Welcome to the Harmony Travel blog. Here we'll share with you our own travel experiences both with family and for business. When we're not off experiencing the sights and sounds of distant places, we'll share other helpful insights we come across.
Wednesday afternoon, we made three brief stops just outside the old city wall for visits to the Room of the Last Supper, King David's Tomb and Dormition Abbey before driving a bit to the Garden Tomb.
The Room of the Last Supper was very simple, undecorated room on the upper level of a church built by the Crusaders. I personally didn't find anything special about any of the three stops.
Our tour of the Holyland ended with a stop that we will all remember for the rest of our lives - the Garden Tomb.
While there are stops on the Via Dolorossa that commemorate possible sites of Jesus' crucifixion, burial and resurrection, the Garden Tomb is another site that could have been the site for all three. During excavations many years ago, archaeologists discovered a large rock in the side of a cliff that looks like a skull (Golgotha). According to the Bible, the place where Jesus was crucified was called Golgotha.
There is also evidence that the location was previously a garden. Later, a series of Jewish tombs (burial caves) were found here, including some for 'wealthier' individuals. Remember, a wealthy man, Joseph of Aramathea, offered up his burial tomb for Jesus.
Anyway, our guide gave us an excellent description of the site - which opposed to the iconic churches is indeed a very quiet and peaceful garden - and its ties to the Bible. As we listened to his powerful explanations, other groups nearby were holding worship services - singing hymns and partaking in communion. Our guide reminded us, 'Don't worry that the tomb is empty. He is risen,' and 'We don't worship a dead teacher, we worship a risen Saviour.'
We went down to an empty tomb.
It was a very emotional experience for all of us, and the ultimate way to end our tour of the Holyland. Sunday, October 12, 2008 New terminal coming to Indianapolis International Airport
A new terminal will open at the IndianapolisInternationalAirport in early November. I recently had the opportunity to tour the state-of-the-art facility. Getting there/Parking
The new “midfield” terminal is located a few miles west of the current terminal. Passengers traveling from downtown Indianapolis need to continue past the current exit 75 to exit 68. This actually takes you about a mile past the new terminal before looping you back. As you enter, one of the first changes you’ll notice is a cell phone lot – a free lot with 49 spaces for drivers waiting for arriving passengers.
Continuing to the terminal are options for long-term parking, economy parking, a five-level parking garage and rental car return.
Opening rates for parking are:
Economy: $7/day
Long-term: $11/day
Garage: $16/day ($2 every 30 minutes)
Uncovered valet: $15/day
Covered valet: $18/day
We continue to have a strong relationship with Indy Park Ride & Fly, offering discounts and free days of parking for that company’s new location near the new terminal.
Ticketing Hall/Civic Plaza Departing passengers will enter the new terminal in the Ticketing Hall, featuring four “islands” for purchasing tickets and checking in. From there, you can proceed into CivicPlaza, a circular open area between the two concourses. A number of shops and restaurants are available so families can remain together before passengers go through security and enter the concourses. CivicPlaza is bright and open with large windows that will allow people to see airplanes at the gates and even see downtown in the distance. Special lighting creates airplane shapes “flying” on the walls. More...
Monday, February 11, 2008 Rathskeller Restaurant - Indianapolis
The Rathskeller is located on the northeast side of downtown Indianapolis adjacent to a thriving arts district, across the street from the Murat Theater and in the same building as the American Cabaret Theater.
The menu boasts many hearty traditional German dishes as well as steaks, seafood and more. The Rathskeller features more than 60 beers from around the world as well as an extensive wine list.
In addition to the restaurant, there's a bar with live music and a biergarten for outdoor fun in the summer.
On a recent visit, my wife and I opted for two meals from the German section of the menu. We started with mushroom caps stuffed with cream cheese, bacon bits and chives topped with two melted cheeses. That was followed by two house salads, although we were left wondering if we were supposed to have bread served along with it. We both had bread plates, butter knives and butter, but we never got any bread.
No matter, there was more than enough food to satisfy us. For the main dish, I opted for one of my long-time favorites from the year I lived in Germany - Jaegerschnitzel. It's a pork tenderloin topped with mushrooms in a red wine sauce. For my two side dishes I chose the Bavarian Spaetzle noodles and a potato pancake. All were quite delicious.
My wife chose the Beef Roulladen, a rolls of tender beef stuffed with bacon, onions and mustard slowly cooked for tenderness. She enjoyed it immensely.
For dessert, we split a piece of Black Forest cake.
Most entrees run $25-30, so expect dinner for two to approach $100.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007 Riu Palace Mexico (Playa del Carmen)
Several clients just returned from an all-inclusive vacation getaway to the Riu Palace Mexico in Cancun. The resort feature 434 rooms and is perfect for a romantic getaway or for families. The resort has kids activities throughout the day.
As my clients said, “It was kind of like being on a cruise.” There were activities throughout the day, certificates for the winners, and a nightly show.
The resort is located on the beach and is adjacent to several other Riu properties, allowing guests to sample several resorts at once. There are five restaurants on the property. Advance reservations are needed for dinner.
The rooms themselves were very nice, featuring a sleeping area with two double beds put next to each other. A separate living room with a couch and television was two steps down and a private balcony was attached. The in-room mini-bars are also complimentary.
A free scuba diving training session was included, and other non-motorized watersports such as snorkeling were also free of charge.
There are two pools and a spa, plus a separate children’s pool.
One thing to note: the guests were very international and some sunbathers were topless.
