Japan Saves the Day: Helpful People Rescue Klutz Yet Again
Is it that the people of Japan are so helpful, or that I’m in such need of help? Probably both. Today I had a third encounter, not with the pavement*, … Read more
Our Travel Life
Advice for Driving in the UK and Ireland
I can talk about this now, and I’ll start by saying Tom is a very good driver. And I am a very good navigator. I can read a map, have a good sense of direction, and am good at planning routes, scenic or otherwise. But things are different here in the UK and in the Republic of Ireland, and I’m not just talking about driving on the left. For both driver and passenger, I offer these true stories and tidbits of advice.
Site Blocked, and Other Little Surprises in the UK and Ireland
The message read, “This site has been blocked as potentially politically controversial. If you think this message has appeared in error, please see your network administrator,” or something like that. Had I accidentally Googled my way into a terrorist site? No, as a matter of fact, I was trying to look up UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Ireland. I was in my room at Bewley’s Hotel in the Ballsbridge neighborhood of Dublin, a fairly nice place, the nicest place I’d been in for quite a while.
Visiting the ATM Cave in Belize
The ATM cave in Belize is a sacred Mayan sacrificial site which was used infrequently from around 600 to 900 C.E.
50 Random Thoughts About Travel
I was actually sitting around yesterday morning thinking. Yes, it happens some times. Of course, it doesn’t do anyone else any good unless I somehow communicate those thoughts. “If only … Read more
Merida: Beers, Beets, and Mayan Language Lessons
Traveling, especially how we do it, can be a bit of a drudge sometimes. When we’re actually moving, which is to say when we’re not housesitting or renting an apartment … Read more
An Honest Thief in Mexico
I haven’t quite sorted out how I feel about this yet, so I’m just going to report it and maybe get some of your ideas. Earlier today, while Kris and … Read more
(Un)welcome to the United States
Since 9/11 I’ve reentered the United States from travel abroad more than a dozen times. Each time, it is more unpleasant. Many people I’ve met in other countries who have … Read more
Watching Spanish Football in Portugal
It was an odd choice for us to leave Spain where we’d spent the past two and a half months to spend ten days in Portugal just when Spain … Read more
Sometimes You Have to Go Home
I grew up in Council Bluffs, Iowa. According to my grandfather, Council Bluffs was, “the only town that ever hurt Chicago.” I’ve given his pronouncement a lot of thought over the years and I’ve still never quite figured out what it meant.
Maybe it was because Council Bluffs made fun of Chicago on the playground when they were kids. Or maybe it was because someone from CB wrote a letter once to someone in Chicago saying that having broad shoulders and being hog butcher to the world wasn’t really that great. Especially when Carl Sandburg went on to mention that it was also the city of skanky whores and slimy gangsters.