Lifestyles

What’s New: continue scrolling to find “Three Countries in 17 Days” and New Music from Tre Thomas

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*Dinner in Dubrovnik, Croatia (4/20/23)*

Three Countries in 17 Days

Good Friday (April 7th) the hubby (Richard) and I departed on a three country, overseas trip to Larnaca, Cyprus, Dubrovnik, Croatia and Budapest, Hungary. He had work assignments in all three places and I tagged along for what I decided to call a “writing retreat.” Rich has traveled internationally for much of his career and even visited over 70 countries. In fact, he had so many air miles that he earned lifetime Premier Gold status on United Airlines. You must have flown at least a million miles in order to qualify for it.

I’ve done more than my share of U.S. travel, but global flying has never really been my thing. I rejected the idea of being on an airplane eight hours or more. Not to mention my delusions of being an ocean away, and in a place where I found myself desperate, lost and alone, unable to get help, because nobody spoke English. I know! In retrospect, that really sounds silly and uninformed to me now.

Rich announced that he was ready to put his passport on the shelf and that this transatlantic trip would be his last; at least for work. It’s certainly understandable. He’s been so many places and seen so much, that he’s totally over the multitude of hassles associated with “getting there.” When he became insistent that I come along with him, I decided it was time I got over my overseas travel ridiculousness and checked an international adventure off my bucket list.

A bit of backstory: I’ve been battling a terrible episode of sciatica since January and as a result wasn’t sure I would even be able to make the trip. However, I became determined and went into serious prep mode. I did chiropractic, physical therapy, medical massage, acupuncture, reflexology and used a device called a NeuroMD. All of that, plus I was prescribed a bunch of meds. A week before our departure I was in better shape than in January but still only functioning at about seventy-five percent. At that point, I decided to register for wheel chair service and went to the United Airlines website and signed up. ICYMI-Wheel chair service through airports, even overseas carriers, is easy to arrange. Once you’re identified as needing special assistance in their system, someone is there waiting to meet you with either a wheelchair or a golf cart as soon as the plane lands. It turned out to be a plus for both of us because we breezed through check points where, otherwise, we would have had to wait in long lines. There’s no additional charge for the service but be sure to tip.

A few notables from the trip:

Cyprus - (1st stop 9 days)

- Cyprus is part of the Greek Isles and on the Mediterranean Sea. We stayed at a beautiful resort and had waterfront accommodations. I already knew that the texture and type of sand on beaches can be very different. That’s true even in the U. S. But the sand on the beaches in Cyprus was sage in color, and clay like in consistency. I’ve never seen anything like it.

- Orthodox Christians celebrate Easter a week later than in the western world. Easter Sunday in Cyprus was April 16th as opposed to April 9th. But it was super special to experience the celebration of Easter two weeks in a row!

-The weather was chilly while we were there so, unfortunately I didn’t get to swim in the Mediterranean.☹️

-The resort was beautiful but the food was like what you would expect on a cruise ship; okay, but nothing to write home about. However, we took a car into town one day and went to a local restaurant where we had the best fish and chips either of us had ever had.

Croatia (2nd stop 5 days)

-Landing in Dubrovnik, I was surprised to see how mountainous it is. I feel like I should have known that! —Sometimes I wonder where my mind was in school during geography class🧐

-The shops and buildings in Cavtat, the quaint small town where our hotel was located, are carved into the hillside and resemble a postcard of a coastal Italian village. The addition of expansive views of the Adriatic Sea, and it all combines to make it the most beautiful place on the planet I’ve seen so far. Photographs alone are inadequate. It’s absolutely stunning!

-Surprisingly, the food in Dubrovnik was our least favorite of the trip. We were there four nights and didn’t once have a meal either of us considered great!

Budapest (last stop 3 days)

- It’s a city with lots of architecture in the style of old-world Europe. The Hungarian government works hard to preserve that style in its original condition. Budapest has been slow to embrace change. We didn’t see any modern buildings. Even western hotels like Marriott are designed to blend into the architecture. The only construction we saw were efforts to retrofit and preserve existing structures.

-The food in Budapest was excellent and some of the best of the entire trip.

*Chicken Kiev for dinner while in Budapest. Outstanding!!*

Takeaways/Lessons Learned:

To my relief, language was not a problem. At least not at the hotels and other places we explored. Most people speak at least some English. The receptionist at the hotel in Cyprus was super apologetic for her poor English when in fact, I was able to understand her clearly. I wanted to tell her “it’s all good” like I would have done in a similar situation at home. But I caught myself and realized that was western slang. Note for travelers: avoid using commonly used slang from the U.S. when traveling abroad. You could easily be misunderstood or even worse offend somebody without knowing it. Speaking a little slower and enunciating goes a long way in being understood.

-Cyprus and Croatia both accept euros, which has only a slight difference in value from the dollar making it super easy to use. The currency in Hungary is the forint which, for those of us from the west, is very confusing. We were in Budapest three days and I never figured out how to exchange it.

-The selection of souvenirs at the airports was just as good, and in many cases, cheaper than the street vendors.

-We took a Firestick which gave us more options for English speaking TV.

-The electrical outlets in Europe are not the same as the U.S. You’ll need to buy an adapter to charge your devices. They’re sold everywhere including airports.

-Our luggage got lost between Croatia and Budapest. It was the next afternoon before it showed up. Rich, the traveling guru, advised me to put a change of clothes in my carryon just in case such a thing might happened. He was right. So glad I listened.

-I was able to write nearly everyday and was happy with the progress I made on the follow-up to Nobody’s Child.

Finally, the entire experience was awesome! I’m sorry I waited so long to take a trip like that and I’m already psyched for another adventure. Unfortunately, now I can’t get Richard to leave the house!

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Singer Tré Thomas Explores Love and Commitment with New Single, “Win-Win”

Washington, D.C. Veteran performing artist Tré Thomas has officially made his return to music with the release of his new single, “Win-Win.” The R&B track marks only his fifth release since his 2012 album, “Finally,” which made the ballot for Grammy consideration that year. After his 2015 live album, “Love Unplugged: Live in DC,” Thomas took a six-year hiatus before resurfacing in 2021. However, for him, the time off proved essential to his evolution as a person and an artist.

“Win-Win” is rare within today’s music scene, as many male R&B singers tend to avoid the layered emotional elements that were once characteristic of the genre. Yet, while Thomas admits to making a transition from his past faith-based musical content, he leans on hope and inspiration in a new way as he channels his love for 1990s and early 2000s R&B.

“The premise of the song is about being in the beginning stages of a relationship, and you’re trying to convince someone who is apprehensive that it is the right move…that it can be a win-win for both of you,” he said.

Relationships have been a hot topic in popular culture over the last few years, as men and women alike have questioned the value of love and commitment. Those subjects and even his identity as a music artist are some of the things Thomas says he gained more perspective on after the untimely passing of his mother in 2020. He always wanted to venture into R&B, however, he often labored over the reception he would receive from peers and fans who knew him as the singer who once wowed the national audience on BET’s Bobby Jones Gospel.

“I think that experience of losing my mom was kind of the catalyst for me accepting me and the idea that I don't have to prove anything to anybody,” Thomas said. “That, in turn, changed my approach to music. Even in my last single, “There Is Hope,” there is an inspirational message. But I took a chance and did something different. With “Win-Win”, I don't want to put myself in a box musically. Whatever I feel, I want to do that.”

Thomas intends to spark dialogue around love and relationships, as he understands that there is a lot of uneasiness in the dating market and peoples’ views on committed relationships appear to be changing. He plans to engage the public on his social media channels and to create a campaign around the topic.

“I’m looking to start conversations around dating and what that looks like now, especially in a world where we are so disconnected and centered on self. I think that is needed in a healthy way. I, at least, want to start that conversation and see where it goes. Hopefully the new song will help me to do that.”

For more information and to keep up with updates on Tré Thomas, follow him on Instagram at @treslim.

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