Tag Archives: travel

Mar10

off the beaten path.

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Traveling is important, because when we do, we’re able to de-stress, discover new things, meet people and gain stories worth telling. One man who visited West Iceland was so grateful to his hosts that he decided to send them a letter when he reached Reykjavik, the country’s capital. But there was a problem: he didn’t know his hosts’ address. However, he did remember where they lived. So instead of never sending the letter, the tourist instead draws a map on the envelope. He wrote:

“Country: Iceland.
City: Búðardalur.
Name: A horse farm with an Icelandic/Danish couple and three kids and a lot of sheep!”

He also thoughtfully added that “the Danish woman works in a supermarket in Búðardalur”. Judging by the amount of details the tourist wrote on the envelope, they really wanted the farm owners to get the letter. And to everyone’s surprise, the letter did make it, despite its lack of traditional postal information. This proves that even though things have definitely become more modern, Iceland’s local postal service still know their territory by heart.

Rebecca Cathrine Kaadu Ostenfeld was stunned when the postman handed it to her. It goes without saying that receiving a letter from someone is a touching experience. Their home was indicated on the map with a glaring red dot, after all. But it seems that the letter’s successful delivery was brought about because of the farm’s fame.

The humble “horse farm” that the tourist had described on the envelope, was in fact somewhat of a tourist attraction in Hvammsveit, West Iceland. It’s quite famous for its ‘mini zoo’ where guests can pet their resident horses, goats, sheep, pigs and other animals. And it seems that this particular guest had such a great time that he couldn’t help but show his appreciation long after he’d left! The Hólar family’s farm does have an address listed online (But if you click on it, the link will redirect you to the middle of a lake! So maybe that’s why their tourist had trouble writing down a proper postal address and his map was more accurate than Google.)

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“people tend to want to follow the beaten path.

the difficulty is that the beaten path doesn’t seem to be leading anywhere.”

-charles mathias

 

 

 

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credits: awesome inventions

 

Mar9

great expectations.

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(united airlines 1st class – 747 flight in the 70s)

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after booking an upcoming flight

i may have a few misplaced hopes and expectations

that this will be my experience in the air

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“let your dreams outgrow the shoes of your expectations.”

-ryunosuke satoro

Aug21

dare to dance.

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on this day in 1959, hawaii officially became the 50th state

 always wanted to visit

but the closest i’ve come

is when i was young and my dad announced

he wanted to buy a little radio station in kauai

i quickly got ahold of a hawaiian dictionary

 forced/encouraged the family to learn the alphabet during dinner

only to discover it was just a fantasy job wish for him

years later, as an adult

i took hula lessons with close friends

we were not good at it

got into the spirit of the dance

did not get asked to perform in hawaii

but we had a a blast

you never know

where and when this skill will come in handy

plus, it’s impressive on a resume

 i’ve yet to make it to hawaii

 only a matter of time

third time’s the charm

aloha!

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“dare to dance, leave shame at home.”

(A’a i ka hula, waiho i ka maka’u i ka hale)

-hawaiian saying

 

 

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art credit: vintage hawaiian poster

Jul29

partings.

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Born in 1960 to a Sicilian family living in Morocco and raised in France, Catalano became a sailor in his twenties. This nomadic lifestyle was a major inspiration for his work as an artist. The sculptures of Bruno Catalano, especially, Les Voyageurs show this influence. They delve into themes of travel, migration and journeying. Themes extend into exploring the ideas of home, belonging, loss and the experiences of a “world citizen”. Each statue carries a single suitcase, weighing them down, but also serving as their only means of support. Fascinating technically, artistically, and in its symbolism, the large omissions in the statues leave much to the imagination. Some figures appear to be fading away, while others materialize before our eyes. Contrary to the opinion that travel broadens and enriches, Catalano lamented that all his travels left him feeling that a part of [him] was gone and will never come back. ‘Fragments’ makes full use of this ethereal effect with three sculptures broken down to create one unit. The man looks fragile and delicately held together, losing more and more of himself till only his feet and bag remain.

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“life is made of so many partings welded together.
-charles dickens

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credits: Daily Art Magazine

Jul24

lost in translation.

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reminiscing about my visit

to beautiful ireland

 six years back, in july

how we found our way around the country

oh, we did a few turn-arounds here and there

as you can see above

but somehow we always ended up where we were going

eventually.

even with directions asked and kind answers given

regional accents, local advice, and lore

 thrown in for good measure

it could be a challenge at best

‘”oh, just go over the hill for a bit, turn at the old barn, you’ll see a huge green field with hills, and some sheep, and then a pub, they don’t have the best sandwiches but stop in for a pint, say hi to seamus for me if you see him, he’s a good lad, he just had that one thing that wasn’t really his fault, and all is forgiven, and oh, don’t turn by the church, go past it, there’s no sign, but you’ll see a big rock where john’s shed used to be before it burnt down in that fire in ’79 when everything was so dry, and take a sharp turn there….”  – and so on.

whether bumping along on a sheep path, sharing a two-way road with one lane, or driving half in a hedgerow

we found all the places we wanted to be

and discovered so many surprising and magical places along the way.

“going in the wrong direction, but making really good time.”

-cheri huber

Jun28

rocks remember.

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my collection of heart shaped rocks

i love discovering these wherever i travel

each one has a story to tell.

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“geologists have a saying – rocks remember.”

– neil armstrong

Apr21

to the bat cave!

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Bat Bar in Lost Canyon Cave, Ridgedale, Missouri

 

If there’s another drive-through golf-cart bar in a bat-filled cave on top of a mountain, we don’t know about it.

IN THE MISSOURI OZARKS, THE Bat Bar gives new meaning to the term “watering hole.” It’s next to a waterfall within a mountaintop cave. The good thing is it’s never all that crowded, unless you count the bats.

Visitors park at the Top of the Rock welcome center and take golf carts through a 2.5-mile woodland path over streams and bridges, stopping at both a butterfly garden and a scenic overlook calledEagle Pass. Shortly into the trip, the trail dips into the Lost Canyon Cave, wherein lies the one-of-a-kind bar. Tipplers remain in their carts as they park next to the wood-built bar constructed in 2014. “Better Settle Your Nerves,” reads a paint-splashed board below the counter. They can choose from a number of cocktails, from John L’s Hoop-de-Hoo (vodka, tonic, and grapefruit), the Cannonball (amaretto, bourbon, and pineapple juice), or Bat’s Blood (vodka with strawberry and peach lemonade). Bottled beer and wine by the glass are also available.

Take your time rolling through the Lost Canyon Cave: It’s home to a natural waterfall, a live bat colony, and the skeletons of both a saber-tooth tiger and a short-faced bear. Visitors aren’t allowed to walk around the cave itself, but a railed pathway snakes around the waterfall pool at the heart of the lantern-lit cave.

If the bar does get the best of you, Big Cedar Lodge always has overnight housing available.

Carts are available for rentals from 8:00 a.m. until 45 minutes before sunset. Drivers are permitted alcohol, but not before signing a liability waiver.

“come on, robin, to the bat cave! there’s not a moment to lose!”

-batman

 

 

 

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credits: atlas obscura, trip advisor

Jan10

here we go.

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i just love everything

about this 1955 michigan tourism poster 

according to the map

it looks like ann arbor

is the place where you can dance. 

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“you live as long as you dance.”

-rudolf nureyev

 

 

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poster source: michigan heritage and history

Sep3

get in line.

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safe travels.

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“if all the cars in the united states were placed end to end,

it would probably be labor day weekend.”

-doug larson

 

 

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image credit: national toy museum (record for world’s longest line of toy cars)

May23

playing the odds, you win some……

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(supposed to be here)

back in the day

when i was a waitress

going to school

training to be in the travel industry

i was on call for my restaurant in michigan

but i also had to be at an airline travel class in dallas

my restaurant had very recently said

absolutely no more days off for anyone

too many people were calling in sick or with excuses

so

according to my optimistic rationalization style math and logic

knowing the staff

having no other plan

odds were 50/50 at best

 i said nothing to my restaurant

crossed my fingers

flew to dallas

made the fateful call-in from the lone star state

 amazingly

the staff had all shown up that day

for the win!

p.s. don’t try this if you are a doctor

(actually was here)

 

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“never tell me the odds.”

-han solo

 

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