Aya Sophya, Connecting Religions

April 15th, 2010

Aya Sophya Video

I was lucky enough to go to Istanbul and visit the Church/Mosque/Museum called Aya Sophya. It is a great place to go on a layover or if you decide to non-rev here. What is incredible is this huge dome was first a Church. Then it was converted to a Mosque, not by any archeological changes, but by changing a name and then plastering over the Christian Mosaics. Later it was converted to a Museum to preserve the history of both religions. Aya Sophya in English means the Church of Devine Wisdom which is ironic since it represents two ideologies which seem diametrically opposed but in reality are extremely similar in beliefs and there are many examples. Here are a few.

First commissioned around 530AD by Emperor Justinian, its goal was to restore the grandeur and power of the Roman Empire. It was finished in a remarkable 7 years and was the greatest church in Christendom. It is similar to the Pantheon, a huge Attraction in Rome which was a temple to the Roman Gods until it was converted to a Christian Church. What is fascinating is that in Milan there is a domed church built around the same time with a statue of Constantine in front and Roman columns behind that. It is much different from the modern churches in Europe that are in the shape of a cross. But then in 1453 the city of Constantinople was conquered by the Islamic Turks. Instead of raising the Church to the ground, Mehmet the Conqueror converted it to a Mosque… just like that. No destruction was brought upon the church. Only the tiled mosaics where covered in plaster because Islam does not believe we should draw the picture of the prophets. To this day, Aya Sophya is the crown jewel of mosques and all others are compared to it.

Today the Church/Mosque is a Museum which means it can be preserved for posterity. The cost may be a little steep, but the history you are seeing is incredible. This was the Rome of the East. It is where the New Testament of the Bible was created. It is, and always will be a mystery that will be unfolded for years to come. They are finding mosaics that have be covered up for  over 500 years. If you come to Aya Sophya, you will discover that we have a lot more in common in the world.

To see more on the Attractions in Istanbul, go to the Istanbul Section of NonRevWebsite.com. To see more great attractions like these, go to NonRevwebsite.com.

The Grand Bazaar in Istanbul

April 8th, 2010

I had my first trip to Istanbul and was lucky enough to see the Grand Bazaar. I thought I would be able to walk right through and see everything, wrong. The place is huge and every shop is jam packed with goods. Many of the shops have similar goods but there are so many stores, it takes for ever to see the whole spectrum.
One of the things I was told of was the haggling. First they try to get your attention. If you happen to be looking at their goods, they will shout out a price. If you are not, they might say “my fried look at this. It is very good quality…” Just keep walking unless you hear something you like, then the negotiation have begun.
If you are a large group, or you are about to negotiate, they will offer you tea or something else to drink. This is a huge Turkish Tradition and almost all the places do it. It is to help you relax and signal that the negotiations have begun. A word of advice, don’t except the tea unless you feel comfortable and may want to bargain.
There are several things from inexpensive souvenirs to reproductions of jewelry. The big thing you see at the low end of the price rang is the “Evil Eye.” This is defiantly the wrong word to use since the Eye is to absorb all the “Evil Spirits.” On the other end of the spectrum is the rugs and jewelry. The jewelry can be of the highest quality, but you must know what you are looking for. If you are there several days, they can reproduce or create anything you want. Remember, you get what you pay for.
One other thing you need to do is look up! Don’t miss the architecture. This place has been around for hundreds of years. The history in the Bazaar is incredible and there are many frescos and arches to see. To see more information about Istanbul, go to NonRevWebsite.com. We will be updating the information regularly. And if you need tips on other places, make sure you visit our site. We get tips from crews around the world.

Travel Tips From a Retired Captain

March 24th, 2010

I just received these tips from retired Captain Ron Hale. He flew international for most of his career. This is so comprehensive, I had to print it all.

Money
1. The Euro is about 1.36 per 1 US dollar. Buy a little bit before you go (airport) and get the rest via ATM’s in Europe. The reason is you get the best exchange rate and you don’t have to carry as much cash around. Watch out for the Euro coins. They have $2 Euro coins, which is easy to mistake how much you’re spending!
2. ATM cards…make sure they work before you go. Try them out at a machine in the US. It is best to have two different ones
3. Credit cards, keep at least one Credit Card, ATM card, and a picture ID, (if possible) separate from the others, just in case you get pick pocketed

Communication
1. Cell phones usually need to be activated for use outside the United States. Call your cell phone company. This is usually free, but needs to be done for it to work in Europe. If you don’t know how to text, now is the time. A text is usually much cheaper than voice.
2. Never call long distance from your hotel room. Big surcharges often exist from your hotel.
3. Nice to bring your laptop computer, but beware of the usually large room charge to use in room internet. Most hotels have free “hot spots” in their lobbies for wireless connection.
4. Europe is full of internet cafes. Charge is very reasonable, like 1 Euro for 30-60 minutes.
5. If you are used to using Microsoft Outlook on your home computer, it would be beneficial that you learn to use the web based system for your provider. The first thing you will find is that your address book is missing. Pre-load those important e-mail addresses into your web based address book before you go.
6. Don’t forget that address book. It’s hard to mail postcards to family and friends without it.
7. Practice using humility in your mannerisms, like a smile and eye to eye contact. You may not understand their language, but humble body language speaks for you.
Security
1. Carry valuables, …credit cards, picture ID, cash, in a waist belt or something out of view. For a man, put in front pockets. Carrying a purse, bag, etc is fine, but the real expensive stuff should be protected. I never carry my passport. It stays in the hotel.
2. Passport: Take a picture of the first page and any visa’s that apply, and then keep it separate from the actual passport. This will help should you ever lose the passport.
3. Room safes are fine, but remember to empty them when you check out. An easy mistake to make.
4. Paris, Rome, Barcelona, like most large cities, are prone to pick pockets, or grabbing of purses. When using an ATM, most are exposed to the street. Have you partner “watch your back side” when you are getting your cash. Easiest places for pick pockets are buses and the subways. Keep your guard up.
5. Always re-check airline seat pockets before leaving the airplane. I don’t want to admit how many times I’ve not followed my own advise.

Transportation
1. If you travel by train, always buy a first class seat, with seat assignment. You can buy all of this at the train station. You might consider buying your trains tickets a day before travel. No security lines at the train station, so you don’t need to be there two hours prior like an airport. You will need to identify the train’s car you are getting onto and then load you own bags. There is a lot of overhead space on these trains and for the big stuff, plenty of slots at the end of each car. You can see your bags. Book the least amount of train connections.
2. When you leave your hotel, take something from the room that has the name of the hotel, its address and phone number. Then when you need to relay instructions for directions or for a taxi, just show them that.
3. Always ask if the taxi is going to use a meter. Most all large cities require this now. If not, always inquire as to the price before you start up.
4. I’ve used taxies in almost every major city in Europe. Cost is usually reasonable and affordable when traveling with more than one person. It is also free of pick pockets.
5. Remember that most major cities have taxi staging areas, like Rome. You’ll have to ask where they are or you will be standing for a very long time waiting for a ride.
6. Write down taxi number and operator name in the event you leave something behind.
7. Exception to all of this about taxies is Istanbul.

Electrical
1. Look at all your electric toys: Cell phones, Palm pilots, I-pods, hair dryers, hair curlers, shavers, etc. Most all should be capable of 110-220 volts for recharging (hair dryer and curlers may not) which means you can simply plug into the wall. You will need, however, the two prong adapter for Spain. Carry a long extension cord with three connections. That way you only need one- two prong adapter and plug in. Smile! Europe hotels rarely have convenient electrical outlets by the bed. With an extension cord, your phone, clock, etc. can be bedside.
2. Remember to bring a two prong US adapter for your laptop. Most laptop electrical cords are 3 prongs. Most extension cords only accept 2 prong.

Clothing
1. For clothing, plan on layers. You will get a chill after sunset, rained on somewhere, and hot and humid the rest of the time. Remember, neither bare shoulders nor shorts when entering St. Peter’s Basilica. (Men & Women) It is strictly enforced!
2. I always pack an extra set of glasses and sunglasses.
3. Comfortable shoes. You can’t imagine how much you are going to walk.
Food
1. Eating in Italy. http://www.slowtrav.com/italy/restaurants/index.htm Remember, Trattorias, Osterias, and Ristorantes. Go for the Trattorias first. Here is some info about all of this. Any tour book you buy will have a section on this as well. They will also have a section about the names of food for that country’s language.
2. Understand what you order and how much. Ordering fondue for four might turn out to be four times more than you expected. Been there.

Packing
1. Always pack an extra set of glasses and sunglasses.
2. Bring your actual prescriptions or copies of them.
3. Don’t over pack. Leave room to bring things home you have bought.
4. Check on baggage weight restrictions for your airline. You might leave with a 45 pound suitcase only to find that Alitalia allows only 40 pounds.
5. Put a nametag in each suitcase.
6. Only put TSA approved locks on your suitcases.
7. Roll your cloths as opposed to folding them. A lot less wrinkled.

General Information
1. Get a good travel book with maps. Many times you will find yourself simply reading about what you’re seeing. Some are better than others. Reference Barnes & Noble. Look them over before you buy. The more info, the better, particularly the history. Trust me, you may not read it all, but you will read more than you think. You are spending a lot of money to go to Europe, the more you learn about what you are eating and seeing, the better.

Tactical meets Fashionable, Just ask my Wife

March 18th, 2010

Back when TopGun the movie came out, I was in Flight School. Before that movie I had a leather jacket and military issue sunglasses I got from a ROTC flight partner. I stood out until everyone wanted to be Tom Cruise and pretend to be a pilot. Even Actors wanted to be like me. I detested the fact they took away my unfashionable fashion that made me stand out and could not wait until I could turn the tables. I thought that day would never come until now.

I was allowed to try a pair of Randolph Engineering Rapture Sunglasses for my trip to Chile. You would expect to find this at page 5 of Travel Essentials at Crew Outfitters. This would have been the perfect time to test them in South America because it was their Summer, if it wasn’t for the 8.8 Earthquake they had. I had to try them out in the jumpseat home and while driving my car. But the biggest test would be the toughest I know, my wife.

The sunglasses I wore before were the aviator standbys that all pilot like and my wife hated. They just were not fashionable enough to wear everyday. The problem is I loved their functionality. When I showed her the Randolph Engineering Sunglasses, she actually said they look good. I was shocked. This is a woman who looks at magazines like ‘Vogue’ and can tell with better accuracy then the writers which style will be in fashion. They were a graphite frame with smoke colored lens. They went well with my clothes and my uniform. Now I started to wonder on how good the functionality was because from my experience you can’t have both, right?

Wrong. The lenses were big enough to cover my whole eye but not look like they cover my whole face. According to my wife I have a long and narrow face and most glasses look huge on me. The lens were rectangles like the old military style but they had a slight curve to them that covered my whole eye. I did use them on a flight to Zurich and they kept the blinding sun manageable and allowed me to read the instruments shaded in the cockpit. When we went into a cloud to a dreary Switzerland, The glasses were not so dark that I had to take them off. The glasses also came with a keychain toolkit and spare screws.

So the tables have turned. Now the tactical Military Sunglasses are on the heals of the fashion conscious. Now us pilot “geeks” have something the runways of Milan will be jealous of.
At 10% off at Crew Outfitters, they are lower then any other place I have found on the web. If you would like to purchase a pair, go to Crew Outfitters and use the promo code LW15.
But don’t take my word this is the best deal on the web, search the web for yourself. Just put in Randolph Engineering Rapture Sunglasses in my custom search engine, programmed to find deals, and see what you get.
Here is a special gift for all those reading. There is a special promotion from Crew Outfitter to get 10% off your next order. You need to find their Action Figure Ted Banks on their site. I can’t tell you exactly where to go, but I can do this. One of the links in the article shows you where to go. Happy hunting!
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How To Get a Hotel in a Snowstorm

February 24th, 2010

If this last snowstorm taught me anything, it would be the vulnerability of the computer reservation system of Hotel Chains. When Atlanta was hit by its last snowstorm, I decided to leave a day early. Cancelling half the flights, which were all the mainline flights, made the decision easy. I called the hotel directly at 3 PM guarantying the room with a credit card. This was to be the best thing I did that night.
When I finally made it to the hotel after an hour waiting for a gate to park the jet, the line was 40 people long. It seems that so many flights were disrupted, the airline started calling the automated systems to find room for the passengers. Unfortunately, the automated systems had crashed and the fail-safe in the computer program was to make a reservation weather there was room or not. There wasn’t any more room, but people were still booking rooms over the phone.

When the people at the hotel waiting in line about the computer glitch, well lets just say it got interesting. The receptionists at the desk were trying to take care of the people and call headquarters to tell them to stop booking people. After waiting for an hour, it was my turn to check in. The person behind the counter had a long face anticipating she was going to have to tell me there was no more room. Her long face turned into one of surprise. She then said I had a room because I call the hotel directly and talked to a human being.
I love technology, but I love it better when it screws up royally and bites the behind of the geniuses that decided to outsource the human jobs. The lesson here is it is better to talk to a human then to trust automation when things are going South, link snowstorms. The second lesson is I say to talk to a human. That person in line with me who shouted “GIRLFRIEND, I know customer service and you are on the loosing end of this deal’ didn’t really understand who was on the loosing end. I hope he enjoyed his sleep outside in the snow.

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Top 5 Deals At Atlantis

February 13th, 2010

I just got back from Atlantis in the Bahamas. The best description I have heard is a cross between Las Vegas and a Cruise Ship. Even though it is a High End resort, there are several deals to make your stay very reasonable. Here are the top 5 with a few bonuses thrown in.

 

Extra 2) Stay in the lowest priced room and use the most expensive facilities. How much will you be in the room anyway? Here is a hint, not much.

Extra 1) The coupons they give when you check in. They Just know what you want.

5) September!!! Their slowest Month. Can you say Upgrade?

4) The specials they offer over the e-mails once you give them your email. Save around 33%!!!!

3) The Combo Meals at The Cave Grill. Save over 5$ a meal. Its much better than the meal plans they offer, if you don’t need gourmet food…

2) The Cave grill for Soda. Pay $3 and free refills until 5PM.

1) Getting a day pass at the Dolphin Beach. It may be 15$ to get in, but soda and water is FREE. Those go for $4 and up. A private beach that literally pays for itself.

 

Atlantis is a great vacation spot, but it does not have to be out of your price range. Use these tips to get the most out of your stay. To see more deals from around the world, go to http://www.nonrevwebsite.com/

Top 7 Security Ideas 2010

January 24th, 2010

With the anneversery of the Attacks in Mumbia and the Christmas Bomber, it may be time to look at how safe we are on layovers.

  1. If leave a hotel, make sure you have 1 credit card on you
  2. If there is a situation at your hotel and you have to leave, take a credit card with you.
  3. If you are going to place where tourists hang out be careful
  4. If there is a terrorist attack, go several blocks away from your hotel.
  5. If your atributes do not match the majority of the people around you, go into a hotel, use your card, get a hotel room.
  6. Once in the hotel room, do not put out the ‘Do Not Disturb Sign” out on the door and contact your company or embassy.
  7. Tell the embassy where you are and give them a ‘password’ to use to positively Identify they are the good guys.

Seems clock and dagger, but it will save your life.

Please pass this on to all you know. It may save their life. If you would like more travel tips from expert travelers, go to the Road Warrior section on NonRevWebsite.com

Prevent Deep Vain Thrombosis and Shin Splints

January 10th, 2010

Usually I only use support socks to keep from getting Deep Vain Thrombosis, but my friends wanted me to try out a something new. It is the Zensah Calf/Shin Sleeve. Not only does it propose to prevent blood clots from forming do to long trips, but it advertises to prevent shin splints. I decided to try them on a trip to Europe.

The first thing I liked is that if only covered from the ankle to the calf. Along with its thin design, it allowed me to where my thicker uniform socks for the winter, as well as my thick wool socks walking around Zurich. The anti-microbial thermal regulating material wicked the moisture away so the sleeve can be used several times on a trip without having to wash them until I get home.

The dual action support gives graduated compression to produce maximum oxygen blood flow increasing blood flow. After a ten hour trip, most of it sitting, my legs had no presence of that tingling feeling we want to avoid. It also has chevron ripping designed after the way trainers tape athletes’ legs to prevent shin splints. After walking all day through the Zurich Christmas, I felt no pain even though I just happened to have gotten shin splints my last trip.

This is a great addition for the person who spends a great deal of time on an airplane and then is constantly on the go once they get to their destination.

Tour Dublin for FREE

November 29th, 2009

I just finished the Sandeman’s Free Tour of Dublin and have to say I was very impressed. Not only did it cover several great sites in Dublin, the Castle, Christ’s Church, and Trinity College, the guide was EXTREMELY knowledgeable. There was even some reenactments which got the group into the spirit of Dublin’s history.

But I also want to emphasize something, the tour is FREE! You only pay for a tip at the end of the tour. To put this into perspective, a tour on the discount buses that have recordings and take you through Dublin in the same amount of time cost 15 Euros. Even if you believe in over tipping like most good Americans, that comes to 3 Euros. And that is 1 Euro for each hour of the tour.

Besides Dublin, there are free tours in Edinburgh, Amsterdam, London and Paris. More are coming on line every month, so check our custom search engine to see the latest ones before your next trip. And don’t forget the other FREE ATTRACTION in Dublin.  To see more Free stuff from around the world, go to NonRevwebsite.com

7 Steps to $ave Hundreds on Hotels

November 18th, 2009

With the dollar getting weaker, it is important to squeeze every bit of value you can when finding a hotel. This is how you do it.

Step 1) Checked this site ,Hotwire.  Fill out this dynamic link with the name of city closest to the airport. This is the highest price you should pay for a hotel.

Step 2) Check that price using this Search Engine we designed with Google, and don’t forget to put in the word Hotel COUPONS! It searches this web as well as the rest of the internet to make sure we haven’t missed the lowest price for the second you look.

Step 3) Check the categories HERE to see if there may be another title that is related which could give a better deal in a way you have not thought of. These categories are “smart” in the sense they look at the cookies from all the sites you have been and find the common thread.

Step 4) Check the links from Step 2 in the “NonRev Deals Updated Daily by Google on” box really want you business and will do what ever it takes.

Step 5) Next, call the Hotel with the Hotel List below to see if you can negotiate a lower deal

Step 6) Go to other travel bid sites, like Priceline.com and put your bid in at least 3 days prior.

Step 7) If your bid doesn’t materialize or if you want a specific hotel in a specific area, go back to Hotwire and select city closest to airport and reserve your room. Its that easy!