Vacations Blog

Santa Claus passes over Los Angeles on his yearly flight.

In just a few days Santa Claus will be gearing up for a trip that most of us can only dream about, a trip around the world.  Of course, his trip is business and he’s a bit pressed for time, but the concept is still beyond cool.

I was lucky enough to sit down with Santa recently and we had a conversation about his yearly journey, the best places for coffee and what music he likes for his trip.  For the record, this is just the second interview I’ve ever conducted while sitting on the subject’s lap (the first was Hugh Jackman).

Whit: Santa, I must say that this is awesome.  I know that you’re busy this time of year and I thank you for taking the time to talk to me for UpTake.

Santa: Whit, it’s my pleasure.  By the way, that Hugh Jackman interview almost landed both of you on the naughty list.   I know that the dark side is strong and that coal is a good investment right now, but seriously, what kind of example are you two setting?

Whit:  I’m terribly sorry, Santa.  I can honestly say it won’t happen again, and I have the court order to prove it.

Santa:  Ho, ho, ho.  Very well.  Now what was it that you wanted to know?

Whit:  I suppose the big question is how do you do it?  How do you travel the world in one night?  Where do you start?

Santa:  It’s a combination of speed, luck and magic.  There’s a lot of math involved.  I usually start at the North Pole and take it from there.

Whit:  Was that sarcasm, Santa?

Santa:  I don’t traffic in sarcasm.

Whit:  Speaking of traffic, you’re on the road, or air as the case may be, for quite some time.  Do you have scheduled stops so you can rest and whatnot, or do you just sit a spell in random houses as needed?

Santa:  Generally speaking I don’t schedule breaks.  However, I have been known to hit a Starbucks every other timezone or so.  I’m a sucker for the Gingersnap Latte.  The Espresso Truffle is good, too.  Plus, they always have clean restrooms.

Whit:  I agree.  That’s good stuff.  Do you have a soundtrack to your trip?  Do you make mixes?

Santa:  Well, I’m under contract with iTunes to play at least 70% holiday music, but since everyone and their brother has a Christmas record out this days I rarely have any repeats.  I just hit shuffle on my iPhone and let it roll.  I’m rather partial to Dean Martin and Bing Crosby, but the new Barenaked Ladies is pretty good.

Whit:  Have you heard the Jack Johnson Christmas stuff?

Santa: I have.  That whole album is great.  I also like Sufjan Stevens.

Whit:  Very nice.  So, do you have a special place that you like more than others?  Does your route allow you to take in the scenery at all?

Santa:  My route varies depending on solar wind and military testing.  Interested parties can track my path and progress at NORAD.  They’re good people.  As for favorite places, Paris is lovely in the winter.  New York and Vegas are good as well.  Basically I like a place that’s well-lit.  Rudolph’s nose gives me a headache after awhile and it’s nice to let him rest it now and again.  I also like Seattle, for the coffee.

Whit:  Wow, that’s a lot of insight, Santa.  I really appreciate it and I know our readers will feel the same.  Is there anything else you would like to add?

Santa:  Just that people don’t leave bran for the reindeer.  It messes with their insides something fierce and it makes for a pretty uncomfortable ride- for all of us.  Other than that I’d just like to wish everyone a very happy holiday.  Peace.

Photo by Tricia Honea

Paris, France, March 2008

From guest blogger, Andrea Widburg, of Andi’s Answers

When we traveled in Europe last winter, we had to deal with two immutable factors: the long distances we had to cover and the high cost of lodging. We hated to spend our days stuck on trains, rather than walking around and sight-seeing, and we hated to spend our nights paying $300 for a small room with a half bathroom. A sleeper train seemed like the logical solution. There are lots of websites that give information about this way of traveling (see here and here, for example) and they all make it seem very civilized and easy. They’re almost correct.

We took our first sleeper train from Paris to Venice. Although we had very carefully and specifically booked a cabin just for the four of us, we were promptly led to a cabin that already boasted two other people. Fortunately, the conductor was a sympathetic type, and the train wasn’t too full, so we finally got a cabin all our own.

Our cabin had two lower berths that functioned as seats during the daytime, and two upper berths that folded up against the side of the car when not in use. I didn’t have a tape measure, but the berths felt as if they were about two and a half feet wide. The train company provided a thin nylon sleeping bag that served as both a top and bottom sheet (much like the sleep-sheet used in hostels), a small pillow, and a thin blanket. Our luggage was stuffed under the bottom berths and placed on shelves above the top berths.

The good part of the sleeper train was that we did sort of sleep. We took our shoes off and got to lie down. The train had that nice, relaxing chugga-chugga-chugga rhythm, and there were mercifully few horns and whistles. The kids were initially too excited to go to sleep but exhaustion finally overtook them and they blinked out.

The bad part was the fact that the berths were extremely uncomfortable and, for my tall husband, way too short. Also, getting to the bathroom was no fun. You had to crawl down from the berth (since my husband and I slept on top), put on your clunky winter shoes, unlock the door (which inevitably woke the spouse), and then stagger down the rocking aisle to a very cold and, usually, somewhat dirty bathroom. If there was no toilet paper, you staggered back to your cabin, got the toilet paper and started all over again. Multiply this not just by your own bathroom stops, but by the children’s, and you’ve got a pretty lousy night of sleep.

Of course, after all this discomfort and inconvenience, we woke up to find ourselves in beautiful Venice. Once there, although we were tired, we spent quite a nice day sightseeing. In other words, the plan worked perfectly, with us doubling up on travel and lodging and not wasting any daytime hours sitting on a train. So even though I really did not enjoy the experience, I ended up doing it all over again when we traveled from Venice to Rome, and I’ll do it again the next time I’m in Europe.

From guest blogger, Andrea Widburg, of Andi’s Answers

Paris in the spring is the stuff of poetry, Paris in the summer is the most popular tourist time, and Paris in the winter is a great time to go, especially when you’re traveling with two active elementary school aged children. We went to Paris last winter right after Christmas and, while the crowds were still overwhelming, it felt almost empty compared to the usual summer traffic. Here are some of the things we discovered:

The Louvre Museum is a great way to stay out of the rain. Our kids are very active, and they need room to roam. The Louvre museum, at almost 200,000 square feet, is so huge that they got more than enough activity. The collection is also awe inspiring.

Though the children would really rather have their nails pulled out than spend time in the average museum, even they were thrilled to get an up-close view of the Mona Lisa. They were also completely charmed by Giuseppe Arcimboldo’s imaginative paintings, which use fruits, vegetables, flowers and plants to create portraits. As for me, as a Medieval Flemish painting junkie, the Louvre was art heaven.

Another exciting place to visit was the Conciergerie, the former palace and prison in which Marie Antoinette spent her final days before meeting Madame la Guillotine. It’s a grim place, and the small, but excellent exhibit (which includes a guillotine blade that was still used in the 19^th Century) gives you a hint of the horrors it held for its unfortunate residents. The children, needless to say, were thrilled.

Right around the corner from the Conciergerie is one of the most uplifting places in all of Paris: the Sainte-Chapelle, a small Church from the mid-13^th Century that has the finest stained glass windows in Europe. Even on an overcast winter’s day, the interior is radiant. Between the windows and the painted surfaces, one has almost no sense of the stone bones underlying the chapel’s construction. Although the children were pushed to their limits for the half hour we spent inside, I don’t think they regretted it, because even they recognized its extraordinary beauty.

Lastly, if you have active children and find yourself in Paris in mid-Winter, go to Versailles. We started with a tour of the Palace’s interior, which stunned the children with its gaudy magnificence. By tour’s end, however, they simply collapsed and couldn’t get out of there soon enough. Fortunately, “getting out” took us onto Versailles’ grounds, and we spent several hours wandering around there. We visited Marie Antoinette’s exquisite Petite Trianon, made especially poignant by the fact that we’d earlier soon the grim cell in which she lived during her last days. There was also room just to run. Because of the cold, most people weren’t lingering in the garden, so my kids could really stretch their wings, with pauses to look at the swans, sheep and ponies that still live in Marie Antoinette’s silly little model farm. Because of the combination of eye candy and space that Versailles offered on a winter’s day, I have to say it was probably the best day we spent in Paris.