![\"Surprise](\"https:\/\/cdn.whatsgabycooking.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/surprise_vacay.jpg\")
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For those of you who are new here \u2013 let\u2019s start at the beginning. Surprise vacation\u00a0has been a longstanding Dalkin family tradition since we were kids. It started when I was 9, my sister was 6, and\u00a0my parents would throw us birthday parties. Now that I\u2019ve thrown a party or two, I know how much work they can be, PLUS add in some screaming and crying children, ummmmm NO.\u00a0So my parents decided to do away with\u00a0the birthday parties and instead they\u2019d plan a surprise vacation for us each year.<\/p>\n
IT\u2019S A SURPRISE. And it\u2019s basically the highlight of my life. I even like it more than my birthday\/birth month which is really saying a lot. I\u2019m obsessed. They plan a vacation for us and we get somewhere in the realm of 8-10 clues each year and we have to figure out where we are going. Some years we\u2019ve figured it out, others we are totally surprised. One thing is always certain\u2026. I\u2019m always wrong.<\/p>\n
My sister sometimes figures it out, my husband has been known to do the same\u2026 but I\u2019m always, without fail, 100% wrong. I think it\u2019s because I ALWAYS had this burning desire to go on safari in Africa and no matter what clues my parents send over I somehow make them fit into an African safari. BUT… that’s no longer the case seeing as how we just got back from an epic adventure<\/a> through Africa<\/a> last year. So what I’m saying is that MAYBE THIS YEAR I HAVE A CHANCE at figuring it out!! Keep your fingers crossed for me<\/p>\n ANYWAYS\u2026 since we were kids, we\u2019ve been getting everyone involved. My tennis coach, friends of friends, parents, professors, you guys!! I mean, it\u2019s basically a puzzle for anyone I know. So I\u2019ll be sharing the clues here as they roll in (roughly one a week) and I\u2019ll just continue to update this post so you don\u2019t have to search high and low for the latest clues. Ready\u2026 Clue\u2019s are officially rolling in:<\/p>\n Clue #1 –\u00a0<\/strong>Whata and Wheres, if it is your fourth try and still not close what should you do? But remember, it’s only a game site, in another country.<\/p>\n Clue #2 –\u00a0<\/strong>Using the ending, this person accomplished something twelve times even though she was wet, then sort of, and mostly an old revolutionary activist here in the United States.<\/p>\n Clue #3<\/strong> –\u00a0A day of fun: Something like Butch and Sundance’s group hiding here, partly with Me jennifer \u00a0marlon and a pair of shoes.<\/p>\n Clue #4<\/strong> –\u00a0Formalwear required, posture is important! Traveling around the world was a great adventure, Magnifico!! Fortunately, this only takes a day.<\/p>\n Clue #5<\/strong> –\u00a0AG’s partners old song, might happen to you if you are not careful on this trip.<\/p>\n Clue #6<\/strong> – Victoria and Albert, Modern Art, Louvre, Van Gogh; similar but a bit more chill. Like tapping your jaw.<\/p>\n Clue #7<\/strong> –\u00a0An artistic clue: mt: It’s all about…, then a short word before a person or place, to then find a definite article you would read of course; but don’t forget to look up and see what is rising in the sky. It’s worth the effort!!<\/p>\n A bit of inside scoop:<\/p>\n We’re leaving mid-January for 2 weeks. That includes travel time.<\/p>\n Here are our surprise\u00a0trips from the past… and chances are we can cross those off the list since I don’t think we’d do a repeat. And if you want to read some clues from past trips – click the links below!<\/p>\n 2017 – Idaho for a ski week<\/a>! Some of you were exceptionally good at twisting my deviant clues the correct way – so Congratulations!! To satisfy all your frustrations here are the explanations for the clues, may they bring you a good chuckle!<\/span><\/p>\n Clue #1:<\/b><\/span> Whata and Wheres, if it is your fourth try and still not close what should you do? But remember, it\u2019s only a game site, in another country. <\/span><\/p>\n Solution: Note the \u201ca\u201d after What and \u201cs\u201d after Where. Some of you got the \u201cfourth try\u201d correct with football and thus – Punt<\/b>. A game site in another country is an Arena, <\/b>not a stadium. Add an \u201ca\u201d to the What and an \u201cs\u201d to the Where and you have\u2026\u2026.<\/span>PUNTA\u00a0 <\/span>ARENAS <\/b>(City in Chile: On the Cluemaster Difficulty scale 1-10, this was a 3.<\/span><\/p>\n Clue #2:<\/b><\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Using the ending, this person accomplished something twelve times even though she was wet, then sort of, and mostly an old revolutionary activist here in the United States.<\/span><\/p>\n Solution: This one scored some winners as well, but nobody caught the middle part :)!<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cUsing the ending\u201d, thus the last name, – of yes the female olympian swimmer (wet) with 12 medals – Dana Torres. \u201c<\/b>Then\u201d – \u201csort of\u201d which in spanish is del <\/b>(I win on this part !!), followed by yes the revolutionary activist, again \u201cusing the ending\u201d – Thomas Paine<\/b>. We then have:\u00a0<\/span>TORRES DEL PAINE\u00a0 <\/span><\/b>(National Park in Chile: Cluemaster Difficulty Scale a 3)<\/span><\/p>\n Clue #3:<\/b><\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>A day of fun: Something Butch and Sundance\u2019s group hiding here, partly with Me jennifer marlon and a pair of shoes.<\/span><\/p>\n Solution: I won this one – no correct answers – gives me great joy!! Let me make it easy for you – Butch and Sundance\u2019s group was the <\/span>Hole In The Wall <\/span> gang – which by another name could be called a Cave.<\/b> \u201cPartly\u201d means using only a part of each: Me (My – the capital M as it is the first part of the word<\/b>), jennifer (lo<\/b> – like J-lo)), marlon brando was Don Corleone thus don<\/b>, – thus\u00a0 <\/span>Mylodon<\/b> and a pair of shoes as it is a hike<\/b>. <\/span>The answer:\u00a0<\/span>Mylodon Cave Hike <\/b>in Torres del Paine (Cluemaster Difficulty Scale a 9)<\/span><\/p>\n Clue #4:<\/b><\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Formalwear required, posture is important! Traveling around the world was a great adventure. Magnifico!! Fortunately this only takes a day.<\/span><\/p>\n Solution: Some nice work by you guys on this one, though I am not sure everyone figured out all the subsets of clues here !\u00a0 <\/span>Formalwear required\/Posture = Penguins<\/b> of course (they stand up straight and of course look like they are wearing tuxedos! Magnifico is the Portugese translation for magnificent, which is what you say having travelled around the world if you are a Portuguese explorer – Ferdinand Magellan.\u00a0\u00a0<\/b><\/span>A day trip –\u00a0<\/span>Magellan Straights Penguin Tour<\/b>\u00a0 <\/span>(Cluemaster Difficulty Scale 4)<\/span><\/p>\n Clue #5: <\/b> AG\u2019s partners old song, might happen if you are not careful on this trip.<\/span><\/p>\n Solution: Sadly for those of you under 40 AG does not mean Ariana Grande (thanks Megan), and her brother Rio\u2026. That would have been impressive on my part, but instead – as someone noted Art Garfunkel – partner of course is Paul Simon. The referenced song \u201cSlip Sliding Away\u201d, which you would do with no crampons while:\u00a0<\/span>Ice Treking on the Perito Moreno Glacier!!! <\/b>(Cluemaster difficulty 9 as you have to figure out specifically where we are going before you can even try to get this one)<\/p>\n Clue#6:<\/b>\u00a0 <\/span>Victoria and Albert, Modern Art, Louvre, Van Gogh; similar but a bit more chill. Like tapping your jaw.<\/span><\/p>\n Solution: To start, this is a Cluemaster Difficulty level 10!!!!!! So in keeping with that level, nobody got it \ud83d\ude42<\/span><\/p>\n The names listed are all Museums, <\/b>a bit more chill then refers to ice or Glaciers<\/b>. A part of your jaw is called the gonia, and if you are tapping (patting) it that would be – pat a gonia = Patagonia\u00a0<\/b><\/span>Glaciarium Patagonian Ice Museum\u00a0 <\/span><\/b>(so easy\u2026.)<\/span><\/p>\n Clue #7:\u00a0 <\/span><\/b>An artistic clue: mt: It\u2019s all about\u2026, then a short word before a person or place, to then find a definite article you would read of course; but don\u2019t forget to look up and see what is rising in the sky. It\u2019s worth the effort!!<\/span><\/p>\n Solution: Another Cluemaster Difficulty level 10 – no other way to end the clues of course!!<\/span><\/p>\n An artistic clue refers to all the points in this clue – music, grammar etc. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cmt – It\u2019s all about\u2026.\u201d The Base\u00a0 <\/span>(<\/b>Meghan Traynor) <\/span><\/p>\n \u201ca short word\u201d is a preposition – of<\/b> <\/span><\/p>\n \u201ca definite article\u201d grammatically is – the<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n Look up and see what is rising in the sky is of course – Towers<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n It\u2019s worth the effort because it is an 8 hour – hike<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n The Base of the Towers Hike in Torres del Paine National Park<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n So in summary – nobody was able to get more than 3 clues correct, so my skills are maintained!!! Many of you guessed the location based on two clues (Punta Arenas and Torres del Paine), so congrats to all of you: Too many names to list \ud83d\ude42<\/span><\/p>\n But now you can see all the little parts of the clues you missed – which gives me GREAT PLEASURE!!<\/span><\/p>\n I hope you had fun once again this year, as I am sure we will on our Patagonia adventure. I am sure Gaby will fill you in when we return. So thank you all for your effort, ideas, wrong guesses, a few correct guesses and allowing me to once again have a great time!!!<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" It’s my most favorite time of the year!! SURPRISE VACATION is on and we’ve FINALLY figured out all the clues \ud83d\ude42 Here we go… […]<\/p>\nLET’S SOLVE IT THIS YEAR!! Any guesses… comment below!<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\n2016 – Arizona\u00a0<\/a>for a golf\/spa week!
\n2015 – Costa Rica<\/a>
\n2014 – Orcas Island + Vancouver + Whistler<\/a>
\n2013 – Nat Geo Cruise through\u00a0Alaska<\/a>
\n2012 – Road Trip through\u00a0France<\/a>
\n2011 – Bahamas
\n2010 – Berlin, Prague, Budapest and Vienna
\n2009 – Banff, Canada
\n2008 – none of us can remember where we went this year! whoops \ud83d\ude42
\n2007 – Italy
\n2006 – Turkey
\n2005 – Greece
\n2004 – England + Scotland
\n2003 – Cancun, Mexico
\n2002 – Hawaii (Big Island)
\n2001 – Napa \/ Sonoma
\n2000 – Los Angeles
\n1999 – New York
\n1998 – Washington DC
\n1997 – Las Vegas
\n1996 – Texas
\n1995 – Disney World<\/p>\nWelp, it’s game time! We’ve solved Surprise Vacation 2019 and I’m gonna let me dad take it away!!!<\/h2>\n