"Do you want to know the REAL advice? Even if it is a bit gross?" he asked.
"Oh, yes, I want it all. Give it to me," I challenged.
"OK then. You are going to be sitting on a plastic seat for seven days. You're going to be wet most of the time," he said alluding to ailments that might affect the bottom side. I think he said get a C-cream. "You might not need it, but if you do, you'll be happy you brought it along."
"I should have written it down," I thought as I perused the huge pharmacy aisle. In preparation for our upcoming river trip, I went into Flagstaff, AZ today to procure "butt balm" and waterproof band-aids."Should I get PreparationH?" I couldn't find any C-cream. Or was it Sea-Cream?I was hoping that no one would come and ask if I needed help.I finally found Cortisone cream. It was half the price of the H-cream, so that settled it for me.
Band-Aid now makes a clear, WATER BLOCK PLUS bandage. They're supposed to give 100% waterproof protection. I guess we'll find out as we float down the river next week.
Girls Adventure Guide Tip: For extended river trips, bring along cortisone cream for any rash that might appear on your bottom side. It will also work on cracked heels if the sun and water do a number on your feet.
There is still room available on the 9-9-9 All "Girls" river trip. Call Joy or Cheryl at Canyoneers at 928-526-0924.
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Girls Adventure Guide offers adventure travel tips and Girls Getaway ideas for increasing your travel fun quotient.
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To give me some ideas to make it through my pantry challenge, I read How to Cut Your Grocery Bill in Half with America's Cheapest Family: So Many Innovative Strategies You Won't Have to Cut Coupons by Steve and Annette Economides. I enjoyed reading it. It has lots of great suggestions, even if sometimes it's a little on the cheesy side. I love that the authors emphasize that your time is at least as valuable as your money. They spend $350 each month feeding their large family, and they don't do it by hitting the loss leaders at 6 grocery stores per week. The strategies that they use work for them because they provide them with more time with their family. And their basic suggestions aren't new or revolutionary, but they do elaborate with lots of examples that have worked for them and other families who read their blog.
I just arrived in Copenhagen, Denmark. My very first visit. I boarded a non-stop flight from Chicago O'Hare's airport to Copenhagen. It's a very nice flight. I was in Premium Economy and it reminded me of the old Business Class. Remember when there was a First Class, Business Class and Economy Class? Well, that's what SAS's Premium Economy Class is like. starting with the check in and boarding process. The seats are larger than standard economy and recline slightly with an elevated foot rest and the meal service was slightly different than economy. I was pleasantly surprised. Oh, by the way...loved the extra thick blankets that we almost as thick as a comforter. I needed it because it was a bit cold.
My very first impression after leaving the airport is that it's classic European. A little bit of contemporary and modern mixed in but at first glance very European.
This evening we had dinner inside Tivoli Gardens at Brdr Price. Tivoli Gardens is world famous. In the 18th and 19th centuries pleasure parks were prominent in and throughout Europe. These parks were called Tivoli or Vauxhall. In 1896 Copenhagen created it's own Tivoli and while the others in Europe went away Copenhagen's Tivoli remains today. It has evolved over the years adding amusement, restaurants and other attractions, and just 10 years ago it began its Christmas theme. Needless to say this is a great time to visit. Tivoli Gardens is festive and boasts a well lit Christmas theme at night. Everything from Christmas gnomes to a beautifully lit Prussia, Chinese Garden, Toy Soldiers and dancing bears just to name a few.
Carlsberg is not only a brewery it's a great venue to have a welcome or farewell dinner. The grounds are beautiful complete with gardens and the facility is beautifully decorated with tradition and elegance. Carlberg is a Danish brewery that was established in 1847 and has been successfully brewing beer ever since. they have introduced a new beer called Copenhagen where they blend yeast from champagne with the hops from beer. It's a light and refreshing taste without the bitterness of beer that some people, especially women don't like. 
Our next stop was for a demonstration of one of Denmark's national dish, Smorrebrod, or "open face sandwich". It's made with buttered rye bread and typically three courses, starting with hard boiled egg, mayonnaise, shrimp, lemon and fresh dill. The second is fried fish fillet, roumelade, lemon, pickles, tomato, cucumber and fresh dill. The final sandwich is roasted pork with crispy skin, pickled cabbage, prunes, pickles, mayonnaise and fresh dill.
We first had a demonstration and then we all made our own sandwiches. The sandwiches are actually quite large and very filling and did I mention Delicious? the new thing for those with less of an appetite is Smushi. This are bite sized versions of the sandwiches. There is another typical and traditional Smorrebrod we did not have and that was pickled herring. They weren't sure if we would care for herring.
the rest of the day was spent visiting hotels and I must say that I was quite impressed with the Crowne Plaza for the "green" philosophy. The Crowne Plaza uses Solar energy and harnesses the ground water for their heating and cooling system. Even their toiletries are in biodegradable containers mad with corn. The other stand out is the Hilton. It's an airport hotel that is above the rest. I especially want to thank our hosts for the way in which they greeted us. when we arrived we were directed to one of their ball rooms. the room was darkened and there were two large screens projecting a fireplace. there were chairs arranged in a half circle each with a small foot spa ready for us. What a way to end a day of touring and site inspections. Oh,how can I forget....champagne was involved!
The European delegates left us and head back to their home countries. Now we are six and all North America. We are now five women and one man, the one man happens to be our neighbor to the north, Canada. Now that we are a smaller party we have dinner at a quaint restaurant in the downtown area called Restaurant Gronnegade. Absolutely love this place. Small, cozy, friendly and the food is well presented and excellent. the owner, Eva Jerris served us with superb service.
It's my last day in Copenhagen and I wake up to another snowy day. Except today I have visibility. It's cloudy, light snow and cold. The cold doesn't bother me because I brought the right clothes. Sweater dresses are my new best friend. they're warm, fashionable, comfortable and a single item which means you pack less. It also meant that I did not have to change for dinner. I'm glad I brought my Aqua Italia boots. The heel is a bit high but they are good looking, comfortable and waterproof. One more thing I'm happy with and that is my wide brim fedora. It's keep my head warm and replaces an umbrella....I have to mention it looks good too. I don't believe you have to sacrifice fashion for function. LOL
Now it's time to put on some hard hats. I've done many site inspections of hotels and some during renovations but this is the first time I've done a site inspection of a hotel that was under complete renovation and an actual construction site. It's quite nice to see it from this perspective. They are keeping the historical foundation and some of the structural element and there is one completed room for viewing. This is going to be a fantastic property. Hotel D'Angleterre will be a five star, Leading Hotels of World property and will open May 2013. They are offering some great rates for the opening of 75% off the rack rate.
Lunch time is fast approaching or so my stomach tells me so and we head to signatur-spisehus.dk. Love this restaurant. It looks like the place for the "business lunch". Dark wood tables, funky artwork, high ceilings and all window front. The food is good too. I see a lot of orders of Smorrebrod, that Danish open face sandwich passing by. I order the roasted pork sandwich because it's the restaurants signature sandwich.
After another venue site inspection at Moltkes Palae, a place for conferences, banquets and dinners, we walk to the city center, Queen's Palace and Royal Copenhagen. Wish I had video at the Queen's Palace. I'm chasing the guards to get a photo but they keep marching and then with a quick about face back to their posts. It doesn't look like they're moving fast but it's hard for me to keep up and get in front of one of them. All of my photos are side views and I never manage to get in one with one of them. I did to my surprise get one of them to turn his head and look at me. I thought they were unflappable but I guess my silliness got his attention. Royal Copenhagen is a historical store famous for it's porcelain, Christmas items and Christmas Tables. Love the shopping in Copenhagen and I'm mad at myself for not purchasing something. I really wanted a fur hat but because it got slippery outside I didn't go back to get it.
It's our last night and we finish it with dinner at a very unique restaurant, Sankt Gertrud's Kloster. Dating back to the 14th century this restaurant has no electricity and is lit with over 1500 candles. It's mysterious, romantic and a bit eerie. They had me at the Champagne Room and extensive wine cellar. They also have champagne saboring. And the food is delicious. Surprising because in my experience, when a restaurant is ultra unique, the food is often not very good. Great way to end the trip! Thanks Visit Copenhagen.