Canoes at Lake Moraine, Alberta Canada August 2013
Monday, December 30, 2013
Saturday, December 28, 2013
What to do when Koreans only speak Korean: shout
They say that a person who speaks three languages is trilingual, a person who speaks two languages is bilingual, and a person who only speaks one language is an American.
If you don’t think this is funny, then try to order lunch in Munich.
It is a problem for those of us who travel into a world where not everyone speaks English. Here is some advice in case you go into the larger world.
The old saw is that when someone doesn’t understand you, you just turn up the volume. We have heard it. In a quiet tearoom in Edinburgh we heard an American get louder and louder asking for ranch dressing for his cucumber salad. Even then, the waiter spoke English of a sort. It made the rest of us Americans about as comfortable as Mitt Romney in a strip club.
Hint number two: don’t think you can explain things with sign language. Some simple gestures of ours may turn out to be obscene in another environment.
Counting on your fingers may work, but not in Italy. In that country the thumb is used for the number one. Give the peace sign or the victory sign and you will not get two of anything. You will get three.
Then there is inflection. The way you say a word may have different meanings. In my youth I could converse a little in Cantonese. The trouble is the nuance of that language which, by the way, has been supplanted by Mandarin. I kept asking a Chinese friend, in his language, if a young woman was very pretty and he explained to me that I had just asked him if she was cold. No wonder he didn’t answer right away.
It is essentially the same word with different emphasis.
When you walk into an Austrian store it is not helpful if you ask them, "Do you speak English?" If they don’t, you will get silence. Even if they do, they would prefer you tried to ask them in German as it shows that at least you are trying. Once you try the German, they are likely to speak to you in your native tongue.
Another consideration is not to get too good at your opening lines as they may actually think you can speak fluent French and start rattling back to you like Joe Biden on Red Bull.
There has been some discussion of something called "American Exceptionalism". This is the belief that we are different – actually better – than most others. We got here because we are special.
Try explaining this concept to a citizen of Rome, who knows where history started and where it went.
It is humbling to find yourself in a small Italian Village where people are all fluent in Italian and German, but do not have a clue about English. We somehow just expect them to know how we communicate. Their languages, however, predate anything we know.
It behooves us to realize the size of this world.
Getting louder is not the answer.
If you don’t think this is funny, then try to order lunch in Munich.
It is a problem for those of us who travel into a world where not everyone speaks English. Here is some advice in case you go into the larger world.
The old saw is that when someone doesn’t understand you, you just turn up the volume. We have heard it. In a quiet tearoom in Edinburgh we heard an American get louder and louder asking for ranch dressing for his cucumber salad. Even then, the waiter spoke English of a sort. It made the rest of us Americans about as comfortable as Mitt Romney in a strip club.
Hint number two: don’t think you can explain things with sign language. Some simple gestures of ours may turn out to be obscene in another environment.
Counting on your fingers may work, but not in Italy. In that country the thumb is used for the number one. Give the peace sign or the victory sign and you will not get two of anything. You will get three.
Then there is inflection. The way you say a word may have different meanings. In my youth I could converse a little in Cantonese. The trouble is the nuance of that language which, by the way, has been supplanted by Mandarin. I kept asking a Chinese friend, in his language, if a young woman was very pretty and he explained to me that I had just asked him if she was cold. No wonder he didn’t answer right away.
It is essentially the same word with different emphasis.
When you walk into an Austrian store it is not helpful if you ask them, "Do you speak English?" If they don’t, you will get silence. Even if they do, they would prefer you tried to ask them in German as it shows that at least you are trying. Once you try the German, they are likely to speak to you in your native tongue.
Another consideration is not to get too good at your opening lines as they may actually think you can speak fluent French and start rattling back to you like Joe Biden on Red Bull.
There has been some discussion of something called "American Exceptionalism". This is the belief that we are different – actually better – than most others. We got here because we are special.
Try explaining this concept to a citizen of Rome, who knows where history started and where it went.
It is humbling to find yourself in a small Italian Village where people are all fluent in Italian and German, but do not have a clue about English. We somehow just expect them to know how we communicate. Their languages, however, predate anything we know.
It behooves us to realize the size of this world.
Getting louder is not the answer.
Friday, December 27, 2013
Thursday, December 26, 2013
Title: A Christmas Memoir 2013
Our first Christmas was a delightful one. We had practically nothing and appreciated it all.
We were both in graduate school and had little money. We were living mostly on love and a few odd jobs. My wife did some clerking in a store. I picked peaches, painted houses and taught at a local high school part-time. We managed our apartment house in exchange for rent.
Adding it up, we were poor, but we did not know it. It was neither an object of self-depreciation nor pride.
We were able to buy a Christmas tree our first year. It was short, but well-shaped. We decorated it with handmade paper ornaments and a string of lights. We crowned the tree with a dove left over from the decorations at our wedding.
The material things we exchanged that year are long forgotten, but we remember the day as if it were yesterday.
As time went on, our family grew along with our wants and needs. We waited in line for two Cabbage Patch Kids. We made long lists of things to do and buy. I built two dollhouses in my workshop. My wife took the handwritten want lists to the stores.
In 2005 I spent Christmas in Stanford Hospital. We exchanged gifts as I lay in bed. That year I received a polyester, vascular graft in my chest. It was not my favorite gift.
Over the next half decade I relearned about what a difference other people’s concern can mean.
Last year, 2010, I spent part of the week before Christmas in the hospital in Portland. My kidneys had failed from being over medicated. I don’t remember last Christmas much.
It is interesting how priorities change. The biggest gifts are not under the tree and the one most remembered may be the least tangible.
Most of us have all we need in the way of things. We might need a little more conscience, appreciation, and generosity. Those latter virtues may best be acquired through experience. They don’t sell them at Neiman Marcus or Wal-Mart.
We may wish to teach our children to be more giving and less greedy, more thankful and less tightfisted, but it is difficult to do in the middle of a season where our nation’s financial health depends on our spending.
We do not long for the good-old-days because, for the most part, they were not always good. We do, however, remind ourselves that our happiness has never been based on what we get. Our happiness has been based on being grateful for what we’ve got.
It is important that our economy rebound and that those who do not have the necessities of life are cared for. It is each of our responsibilities to reach out to those in need. We don’t do it out of guilt, but out of gratitude.
My personal plan is to stay out of the hospital this Christmas unless it is for visiting someone else. As well, I plan on making sure that people know that it takes very little to bring holiday joy. At Christmas, as in art, less is more.
We will hang up our stockings side by side for the 47th time this year. On Christmas morning we will walk, not run, to see what is there.
Over coffee and scones we will thank one another for thoughtfulness. Mostly we will remember to be grateful for another Christmas with our family and friends.
They didn’t come from Neiman Marcus or Wal-Mart either.
We were both in graduate school and had little money. We were living mostly on love and a few odd jobs. My wife did some clerking in a store. I picked peaches, painted houses and taught at a local high school part-time. We managed our apartment house in exchange for rent.
Adding it up, we were poor, but we did not know it. It was neither an object of self-depreciation nor pride.
We were able to buy a Christmas tree our first year. It was short, but well-shaped. We decorated it with handmade paper ornaments and a string of lights. We crowned the tree with a dove left over from the decorations at our wedding.
The material things we exchanged that year are long forgotten, but we remember the day as if it were yesterday.
As time went on, our family grew along with our wants and needs. We waited in line for two Cabbage Patch Kids. We made long lists of things to do and buy. I built two dollhouses in my workshop. My wife took the handwritten want lists to the stores.
In 2005 I spent Christmas in Stanford Hospital. We exchanged gifts as I lay in bed. That year I received a polyester, vascular graft in my chest. It was not my favorite gift.
Over the next half decade I relearned about what a difference other people’s concern can mean.
Last year, 2010, I spent part of the week before Christmas in the hospital in Portland. My kidneys had failed from being over medicated. I don’t remember last Christmas much.
It is interesting how priorities change. The biggest gifts are not under the tree and the one most remembered may be the least tangible.
Most of us have all we need in the way of things. We might need a little more conscience, appreciation, and generosity. Those latter virtues may best be acquired through experience. They don’t sell them at Neiman Marcus or Wal-Mart.
We may wish to teach our children to be more giving and less greedy, more thankful and less tightfisted, but it is difficult to do in the middle of a season where our nation’s financial health depends on our spending.
We do not long for the good-old-days because, for the most part, they were not always good. We do, however, remind ourselves that our happiness has never been based on what we get. Our happiness has been based on being grateful for what we’ve got.
It is important that our economy rebound and that those who do not have the necessities of life are cared for. It is each of our responsibilities to reach out to those in need. We don’t do it out of guilt, but out of gratitude.
My personal plan is to stay out of the hospital this Christmas unless it is for visiting someone else. As well, I plan on making sure that people know that it takes very little to bring holiday joy. At Christmas, as in art, less is more.
We will hang up our stockings side by side for the 47th time this year. On Christmas morning we will walk, not run, to see what is there.
Over coffee and scones we will thank one another for thoughtfulness. Mostly we will remember to be grateful for another Christmas with our family and friends.
They didn’t come from Neiman Marcus or Wal-Mart either.
Tuesday, December 24, 2013
Monday, December 23, 2013
Smart Chip Cards in Europe
In Europe our credit cards are way behind the times. They use a card with a chip and ours does not have one. We use American Express and usually have no problem, but one thing we notice is that our cards never leave our table -- that is true in Canada as well -- the wait staff bring the machine to us and we enter the amount including tip -- if any. Many countries in Europe do not have the tradition of tipping. In the United States we hand over our card and the account is kept open until we write in the tip and the wait person enters that amount after we sign the sheet and leave. It is silly when I hear that the United States is way ahead of other countries: not in credit cards and not in health insurance.
Sunday, December 22, 2013
Favorite through the back window shot
In the Dolomites north of Verona, Italy. We have absolutely no idea what this is, but it is amazing.
Saturday, December 21, 2013
Wednesday, December 18, 2013
Counting the costs of travel.
I just read a post on Travel Advisor where the couple accounted for the cost of everything on their trip to Italy. They knew what they spent on food, souvenirs, lodging, travel. etc. We were in Italy for 24 days last year and we have no idea what we spent. Both of us travelled with fathers who counted the cost of everything so we are determined to just use restraint. Eat like we do at home. Buy things like we do at home. Bring very few things back. We do have a budget and nearly always stay within it. If we feel we spent too much one day, we have a picnic the next. In fact, as we drive and often make things up as we go along, we now have an "ice chest" that folds up and goes in a suitcase. Makes picnics easier.
If you are in Venice and are not sure when you will be back, you can stand at the door of the museum and debate the cost for fifteen minutes or you can spend the fifteen minutes inside looking at art. The only thing I know for sure is that Tylenol is much more expensive in Italy than it is in the United States. Then again, if you need it you buy it. I now have a nice souvenir package of generic acetaminophen with the directions in Italian.
If you are in Venice and are not sure when you will be back, you can stand at the door of the museum and debate the cost for fifteen minutes or you can spend the fifteen minutes inside looking at art. The only thing I know for sure is that Tylenol is much more expensive in Italy than it is in the United States. Then again, if you need it you buy it. I now have a nice souvenir package of generic acetaminophen with the directions in Italian.
Great picnic spot in the Tyrolean Alps:
Tuesday, December 17, 2013
MacLellan Castle, Kirkcudbright, Scotland
"Our" castle in Kirkcudbright (pronounced kirk-a-bree) in southern Scotland. We stayed a couple of doors down at Toad Hall - the castle is in poor repair. Great place. (Photo from internet is better than mine.) P.S. I spell my name MacLellan but abbreviate it by writing it McLellan. The "C" with a line under it indicates "ac" or Mac means the "son of". My name therefore is "Son of Lellan".
Sunday, December 15, 2013
Buckingham Palace
PBS ran a special on Buckingham Palace and its history. It was interesting, but does not change the fact that it looks a great deal like a Federal office building. It is not exactly pretty, but it is a major symbol of the British Empire.
Saturday, December 14, 2013
Mummies at British Museum
Whether it is the horses stored at Venice or these mummies from Egypt stored at the British Museum. There are many artifacts and pieces of art that have been "relocated" to other countries over the years - often without permission.
Tuesday, December 10, 2013
Mohonk
This is an amazing place in upstate New York. My sister and brother-in-law took us there while we were visiting and it was a great surprise. I had never heard of it. It is a conference center as well as a destination. The hiking was really good as was the food in one of the cafes. There are many places that we have not heard about in this world that are surprising and wonderful. We always need to be open to a new discovery. (This aerial photo is from the Conde Nast Facebook site.) Mohonk is an odd name for a beautiful place.
Monday, December 9, 2013
Sunday, December 8, 2013
Florence trash cans
Small Garbage and recycling cans along street.
actually hold a great deal of trash.
Friday, December 6, 2013
Style is everything
When you are preparing to travel, a major consideration is your own personal style. This is nearly as important as choosing a destination. Your style will actually color all aspects of your trip.
Do you feel comfortable in a group or do you like to make your own schedule and set your own pace? Are you a big eater or a snacker? Do you love to drive or would you rather ride? Do you get seasick? If you would find out that you are lost in the middle of Ireland, would you be philosophical or frantic?
Our style is to come up with a destination and a list of things we want to see there? We consider if we know the language(s) and whether there are people who speak English at bed and breakfasts. We do our homework and, because I often drive, I take the trip before we go by driving it on Google Earth!
We always get lost. Sometimes we try to lose our way. We rarely use a tight schedule. Our goal is to meet people rather than see monuments. We have taken one loosely planned tour with other people arranging transportation (in Italy) as we do not speak Italian (or did not then) and were staying in cities for four or five days at a time. At the end of that trip, we added ten days of driving on our own figuring we would know local customs by then.
One thing about our style is that we are not afraid to stop and ask for something - suggested café, directions, the nearest drugstore. We almost always have met friendly people.
How do you live day by day and what is your style?
Do you feel comfortable in a group or do you like to make your own schedule and set your own pace? Are you a big eater or a snacker? Do you love to drive or would you rather ride? Do you get seasick? If you would find out that you are lost in the middle of Ireland, would you be philosophical or frantic?
Our style is to come up with a destination and a list of things we want to see there? We consider if we know the language(s) and whether there are people who speak English at bed and breakfasts. We do our homework and, because I often drive, I take the trip before we go by driving it on Google Earth!
We always get lost. Sometimes we try to lose our way. We rarely use a tight schedule. Our goal is to meet people rather than see monuments. We have taken one loosely planned tour with other people arranging transportation (in Italy) as we do not speak Italian (or did not then) and were staying in cities for four or five days at a time. At the end of that trip, we added ten days of driving on our own figuring we would know local customs by then.
One thing about our style is that we are not afraid to stop and ask for something - suggested café, directions, the nearest drugstore. We almost always have met friendly people.
How do you live day by day and what is your style?
Wednesday, December 4, 2013
ROADS
Columbia River Gorge, Oregon (and Washington)
Lane in Ireland
Caught in Road Rally: Italian Alps
Road into Banff, Alberta, Canada
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
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