In early May of 2000 I booked airfare, on expedia.com, from LAX to Berlin and Heathrow to LAX for $550 roundtrip.
For Christmas 2011 the cheapest airfare I found for Prague-Budapest-Bucharest-Istanbul was on vayama.com, from LAX to Prague and Istanbul to LAX for $1000 roundtrip. The original price was $1040 but Vayama always gives a $40 discount for international travel.
I used priceline.com once in 2007 for domestic travel and that was a nightmare. The cost was only $200 but there were two long layovers each way on a roundtrip flight from LAX to Atlanta.
I prefer direct flights whenever possible. And when traveling to several cities I fly into one city and out of another. Cost is usually about the same.
In the video, the Priceline negotiator is killed. Supposedly. Live long and prosper!
I've got some catching up to do but here is my list of best movies for 2011. I categorized them from grade 'A' to 'C' with 'A' being the movies that were most impressive. They're listed in no particular order but I did see Midnight in Paris and The Descendants more than once in the theaters and I'd like to watch The Guard again. Working on a top 10 list before Oscars.
As for the best performance, I have never been a fan of George Clooney but am gonna go with him for the best actor for The Descendants. I adore Juliette Binoche but am choosing Tilda Swinton for the best actress for We Need to Talk About Kevin.
A: 1. The Guard 2. The Hedgehog 3. Midnight in Paris 4. The Descendants 5. Ides of March
B: 1. Beginners 2. My Week with Marilyn 3. Certified Copy 4. A Separation 5. We Need to Talk About Kevin
C: 1. Drive 2. The Artist 3. Tree of Life 4. Hugo 5. The Help
I still want to see: 1. 50/50 2. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy 3. The Skin I Live In 4. Bernie 5. Moneyball
I watched Le Skylab, written and directed by Julie Delpy. Before I go any further I should mention that I've been following Julie Delpy since Europa Europa and even more so since Sunrise and Sunset. I would watch anything she's written, directed or acted and although I don't always love her films I did enjoy her latest work in what is obviously an autobiographical look into what her childhood was like growing up in 1970's France.
The story takes place in the summer of 1979 when the possibility of NASA's Skylab space station falling was making headlines and causing anxiety across the globe.
Delpy plays Anna whose eleven-year old daughter Albertine is afraid that the Skylab may land in their backyard. Young Albertine is the main character and impressively played by Lou Alvarez.
Taking place over a weekend at a family reunion in the French seaside town of Brittany, the movie reminded me of my childhood days growing up in Hawaii where we took trips to the beach practically every weekend during the summer. Of course we didn't greet each other like the characters in this French film by kissing each other on the cheek. And not just one or two pecks on the cheek but four: a right-left- right-left combo. There was a lot of that going on in the film which made me a little jealous that I didn't grow up in France.
As the camera goes back and forth between the children and their parents, we find out a little about each family, where they stand on politics, who prefers living in Paris over living in the suburbs, who loves singing and who loves telling stories.
It starts off a bit slow but picks up as more family arrive at the reunion. Over wine, Delpy's character and her husband discuss French and American films they see with their young daughter.
Great nostalgic feel with the soundtrack, retro costume design and faded film color. The movie brought back memories of gathering with my cousins each weekend, when our parents left us alone and we felt like grown ups in our own little world. We, too, would scream while we all ran for the beach. There's a memorable scene where all the cousins attend a dance after the picnic. My cousins and I, all seven of us, would have our own dance parties some nights after coming home from the beach.
Video on the making of the soundtrack for The Descendants with executive music producer Richard Ford.
The Descendants is one of my favorite films of the year and the soundtrack had a lot to do with it.
Instead of just an excerpt, I would have loved to have heard the song Sanoe, written by Queen Liliuokalani, play in the film longer. The short excerpt of Sanoe, which supposedly played in the scene where the family is walking up to the Tahiti Nui bar, wasn't recognizable to me at all.
Perhaps if there's a second soundtrack album released the producers could add the entire song to the album.
There are two types of people in this world: those who remove their shoes before entering a house and those who do not.
It's a cultural thing that you were either raised doing or not. In my house it was always customary and just simply polite to leave your shoes off at the door.
In Alexander Payne's latest film,The Descendants, George Clooney plays father and husband, Matt King, who not only removes his shoes but can be seen walking barefoot or running in his slippers around his home in Hawaii.
In the book, written by Kaui Hart Hemmings, Matt King hates taking his shoes off but in the movie he's portrayed as the total opposite.
There's a memorable scene where the character Brian Speer is seen running on the beach and before entering his home, he takes off his shoes. Like normal people.
Sandra shared a new Ghibli film that's already out in France, La Colline Aux Coquelicots (Up on Poppy Hill). More on the French site http://www.buta-connection.net/accueil/
Budapest. Sounds like Booda-Pesht. We stayed in Buda, the hilly side of the Danube River which was a short walk or bus ride away from all the happenings in Pest, the flat side. If you do only one thing in Budapest, do check out one of their hot springs.
Pest is Slavic for "oven" and the public baths are part of their healthcare system. The Szechenyi Thermal Bath was incredible! The afternoon temperature when we got there at 5 pm was about 30°F outside but the Hungarians were packed into the warm 80°F medicinal waters. The entrance fee is reduced if you have a doctor's prescription. The underground metro M1 going to Mexikoi took us conveniently to the Szechenyi entrance, practically to the door when you exit the subway. Metro stop: Hosoktere. Like I said it was 30°F and FREEZING! We're all dressed up with heavy coats, gloves, ear muffs, scarves and there are lines so that everybody can strip down to their speedos and swimsuits to get into the hot baths. Did I mention it was FREEZING? At the admission counter, I paid about 2800 Ft equivalent to about $12 usd in exchange for a rubber wristwatch (kind of like a Swatch watch but with no numbers) locker and towel. Put the wrist gadget on and it allows you to scan your way through the entrance, changing area and also lock your smart locker. What? I mean after you're done changing, you find an empty locker, stuff your heavy coat and clothing in it, close the locker and then hold your wrist to the lock and the gadget locks it! The wrist gadget is waterproof so you wear it the entire time. I don't trust lockers to store valuables and asked May to take my wallet since she was busy exploring the city and had other places on her agenda. There were pools indoors and out so where to get in since the pools were packed? We decided to soak outside and immediately stepped into the closest pool because as I mentioned it was FREEZING. Once inside, the hot water was amazing. Not as hot as a hot tub but close. In the pool you could feel the spring bubbles under your feet. After about an hour we tried one of the indoor pools but the sulfur smell of eggs was too much so we went back outside for another hour. FREEZING until you get back in the water. Don't forget to pack a swimsuit and slippers! A waterproof camera can come in handy. Everybody smile and say Budapesht!
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