when you want.  Since we have a little stingray (a 10" female, Cortez stingray named Christmas) as a pet, it was especially fun to be able to play with the really huge ones and feel their suction power, stronger than a vacuum to pull the squid out from your hands (make sure to hide your thumb!)

Location of John Glenn's landing on return from the moon!!

Before our excursion, we took a tour of the whole (small) island, which was only $16 round-trip per person.  At the north tip, there is a lighthouse we got to visit and read about a little history.  We also learned that Grand Turk was the island where John Glenn wound up landing on his way back from his journey to the moon.   I was glad to have learned this.  I don't remember reading about that in a history book.  It's nice to learn history from where it happens, not just from a book.

All in all, this was a perfect, very happy birthday, especially after having an awesome special dinner with roses delivered to our table!

Happy Travels!
Leisure Travel Consultants,
Andrea & John Walen
http://VacationWithAndrea.com

QB1 AT BUFFALO WILD WINGS

RATING: $+++++

QB1
Buffalo Wild Wings, Denton, TX



Time for some football!  If you've never played QB1, you should try it.  It's one of those little blue boxes you get at some restaurants and bars that you can play trivia on.  In QB1, you need to predict every single play -- in detail -- before the snap of the ball.  People are playing around the country, and you get to keep score and rank your play by your personal score within the restaurant and your location's score compared to the rest of the country.  John has been playing QB1 for 24 years and has been National Champion 3 times.  He ranks in the top 10 of the country out of tens of thousands of players!!   QB1 used to be way more intense when we were playing for huge prizes like trips to Hawaii (which he won twice), and trips to the ProBowl in Hawaii (we went a few years ago when he won)!  He also won 2 trips to Las Vegas to compete for $10K and a National Title.  Even without the "big" prizes, we still have a lot of fun playing.  If you're in North Las Vegas during a football game, inbox us, join us, and we'll teach you how to play!

Buffalo Wild Wings in Denton is a neat place to watch sports, as there are big and little TV screens all around the entire restaurant.  In Denton, there is no smoking there, so that's one less thing to worry about.  We were disappointed with their food today.  We had grilled chicken salads, but the salad tasted like it came out of one of those bags you buy at the supermarket; the cheese was right out of a bag, too; and they served the salad dressing out of little pouches you get a fast-food joints.   It was not a very "restaurant-like" experience.  It was also freezing cold.  We had to wear our coats the entire time, as their corporate location controls the heat and A/C, not the location itself.  Not good.  The waiter, Asa, was a really cool guy and went out of his way to help us all afternoon.

Right from the game -- woo-hoo, the Bears won -- we went straight to a movie.  We saw "Dilemma," and it definitely was a dilemma.  We enjoyed it.

Enjoy the rest of your Sunday night!!  Until next time ...

Happy Travels!
Leisure Travel Consultants,
Andrea & John Walen
http://VacationWithAndrea.com