Travel Tips & Trends

Love in a cold climate
Time heals (East) Germany
Driving on ice and snow
Dr. Beach’s Top 10
Handicap parking overseas
Colorado GEM: Denver Art Museum
Exact name only
Airport security: can you beat 32 seconds?

Love in a cold climate

Each Valentine’s Day, couples find themselves besieged by a list of destinations, activities and purchases said to be necessary for romance. Here are some of the hoariest romantic clichés, and suggestion on how to turn them into something special—without leaving Colorado.

Long walks on the beach. In Colorado? In February? If your sweetheart is a hardy outdoors type, maybe you can stretch the definition to include a brisk winter hike. Colorado’s largest body of water is Blue Mesa Reservoir, west of Gunnison on Highway 50. It’s 20 miles long with 96 miles of shoreline. Grand Lake, the largest natural lake, has a sandy beach—though skipping through it barefoot isn’t recommended at this time of year—and numerous spots for cross-country skiing, snowmobiling and snowshoeing. For picky sorts who prefer water to be liquid, try a special weekend at a hot spring you haven’t visited before. A cozy private cabin at Mt. Princeton Hot Springs is ideal, with build-it-yourself rock pools amid a mountain stream flowing with hot water. Think of those big rocks in the stream as extra-large grains of sand.
Warm places. Tropical settings are a mainstay of romance. That’s fine if you already booked a trip to Hawaii, but Colorado has a disappointing shortage of steaming rainforests and palm-fringed lagoons. As a substitute, try a hand-in-hand stroll through the Butterfly Pavilion in Westminster.
Roses. As the country song says, “I never promised you a rose garden.” But you can do just that on Feb. 12, 2011, when Denver Botanic Gardens hosts a two-hour lecture on how to start your own rose garden from scratch, or add roses to an existing garden. Reservations are needed (contact the gardens), but no previous experience. Planning a real rose garden together—isn’t that romantic?
Diamonds. If you’re eyeing a shiny ring in the near future, make it personal by finding the rock yourself. It’s not the right time of year to go looking for aquamarines on Mt. Antero, garnets in Golden Gate Canyon or topaz in Teller County, but Colorado is one of the best states for rockhounds. Most towns have clubs for gem and mineral enthusiasts to get you started in this interesting hobby. Start learning in winter, and when spring comes, you and your sweetie will have one more good excuse for scenic hiking trips all over Colorado.

When it comes right down to it, romance is about sharing whatever you both enjoy. Look around: perhaps that special hotel or little restaurant is right there in your own home town.

Time heals (East) Germany
By Linda DuVal

Each reborn town, church or castle in former East Germany reminds us of the destruction of war and the ability of the human spirit to overcome it. More than six decades after World War II, and 22 years after the Wall came down, cathedrals have been rebuilt, palaces reconstructed and medieval buildings returned to their historic splendor. Some were completed in the past few years but look as if they have been there for centuries.

The ancient city of Dresden, firebombed for three days in February 1945, is risen from cold ashes, old and new blended with great care.

“For many years, there was nothing here,” says tour guide Cosima Curth, who protested along with other East Germans back then to get the Wall torn down. “We couldn’t afford to rebuild. Our poorness made us rich, though. The ruins remained, so after Reunification, we could rebuild them.”

Today, there’s little different between East from West. Except, perhaps, that there is more construction going on in the East. They’re making up for lost time.

The Zwinger, a complex of war-damaged buildings, has been beautifully reconstructed in styles ranging from Romanesque to baroque to rococo to contemporary. Here, costumed characters perform small plays and dances.

“There was much contention over whether or not to include more modern buildings, but they figured (the complex) represents so many architectural periods, so why not?” says tour guide Elizabeth Reschat. Also in Dresden, don’t miss the Green Vault, an exceptional museum with entire rooms devoted to ivory, amber, silver, gold and jewels. Look for a spectacular 648-carat sapphire from Czar Peter I of Russia.

Berlin is a big city and, like New York or London, folks there are brusquer than in the small towns. To get oriented, take a city bus tour, which shows the highlights of both East and West, including the Reichstag (the historic German parliament building), restored after Reunification and the Charlottenburg Schoss, a grand palace built for a Prussian empress.

Especially visit the magnificent 18th century Brandenburg Gate, once the symbol of divided Germany and now a symbol of peace and Reunification. Seriously damaged in the war, it was fully restored in 2002.

Checkpoint Charlie is another reminder of the Cold War. Today it’s a tourist attraction where fake soldiers pose for photos for a couple of Euros.

Take advantage of the proximity to do a day trip to Potsdam. See the church where Hitler assumed power, the headquarters of the KGB, the KGB prison where American pilot Gary Powers spent some time, and Sanssouci, an imperial palace so grand even the Soviets maintained it as a tourist attraction.

History echoes through every step you take on the cobblestones of East Germany.

Driving on ice and snow

Prepare your vehicle for driving on ice and snow by getting a complete mechanical check-up. Keep your windshield and lights clean, replace wiper blades if necessary, and carry spare wiper fluid. Use properly inflated all-season tires in areas that receive light to moderate snowfall (most of the Front Range), and snow tires in areas with heavy snowfall. Purchase sets of four, but if you only purchase two, mount those on the rear wheels. The only vehicles legally required to carry chains in Colorado are commercial trucks traveling the mountain areas of I-70.

What if you get stuck? In light snow, clear a path in front and back of the wheels and drive backward and forward a little at a time. Clear deeper snow with a shovel, and with the front wheels pointed straight ahead, apply gentle pressure on the accelerator (for manual transmissions, use second gear). Avoid spinning the wheels, which only digs them deeper into the snow. For more traction, scatter sand, salt, cat litter, gravel or other abrasive material, or your floor mats or some carpet scraps, in front of and behind the wheels.

Normal following distances on dry pavement are three to four seconds. Increase this to eight to 10 seconds when driving on slippery surfaces, and never use cruise control. Use the brakes gently when needed, well in advance of where you need to stop. The stopping distance on ice at 0° F is twice the distance
required at 32° F.

If you skid, smooth, careful, precise steering is better than braking at speeds above 25 mph. Look in the direction you want to go, and keep steering the car in that direction. Resist the urge to brake hard.

A detailed brochure, “How to Go on Ice and Snow,” is available free at all AAA Colorado branch offices.

Dr. Beach’s Top 10

Coopers Beach in Long Island, N.Y., is America’s top beach, according to Dr. Stephen P. Leatherman, otherwise known as “Dr. Beach,” of Florida International University’s Laboratory for Coastal Research. The grass-covered sand dunes of Coopers Beach border historic mansions in the upscale village of Southampton. Nearby parking is pricey.

Leatherman’s criteria for picking his annual Top 10 list include water quality, sand softness, wave height and width, insects, midday air temperature and background noise. He surveys all 650 of America’s major public recreational beaches.

This year’s Top 10 list:

Coopers Beach, Southampton, N.Y.
Siesta Beach, Sarasota, Fla.
Coronado Beach, San Diego, Calif.
Cape Hatteras, N.C.
Main Beach, East Hampton, N.Y.
Kahanamoku Beach, Waikiki, Oahu, Hawaii
Coast Guard Beach, Cape Cod, Mass.
Beachwalker Park, Kiawah Island, S.C.
Hamoa Beach, Maui, Hawaii
Cape Florida State Park, Key Biscayne, Fla.

Handicap parking overseas

Americans traveling abroad can use their disabled-accessible parking permit in most Western nations. In Great Britain, Ireland, Scotland and Wales, the Blue Badge allows use of designated disabled parking, on-street parking in zones that are not otherwise legal, and free parking at meters and many pay-parking machines. The rest of the European Union offers similar privileges. In smaller towns, a parking space with the wheelchair symbol and a person’s name and/or vehicle license number painted on it is not available for use by other motorists, even with permits. Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and Korea are other countries that allow the use of foreign permits in disabled parking spaces. All normal local parking fees and rules apply.

Colorado GEM: Denver Art Museum

More than one million faceted glass tiles cover the 24-sided North Building of the Denver Art Museum, designed by Gio Ponti. The most recent addition, the Frederic C. Hamilton Building, is clad in titanium and was designed by Daniel Libeskind to evoke the jagged peaks of the Rocky Mountains. Visitors have varied thoughts on what this unusual building most resembles—a paper airplane or a crashed spaceship are just a couple of ideas. A glass-enclosed bridge across 13th Avenue connects the two buildings.

The museum has a collection of more than 60,000 art objects from around the world, both modern and historic. Additional galleries focus on architecture, design, graphics and textile art. Artists represented include Cassatt, Degas, O’Keeffe, Matisse, Monet, Picasso, Remington, Russell and Warhol.

Denver Art Museum is located at 100 W. 14th Ave. Parkway in downtown Denver. It is open daily except Mondays and major public holidays. The most convenient parking is in the Cultural Complex Garage, with entry from 12th Avenue west of Broadway. Museum admission is $10 adult, $8 senior or student, $3 child, free for children under 5, and AAA members get a $1 discount.

AAA Tour Books are free to members. Get them at branch offices (find office locations) or at www.AAA.com/travel. For information on the Denver Art Museum visit www.denverartmuseum.org.

Exact name only

Now that a grace period has lapsed, the name on your airline ticket must match the full name that appears on your government-issued ID.

In October 2009, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) asked airlines to begin collecting each passenger’s date of birth, gender and full name exactly as it appears on government ID. A year-long grace period ended in November 2010. Now, when booking a plane ticket, you must provide the government ID information exactly as it appears. No matter how you book (through a website, a travel agent, or direct with the airline) you will be prompted to provide these details.

If you don’t think you submitted your full and exact name, gender and date of birth, contact the airline or travel agent to submit it before you travel. A boarding pass cannot be issued until the airline submits your data to Secure Flight, a watch-list matching process.

The printed boarding pass may show small differences, but this will not cause problems. The staff at security checkpoints are only required to check that your ID and boarding pass are authentic, and that you are the person shown on the documents.

Airport security: can you beat 32 seconds?

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) says the average person going through airport security takes 32 seconds at the security station to remove shoes and metal, take out any items that need to be displayed separately, and get everything onto the conveyer belt. The average time spent gathering items and replacing clothing at the other end is 42 seconds. The stress of being in a hurry can make any delay seem longer than it is. But now you know the time to beat, so you can honestly say you’re an above-average traveler.

>>>Return to Table of Contents