Packing Light is Right

Americans tend to have too many things and believe that they cannot live without them. Thus, most travelers take way too much. Because of this they have lots to carry, excess plane fees to pay, spend more time at the airport luggage, rent bigger cars, and spend too much time packing and unpacking.

First off, if there are two travelers you only need one tube of tooth paste, one roll of dental floss, and one bottle of sun screen. Think it through and don't duplicate.

How many days will you be gone? How many days will you stay in one place? Is there a laundry near the bed and breakfast in London? (Or better yet, will the B&B do laundry? They will at San Stephano in Verona!)

You can wear the same thing two or three times on a trip unless it is very hot. Then look to things you can wash out and that dry fast. Choose clothes that are all in one color range: blue or gray or brown, not some of each. You do not need more than two pairs of shoes and often one pair will do. Put your shoes in a plastic bag to protect your clothes and stuff them with socks or underwear. Roll your clothes, especially underwear and tees. I wear washable tees under my shirts to keep the shirts fresher. I also wear a sport coat on the plane and most days and evenings. It is as good as a backpack for carrying things (and hiding things). It never gets packed. I also use a roll up raincoat, if needed.

Lots of other hints. Look at the internet, but most of all think about it and force yourself to stick with one small suitcase or duffle. You can do it.

Glasgow, Scotland UK

Flights over London

 

Photo taken from downtown London looking skyward.

The opposite view is amazing too as you land at LHR (Heathrow).



  

The Duomo in Florence, Italy

Another example of cropping photos to find something more interesting.

 

Original

 

Cropped photo

Sarcasm Is good for you

Sarcasm here about the wonderful diamond lanes in California. They advertise that during certain hours cars with more than one passenger can take the diamond lane and make better time. The idea is to encourage people to car pool.

I have been driving the freeway often and -- when there are two of us -- we take the diamond lanes. But, a whole lot of single drivers are in the diamond lane.  It is a big fine posted for being there solo, but I do not see many people pulled over for it. Not that I want scofflaws to suffer, and I do understand the CHP has lots to do, but it does not make me feel any kinder toward the solo drivers in the diamond lane.

What a difference a long lens makes (plus cropping)

Photo of fountain in Rome near Spanish Steps. Now, note figures in distance just to the right of the water spraying upward.  And you will see...

 

...a couple of Italian men scoping out some Italian girls - of course photographed by an American.

Found Photos on my disc: Mittenwald, Germany

One quick photo - Venice

 

Just inside the old church, one can turn around and see the Doge's Palace and the bell tower across the  canal. Venice is a place for surprising glimpses.

Alberta: Today's "I'm glad I saw that" picture

 

On the Icefields Parkway

MacLellan's Castle, Kirkcudbright, Scotland

 

MacLellan Tartan

San Francsco Theological Seminary, San Anselmo, CA USA

 

So, how would you like to go to a graduate school that looks like this? I liked it so much that I went there for a Master of Divinity and a doctorate. I had to leave to get a job and pay my student loans. We considered doing further work at Edinburgh or Oxford, but they are not any cooler than this.

Lake McDonald, Glacier National Park

999 places to see before we cannot move any more

 

Boston

 

     People often wonder where we want to go next. Our list is long and includes The Netherlands, France, South Africa, Argentina, Belize, China, Iceland, the Baltics and more.

     While we began traveling in our own nation early on, it was not until our finances made it possible that we could go farther afield. 

     The question then arises about places in the Unites States that we have greatly enjoyed. I have been to New England several times and like Boston, Connecticut and Cape Cod. Marietta has cruised around all of it as well, from the Great Lakes to the St. Lawrence to New York. It is full of history and really is pretty in the fall of the year.

     We love New Orleans and especially the French Quarter.  We roamed it for a week and never got tired of it, day or night.

     Atlanta is a great city with a rich history and outlying areas of real beauty.

     As we live some of the year in Portland, Oregon, we will tell you that it is our kind of place. Sophisticated and quirky at the same time. It is like San Francisco in that way.

     Having grown up in and traveled widely in Mid-America I can say that there are some fine people there who tolerate weather that we will not.

     There are a few parts of the U.S. that we have not seen and they are on our list, as well. Maybe we will not get to all these places. Sure, we might not do all the things we want to do, but then again, we need to keep watching for new opportunities and adventures. My mother-in-law travelled the world well into her 90's and being legally blind did not stop her.

     Every time we discover some place new, we also discover some place which just has to go on our list of future places to visit.

 

This is not London Bridge

Many people seem to think this is London Bridge. It is not. The old London Bridge did not fall down, but was taken down and moved to Arizona. A story goes around that the person who bought London Bridge also thought he was buying this one.

This is Tower Bridge built (not that long ago) to be similar to the Tower of London which is, in this picture, just to the left at the end of the span. This is a draw bridge. The lower central section rises in two parts to let tall boats pass. The top span is an immovable  walking bridge so that people can 1) get a good view and 2) get to the other side when the bridge is up.

The Thames River looks rough here and it is. There are lots of boats moving up and down.

Short boat trips from the Tower to Westminster (Parliament) are fun and not expensive. They are also included in the Hop On/Hop Off fee.

Switzerland in the rain revisited

       Driving from Liechtenstein to Italy through Switzerland we learned that every cloud can have an even darker lining.
      It was raining so hard that the driver (me) kept asking what wonderful things we were seeing. It was miserable to drive an unfamiliar car on a fast unfamiliar highway in a torrent. I become very unpleasant when I think I may be responsible for everyone’s death. It was not easy for anyone.
      After what seemed like several hours, the car nearly automatically took an off ramp from the autobahn to find rest and refreshment.
      Here, in a village much smaller than Vernalis, California we came upon what the Swiss think is a supermarket. It was just slightly larger than one of our 7-11’s. Well stocked, it was a lone refuge in a moving sea of precipitation.
       Pulling in, I did not care that I did not speak their language, have their money or even know what they offered. I was in need of the caffeine that Coca-Cola provided. I knew they would have Coca-Cola; it is ubiquitous.
       In the well-lighted place it was obvious that this was more than shelter. It was a place that was both designed to sell groceries and to give people a sense of connectedness.
      Taking in the wares displayed, a person could circle for a while and imagine that it was not raining hard outside and that soon the sun would come out. I stayed and lingered and read labels and hoped to kill enough time to learn some vocabulary.
       My wife – and driving navigator – came in to see if I had become a political prisoner of the neutral Swiss. But, instead of being angry to find me free and healthy, she got into the spirit of the place. The look in her eye put me at ease.
      Do you know how many kinds of Swiss chocolate there are? Do you know how much time you can spend attempting to figure out what chocolate to buy for all of your relatives? This surely was better than running headlong into a downpour.

Answers to travel questions

Some people suggest sweats for a long flight, what do you suggest?
     We dress comfortably, but dress at least in business casual. We find that we are taken more seriously and actually get better service. You may fly coach, but you can dress business class. This is also good once you arrive at your destination - no changing clothes.
Any hints about staying well on a long flight?
     I know people who take special vitamins or swear by the little fans they hang around their necks. I have had great luck -- this not scientific -- using Neosporin lightly in my nose. I heard it from a flight attendant.
Are there any must-haves to take on the plane?
     I bring an empty - remember empty - water bottle to fill after security. It helps keep you hydrated. I also cannot fly without chewing gum for the ascent and decent.  If I am going to need to sleep I get low dose Xanax from my doctor or antivert  which makes me sleepy. Honestly, I do not sleep well on a plane, but from my profession I am able to go long hours without sleeping.
More later...

Somewhere in Switzerland

 

 

We took these photos in Switzerland in a long valley that drops down from Liechtenstein to Lake Como in Italy.  We could be more accurate if it hadn't been raining so hard. If it had been clearer we might have been able to read some signs, We did stop at a market to buy chocolate and have a receipt which, if dry, could be read. Indeed, it really was raining,

That view of Florence is wonderful

 

Did you call this morning to stay, "Let's dress alike?"

Florence, Italy

It's the law, but can we beat it?

     I am amazed when I read travel posts and  people ask about some fairly straight forward things. In Austria you do not pay tolls on every toll road; you pay once and post a sticker on your front window. It is called a Vignette and costs 8.5 Euros or about 12 USD. In other countries you have to stop regularly along the highway and pay a toll. Some people, however, wonder what the chances are of getting stopped in Austria and thus getting a fine. Please. You paid $10,000 to get to this point, what is 12 bucks?

     Are these the same people who try and climb the fence to get into the ballpark at home?

     The same thing goes for a IDP or International Driving Permit. You get one for $25 at any AAA office in the US and you will need it in Italy, Austria and Germany. You do not need it in France or the United Kingdom. However, even those folks driving in Italy want to know if it is worth getting. No, I have never been stopped and no one asked for my IDP, but YES IT IS THE LAW. Indeed, you do not have to pay a traffic fine in Italy either, but you will never be allowed in any European Union Country again.

      And, yes I know it is not fun to carry your passport all around Italy and it could get stolen or lost, but it is the law. Do it.

      How would you feel if an Irishman came over and got even a parking ticket and didn't pay for it just because they were Irish?

8.5 Euros, Unlimited use of highways in Austria for ten days.

Almost Memorial Day - The ground rules of getting off the ground

Memorial Day was officially the beginning of summer vacation travel. Even at that we already have a gaggle of seasoned world travelers in Tracy who have recently returned from trips here and there this winter. Some of them just got back from Patagonia, Chile, Australia, Costa Rica, or other distant places. All of them received an education. Travel broadens our understanding.

As you may be traveling soon, and it may be by air, here are some fascinating facts and some hints to make us all less likely to be "Ugly Americans." Yes, another list.

- First, no matter how you time it, you will be either too early or too late for your flight. One yields boredom and the other panic. The airport is a place of great emotion and Tums are very expensive in the gift shop.

- Aboard the aircraft you will find that peanuts taste terrible at 30,000 feet. Actually, most things taste worse on an airplane, although on JetBlue "beverages" are only two dollars whereas on other airlines they are five dollars. Two dollar beverages are easier to swallow.

- You will discover that the seat next to yours is usually occupied by a seasoned traveler who has no trouble sleeping, uses a large laptop and has an uncanny ability to hog the armrest.

- Always ask for the emergency exit row as you will receive additional leg room and the admiration of fellow passengers. On the down side these seats do not recline and you will be called upon to be heroic in case of an emergency. However, you will be able to get out of the burning plane first.

- Listen to the flight attendant’s directives. Sure you have heard them before, but humor us all. In case of a disaster your life and mine may depend on following the instructions. As they go through the choreographed information about what to do if the unspeakable happens, resist denial.

- You can also help by not glaring at the parents of a crying baby. Honest, parents know how annoying the noise is. Your suggestions for quieting the child only point out how obnoxious the screaming has become.

- If you have a cold or sore throat we all wish you would stay home. If this is not possible please do not snort all the way to Miami or click your throat in the hope that the pain will go away. Ask the overworked flight attendant for something. They have remedies on the plane. If you whisper the request the rest of us will not know that we are about to fall victim to ill health on our expensive vacation.

- Be as nice in the air as you are on the ground. Yes, artichokes are less tightly packed in their jars than passengers on a 737, but relax. People are generally nice to one another on airplanes. Slowly, the same stress as too many mice in a maze takes over and congeniality usually only breaks down when leaving the plane. Everyone wishes to be the first off, which is counter productive as the doors to airplanes only allow for the exit of one person at a time. Upon landing, you are going to wait for your luggage, so there really is no hurry to get off. This is a fact lost on most of us.

- When the plane’s staff thank you for flying their airline accept it graciously. The skies are filled with updrafts and air pockets. Pilots try to avoid them, but the ride is sometimes rough. It is not the fault of the flight attendants.

- The luggage carousel is like playing a slot machine. Will your bag be first, last or gone forever? Bags usually are not really lost; they just end up somewhere where you aren’t. If you see yours arrive, try not to trample the little lady standing where the luggage mysteriously appears from who-knows-where.

- Remember that the pilot wants to get home as safely as you do. He or she also depends on your help. Being cordial is the least we all can do. Traveling is stress producing, please do not add to the stress. Just sit back and relax and try not to think how far 35,000 feet is to fall.

President Obama's great, great, great, great grand uncle

 

St. Canice, Kilkenny, Ireland. President Obama's relative is entombed there,

Rev. Dr. Mike McLellan delivers address at Speaker's Corner, Hyde Park, London

 

...it was his email address.



On the road to Jasper National Park, Canada

Build it and they will come

The San Francisco Forty-niners are moving to a new home and the Sacramento Kings are working hard to get a new arena built in downtown Sacramento. In our travels we have had opportunities to see some great venues for sport - in Dublin you have to see hurling (that's a sport, not what happens when you drink too much Guinness.) Here are two that have been around a while.

 

 

The Coliseum in Rome, Italy 

 

The Arena in Verona, Italy (Used today for Opera)