When in Rome

(To my right -your left-is the street called Borgo Vittorio. Photo by Marietta McLellan. 

By the way, that is a gate to the Vatican right behind me.)

      The Borgo Vittorio is a narrow and not very noteworthy street in Rome. It runs north and south with the north end dead ending into the wall of the Vatican.
      Walking along the wall people were stopping to take photos or to look over the souvenir shops or get a snack at places with English names like -- well, "Snack Bar".
      Certainly, the Vatican is an ideal place for church groupies. I am one. No matter where I go I seem to be drawn to churches and religious sites. It must be like a mechanic on holiday stopping by auto shops.
      On Borgo Vittorio, beyond the busy souvenir shop was a store that stopped me in my tracks. I did not wish to go much further. It was a large place loaded with religious equipment. To some this is Jesus Junk, to me it is the tools of my trade. There were chalices of every size, and nativity scenes, and statues (I know, we don't use  lots of statues),  and vestments. They had pectoral crosses and most people have no idea what that is. I do.
       My wife nearly had to drag me back to the Vatican.
      If you are ever in Rome near the Vatican, skip the pictures of St. Jerome painted on velvet and head on over to Borgo Vittorio.

"Why can't we just get along?" - Rodney King

The 1996 Atlantic Olympics - from the cheap seats. Photo by Mike McLellan

   We have been to two Olympics.  One was in Los Angeles and the other Atlanta, Georgia.
One thing stood out. Even with its politics and national pride, the games depend on three groups and affirm them all.
The first are the athletes.  Each one is a representative of their country, but also a citizen of the world. To watch them is to be struck by mutual respect they have for one another.
The second are those who officiate. They too have spent years learning both the sport and the rules.  They come with a pledge of national impartiality.  It is a difficult job.
Then, there is that third group.  It is comprised of people from all over the world.  They gather to mingle, share meals and to marvel at the events they come to watch.  At most sports, the onlookers are only that.  At the Olympics the spectators are part of the event.
People like me with two bum knees can feel as if our presence is important, needed and valued.  Your significance exceeds the fact you bought a ticket.  You give meaning to the competition.
Everyone there was a participant, joining to share a common experience.
At the games in Atlanta, my trick knee had played a trick on me and I was forced to wear a leg brace and use a cane.  Hobbling became my way of transportation.
Not being able to bend my knee meant that we had to have our seats changed to handicapped ones. Now, to be fair, they were not being used by others although they were great seats in every venue.
At the Olympic stadium we had – you understand had – to accept seats in the Coca-Cola sponsor’s box watching Bud Greenspan interview the coaches sitting around us.
I was in pain, but the greatest pain came when the knee swelling went down and I could remove the brace and had to return to the cheap seats.  But, the people were just as kind and caring there.
It is amazing that so many people, from so many backgrounds, can get along so well despite not being able to speak a common language.
The United Nations General Assembly, and our own Congress, should consider only being held every four years.

In Europe the old becomes new

Photos by Mike McLellan

     In Kilkenny, Ireland - near the castle - there is a building which has been converted to an apartment. It is a nice series of homes in a very pretty neighborhood across from the beautifully maintained park. At the entrance to the parking lot is an old stone gate. A close look and you can see what it was before.
     Much of the U.K. and the rest of Europe is recycled. Factories become homes, homes become offices, and castles become hotels. This is real recycling.

Exotic, Beautiful, Sad

Stock Photo

The Wright Brothers started it all

Alaska Airlines Disney plane getting ready in Seattle - Photo by Mike

      Not even time for summer vacations and we already have a gaggle of seasoned world travelers around here 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 often  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.

Slow Travel: Seeing more by seeing less

   

  Common picture of the central court of the British Museum. It is common because there 

is a window on one of the upper floors that demands use as a photo frame. Photo by Mike

        Ted, a friend, covered the Holy Land and Mediterranean in five days.  His photos were all blurred because they were taken out of a moving bus.
Unlike Ted, my wife and I like to travel, but even more, we like to stay and visit.
A trip is to go somewhere and use it as headquarters for getting to know an area.
We went on six day-hikes in the rain forest near Sooke on Vancouver Island, British Columbia.  Another year we stayed five days in a house on a bay overlooking the world’s largest oyster bed on San Juan Island, Washington.
We spent four days with Jacki, the owner of a bed and breakfast in Kirkcudbright, a small village in Scotland.  Upon returning a person told us on their tour of Scotland they met a couple from Iowa with whom they became good friends.  I had to admit most of the Iowans I've met were in Iowa.
Four evenings of watching fireflies from the porch of a two hundred year old house on an Amish farm outside Lancaster, PA may seem boring to some who count adventures in miles.
You can spend a week in the Smithsonian and not see it all.  It is like the British Museum where you can spend a whole day looking at ancient Egyptian artifacts. The best thing, however, about the British Museum is sitting in the central court having a beer while reading the guide book before visiting another corner of the building.  The British Museum is free and free is good too.
As a kid, before auto air conditioning, we would start at five o’clock in the morning by two lane highway.  Timing it right we could cross four states before it got hot and we would stop.  I saw little.
With this same model one can cover the Eastern Seaboard in a week and not remember anything.  Was that Old Ironsides or the restored Mayflower or the Merrimack?
My wife and I spent a week looking at rocks around a conference center in northern New Mexico.  All rocks are not alike. Oh, and while we were there, we did meet a nice couple from New Mexico.

San Francisco Bay

The San Francisco Bay as seen from the Golden Gate Bridge -Photo by Mike McLellan

     We have driven around it, sailed on it, taken a ferries across it, gone over all its bridges and never gotten tired of it in the over forty years we have lived near it. We love to share these sights with our friends and out-of-town visitors.