Category: travel

Siena

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After two days in rural Tuscany

We moved to the medieval city of Siena

Narrow cobbled streets thronged with tourists

Large open squares surrounded by pavement cafes

Magnificent large buildings and churches

It was easy to visualize medieval times there

Merchants selling goods in the squares

Horses pulling carts through narrow cobbled streets

Craftsman spending decades carving the stone facades

Could people back then imagine life today in Siena

Did they have the slightest idea

They were building attractions for future foreign tourists

The buildings are still the same today

Its just different people walking by them

Wine tasting in Tuscany

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We strolled down the hill towards the vineyard

Passing through a tiny village with a couple of stores

You could feel time slowing down in this sleepy little place

In contrast the vineyard was quite busy with busloads of visitors taking tours

We had booked a wine tasting combined with dinner

I counted 8 empty glasses at my place setting and 8 bottles at the end of the table

A detailed description of each wine from our sommelier with advice on what food to pair had us all salivating

The wines were all spectacular and his pairing advice was spot on

We grazed and sipped for hours

Then he started to bring out more bottles for us to sample

I lost count after 12 tastings

The table became a sea of wine glasses

I think the wines got better

But it was hard to remember the names

We did order a bunch of wines to be shipped home

I don’t remember which wines we ordered

Thankfully they had a shuttle service to take us back to the hotel

We all slept soundly that night

No jetlag

Wine cures everything

J’ai appris la langue en volant dans un avion

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I lived in England in 1997 and took a job based in Paris

For the first 6 months I commuted weekly

In addition to working I attended classes in Paris to learn French

Flying home on a Friday night and returning to Paris on a Sunday evening

The Sunday evening flight was never full and I was usually alone in business class

I got to know the Air France flight attendants really well

They would sit next to me and help me with my French language homework

While I sipped the complimentary Air France champagne

I always looked forward to that flight

Back in those days flying was an enjoyable experience

Contrast that to flying today which I absolutely dread

Booking a flight requires you to be an online superpower

Unless you want to wait 5 hours for the airline to actually speak to you by phone

Navigating your way through all the electronic gates asking for more money

Are you checking bags? If so cough up an extra $50

Oh you want a seat next to your spouse too? That will cost you more

The stress does not stop after the flight is booked

You get frequent text updates changing the times of your flight

Sometimes they change your routing completely

Your 2 hour layover magically becomes 10 hours

With trepidation the date of your travel approaches

Having to show up at the airport super early

Checking your bag on a touch screen that is uncooperative

Hardly a human from the airline in sight to help you

Then joining a truly massive line at the TSA approved security check

Once through security you join the hoards of other frustrated weary travelers 

There is nowhere near enough seats and the food choices are overpriced and inedible

We have tried escaping the airport crowds by paying extra for a lounge

Sometimes it works out but often the lounges are overcrowded too

Last time we attempted to enter a lounge they had staff at the door stopping us

Sorry but the lounge is full right now, try coming back in two hours

Boarding a plane has now become a total zoo

People carry on massive amounts to avoid paying checked bag fees

They fight to get on early knowing there will not be enough space in the overhead lockers

Connecting flights are the most stressful of all

The departing flight leaves the gate late and joins a long line for takeoff

Your one hour connecting time gets eaten way

Then you land and it takes an eternity to get to the gate

It takes forever to deplane with folks in front of you hauling a house load of stuff

You make an olympic sprint through the airport to your connecting gate

Arriving in a sweaty heap to find its been delayed

The flights are always full with standby passengers hovering at the gate

Nothing is free on board anymore, pay up for wifi, drinks and snacks

They no longer offer free personalized French language tuition either

Mon Dieu!

A village on wheels

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There is something romantic about a long train journey

If a cruise ship is a town floating on water

Then a long distance sleeper train is a village traveling on rails

A village that starts empty late on day 1

Becoming fully inhabited just before the train departs

The village comes to life instantly

Have a drink at a bar and make new friends

Move to the dining car for dinner

Swapping stories as the scenery rolls by

The clicking of the rails is rhythmic

Waiters sway and lurch as they carry plates

Listen to life stories of people you just met

Retire to your sleeping car for the night

Rock to sleep as the train moves at speed

Wake up on day 2 to new scenery flashing by the window

Meet some new people at breakfast

Take a stroll from one end of the train to the other and back

Walk through the village with one narrow street

Nobody drives a car or rides a bicycle in this village

You smile at everybody you pass along the way

It’s a very friendly little village

Relax in the lounge car with a good book

Its hard to read when people keep asking what you are reading

More conversations and learning about others

By dinner time you know virtually everybody in this village

Stay up late talking to new friends at the bar

Sing along merrily to favorite songs fueled by alcohol

Swap contact information with people you will never see again

Wake up on day 3 having covered thousands of miles

Soon the moving village will arrive at its destination

Its inhabitants disperse and move on

The end of this short lived community on wheels

Group 9 boarding next

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Gone are the days of free for all boarding a flight

Now everybody is assigned a group boarding number

First there is pre-boarding for special non-numbered groups

Families with children, those needing special assistance and active military

First class next and then all the VIP gazillion air-miles nerds

Next to board are friends and family of the crew

And acquaintances of the staff at the gate

Quickly followed by those with emotional support animals

Finally they call group one

Scorned as elitists by the lower numbered groups

Group 1 include  those having amassed more then $2M of debt with the airline’s credit card

Groups 2-9 have now formed an impenetrable mob squashed close to the boarding gate

As each boarding group number is called

The huddle around the gate gets tighter and tighter

Passengers have to elbow their way out of the mob to reach the gate

The mob gets smaller and tighter as the group numbers increase

There are occasional holdups as passengers try to sneak on out of turn

A group 5 passenger is prevented from boarding during group 3

His punishment is to be reassigned into group 9

A similar punishment is given to a group 2 passenger who tried to board in group 5

Being late is just as bad and trying to board too early

Standby passengers are called up and assigned group 9

Eventually the group 9 misfits are called up to board

By this time the overhead compartments are completely full

There are only non-reclining middle seats left near the bathrooms

Gate staff form a barrier to prevent group 9 from carrying anything at all on board

All their personal items are confiscated and deemed to be checked 

Those wearing baggy clothes are forced to strip to their underwear

They are made to pay cash for checking their stuff

Boarding is concluded with the group 9 walk of shame

Everybody else is seated as each group 9 passenger slinks down the aisle 

Their only possessions are a crumpled checked bag receipt and an embarrassed frown

All the other passengers stare at the group 9’s with disdain

Obviously they cannot afford to pay for assigned seating whispers a group 6

We are running late and will miss our takeoff slot due to the tardy group 9ers utters a group 3

Nobody choses to be in group 9 and its impossible to escape from it

Its the modern day equivalent of being deemed to be a witch or being tarred and feathered

Group 9ers get a life sentence of being last to board every flight they take

Saint Barts blog

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Houses  set into the steep rocky hills like jewels

Tropical vegetation encrusted with red and green metal roofs

Unspoiled beaches sprinkled with bronzed bodies

beach wrap babes ride scooters to their hilltop villas

Waiters prepare tables for an evening of expensive dining

Sunset cocktails guzzled before darkness looms

Trendy nightclubs packed with beautiful people

Luxury goods displayed in harbor side shops

Narrow windy lanes filled with micro car traffic jams

Fishermen sell their daily catch at the harbor

Cruise ships flood the town with high spending tourists

Radio St Barths plays happy music all day 

Small planes dive over the hill seeking the tiny runway

French conversation fills the air at the bar

Gallic speech is supplemented with hand gestures

Supermarkets stocked with gourmet French produce

Crowds gather at the boulangerie before breakfast

Small planes arrive in waves delivering more island guests

Eight square miles of hidden treasures

Even the scuba divers blow champagne bubbles

Charter yachts gracefully sail around the island

Anchoring in secluded bays for clients to swim or just party

The super rich land on the yachts by helicopter

Average cost of a villa on New Year’s Eve is $4000/night

The cafe Le Oublie does not accept credit cards

And the staff are rude 

Traffic roars by just inches away pumping fumes into the place

Not a place to eat

Restaurant Le Port was clean, quiet had great views of the harbor

Lunch was fabulous and not too expensive

The waiter was exceeding gay

After a long lunch we went home at slept 

Friday fun night at Le Ti cabaret club

Slim sexy dancers parade and twirl

Loud dance  music and the show begins

Champagne flows 

Cruising and boozing

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We went cruising

It was mostly boozing

In-between oversize meals

We forgot how abstinence feels

Its just one big floating party

With people dressed so smartly

Headphones for silent disco dancing

Alcoholic fueled inhibitions lost prancing

Followed by top deck late night clubbing

Middle aged awkward toe stubbing

Next morning was remarkably quiet

In contrast to last night’s riot

Most folks slept late in their beds

Waking up with very sore heads

Faded memories and partying amnesia

Embarrassingly rediscovered on social media

Two hours in a cathedral

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The alarm went off

At dark o’thirty

Time to jump out if bed

Finish packing the suitcase

Dash to the airport

Curbside checkin was fast

No lines at security

I always expect the metal detector to alarm

Checking my pockets for foil gum wrappers

Grateful I passed the terrorist screening

Peering at the flight information screen

My departure is two hours away

I could have stayed in bed longer

Bleary eyed travelers

Lining up to buy coffee

Hard to tell if anybody is smiling

Behind their sleepy gaze

The terminal ceiling is so high

A cathedral for travelers

Worshiping their gods

Between sips of boiling hot coffee

Before heading to the heavens

In a metal tube with wings

Praying for safe landings

Travel Blog finale

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Street party for the Queen

We paused the travel blog while we spent three weeks catching up with family and friends. Today we are flying back to the US so its a good time to reflect on the last three weeks in the UK.

Its hard to describe the pain of being physically separated from loved ones for three long years. For sure we kept in touch virtually throughout the pandemic but its not the same as being together. With the lifting of lockdowns, travel restrictions and quarantine, we planned this three week trip across the pond. We took trains, planes and drove a rental car to be greeted with long hugs from loved ones. We broke bread, drank wine, sipped on many wee drams of fine single malts in front of real fires as we treasured every precious moment of being reunited with our family.

We visited our favorite places in the Scottish highlands, making new memories while reminiscing of previous adventures together.

My daughter moved out of London during the pandemic, taking advantage of remote working to relocate to the beautiful countryside of East Sussex. We fell in love with the Downs, cliffside walks and cute medieval villages there.

During the height of the pandemic, we listened to the Queen of England promising that we will endure the separation of lockdowns and one day all meet again. How fitting that her platinum Jubilee occurred during this trip. We celebrated in style with 5,000 people in the UK’s biggest street party spanning 1.7 miles of the Morecambe promenade. My sister’s jam scones tasted devine as we sat waving Union Jack flags while sipping warm English beer. God Save the Queen.

We shall indeed meet again.

Dare to read a map

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GPS navigation makes it so incredibly easy to get around

Ask your phone to find a place and let it guide you turn by turn

You hardly have to look at the map on the screen

You will get there without knowing exactly where you are long the way

Its very practical but robs us of the joy of map reading

I remember being taught map reading at school

Using contour lines to see the shape of a mountain

Learning the symbols for overhead power lines and monuments

With a bit of practice anybody can navigate well with a map

That hike through a new area becomes less daunting

You can chart your own path with a pencil line

Spotting the landmarks along the way to stay oriented

But then comes the fun part of discovery

Oh look there is a lake over to the side according to the map

You might deviate from your original course to get there

Perhaps discovering a real gem of a place to hang out and enjoy

Somewhere special that you will mark on the map

To revisit many years later to discover how much it had changed

Noting how maturing trees had blocked the view of the water

Spotting new roads and buildings that were not on your old map

It gave me an understanding of how things evolve with time

I learned a lot from those days of wandering with just a map and a compass

It was fun to plan a journey to a new place

Taking a train to a town you have never been to

Asking directions to the nearest bookstore to buy a detailed map

Charting out a walking path to the next village

Meandering along river banks and canal tow paths

Stopping to smell the roses and take in the view

Dare to turn off your GPS and wander somewhere unfamiliar with just a map