Exploring and Sharing the World!
Near the School of Medicine, in Iasi (pronounced yash), Romania, I learned what poetry in motion could mean… Call me. MAYBE.
More about my trip to Romania? Check out the hike I did! Or “static poetry” here. Or how the trip evolved from the hike to a few more things!
I loved the opportunity that arose unexpectedly a couple of years ago to make the long trip to Australia and New Zealand. It is not often I take more than 2 weeks off work at a time so having a month to go Down Under was pretty special – and yet not enough time by 200%!
One of my favorite discoveries was the incredible natural setting combined with man-made structures that is Sydney Harbor. Though I could not take a camera up when I climbed the iconic harbor bridge, I did strive to take pictures from the bridge.
The picture here takes me back to that visit and to the incredible setting that is Sydney Harbor. Here is to returning some day!
For a long time, Dubrovnik has been in my radar as a destination. The images of this city sitting on the Adriatic Sea with its tiled roofs has always captured my imagination – as I hope it does yours, if you have not been to this gem of a place! This initially was going to be one post but there was so much I wanted to share, I decided to split into two, to not short change you, my readers!
Planning a trip to Italy with friends, I began wondering where else I could go after the Italy visit since I was already across the Atlantic. As I reviewed the map (first mentally, then online), I zoomed in on Croatia. Very close to Italy… I did not have a hard time making my mind up. Croatia it was and Dubrovnik within it….
I landed in the small but very efficient airport and boarded the bus to town, saving tons of money and paying little to be dropped off right outside one of the main gates into the old city.
As I rode the bus along the coast, I kept my eyes wide open waiting for my first glimpse of Dubrovnik. And that moment was still as impressive as I thought it would be: this place looked like out of a fairy tale! Though I didn’t luck out in the weather department that week, it was impossible to not be charmed by Dubrovnik…
My hotel, the Hilton Grand Imperial was almost across the street from the bus stop. Lucky guy! (In fact, you can see in the top picture on the top right of the picture!)
The hotel was built in the late 19th century and suffered greatly in the attacks in 1991 (I saw a picture of its roof burning in a local museum where a photo exhibit shows the pain the city went through that year…). It is now a beautiful Hilton property with excellent service, great location, and an incredible buffet breakfast (along with a well prepared gym to burn off any calories you don’t burn by walking around! Oh and an indoor pool, sauna, and steam room – imperial indeed.). (Check out my TripAdvisor review for this hotel.)
Dubrovnik competed with Venice, in its heyday (as it does today in my head!), for being one of the most important centers of trade in that part of Europe. In fact, the Republic of Ragusa, as it was known, was the only contender in the eastern Adriatic to Venice. It was a skilled center of trade working through complicated politics and centers of power to remain independent until a series of mishaps in the late 17th century started eroding its staying power to be independent. Little known to me and likely to my compatriots from any of our history courses, this place was definitely unique in history.
Eventually, after many different circumstances, Dubrovnik ended up in Yugoslavia. When the Yugoslav state began falling apart, Croatia declared its independence along with Slovenia. Unfortunately, it was not a clean break for Croatia. Dubrovnik suffered serious attacks in 1991-2 that destroyed parts of the city and most of the tiled roofs that added a lot of charm to the place. Most of the tiled roofs you see today, in fact, are reconstructions due to the war. It is very sad not only for the loss of human life and the destruction suffered upon this beautiful city but this city had been demilitarized in the 1970s on purpose to ensure it would never suffer war due to its beauty. But nationalist zealots don’t respect much… Dubrovnik paid the price – still visible as bullet holes in some buildings and by the new-looking roofs. Who is laughing now, though??
For sure, the best part of Dubrovnik is what is in Old Town and what surrounds its: its famed and still intact city walls. There is so much to share on this that I devote another post to what Old Town offers. For now, until a few days from now, know that exploring every corner and alley of Old Town is a delight!
The following are views of different portions of the famous city walls as I walked them!
I mentioned in my review of the Hilton how good the buffet breakfast was – so that was one meal I did not go elsewhere for! I had a nice meal at a local place in Old Town one night, and then another meal right between the Hilton and the Pile Gate at a restaurant that was good but pricey. However, the star of the show for me was Restaurant Posat. Though in my TripAdvisor review I mention that it was pricey, it was a great deal. I had mussels for a starter and then a local grilled fish for the main course. The mussels and the fish were very fresh (and I know fresh fish having lived in Chile for a year!!). I sat by the waterfront, under the aegis of the St. Lawrence Fortress (or Fortress Lovrijenac). The restaurant, though outside of the Old Town and very close to the Pile Gate and the main bus stop, was and felt tucked away. Oh, and they had good wifi!
Dubrovnik is not just a phenomenal destination unto itself. It is a great jumping place to many different places. Island hopping in the Croatian coast, I hear, is incredible. Heading to awesome Split not too difficult. Day trip to Mostar, a jewel in Herzegovina? No problem. Saunter off to Kotor Bay, the double-bay in Montenegro, or visit Riviera-like Budva also in Montenegro? Very easy. Dubrovnik is just blessed with its location as a great place to base a lot of travel in the region.
I have to say that I have seen many places and many places that I like. I have seen many charming European towns and villages. I have seen Venice. And Dubrovnik fares EXTREMELY well when I stack it against any of these. I dare say its charm is very unique, as is Venice’s. Except no foul smells, floods, or sinking buildings here… Stay tuned for part 2 where I hope you will continue to see why I so enjoyed this jewel of the Adriatic!
My trip to Romania and Moldova was triggered and centered around a hike in Romania organized by Trekking for Kids to support a local orphanage. If it were not for this organization, I may have waited much longer to get to Romania and, more than likely, never hiked the beautiful trails along the Carpathian Mountains. And, if it were not for this organization, I would not have met the wonderful kids I met at the orphanage in Romania.
Trekking for Kids (TFK) was created in 2005 to find a way to support orphanages around the world while combining those efforts with treks for those helping fundraise for those orphanages (see their full story). Over the years, they have conducted treks (some of them they repeat over the years) and helped orphanages in (trek/orphanage): Everest Base Camp/Nepal, Camino de Santiago/Morocco, Inca Trail/Peru, Kilimanjaro/Tanzania, and others. In fact, Kilimanjaro is planned for 2013 along with a couple of other unnamed destinations but including college- and family- oriented treks! So go check them out and bookmark; you never know what will call to you!
In this Romania trek, TFK organized a well-planned and well-run hike whether for newbie trekkers like me or experienced ones as some of my fellow trekkers. Their choice of the hike guides (Your Guide Romania) was simply outstanding; they do more than hikes and should you desire to explore Romania and mix with adventures like hiking, paragliding, skiing, etc., they ARE your guys and this group of trekkers seriously endorses them!
More importantly, TFK found and carefully vetted a local orphanage that would not just accept funds and other contributions but one that has a philosophy of truly caring for its children, offering them a healthy home environment, and that thought about the children’s long-term needs: those once a child turns 18 and, normally, gets shown out of an orphanage.
The Foundation for Abandoned Children (Pentru Copii Abondonati) clearly has a vision not only for the immediate care of the children and young adults, but for preparing them to enter life outside of the home. And that’s what I found so wonderful about the choice TFK made: I knew my efforts, my donors’ contributions, and my time would be magnified as this foundation’s philosophy and approach was perfect to take the unexpected support they were receiving via TFK and translating it into bigger possibilities for the children and young adults.
We arrived at one of the three houses in the town of Ghimbav, near Brasov, all eager to meet the children and wondering what specifically the conditions at the orphanage would be. As we arrived, a couple of children came out as they were clearly all eagerly awaiting us.
We had just made the 2-3 hr drive from Bucharest on a Saturday morning which means it takes longer than normal due to weekend traffic from the big city to the country. We had stopped at our hotel, the Kolping Hotel, on the outskirts of Brasov by the mountain with the BRASOV sign, to drop of our luggage before meeting the children.
So, we entered the orphanage and immediately started meeting both children and staff. Lots of names to remember but TFK had brought name tags which would greatly facilitate remembering everyone’s names. At some point, I traded names with one of the kids named Anton, and I started a mania – all of a sudden, and for most of the rest of the day, a constant flurry of name tag changing began. The younger kids loved it and it made for part of the fun.
We were shown around the houses (2 owned by the foundation and 1 rented if I remember correctly). The facilities were pretty good and that made my heart feel good as I have seen orphanages elsewhere where the conditions, while not the worst, still did not feel adequate for children. Clearly, the foundation has done a good job of establishing a healthy environment for the children to live in.
The largest home houses kids, boys and girls, of all ages. The second home houses boys. The third home right now has mostly work space (e.g., a woodworking workshop) but will be prepared to take the older children/young adults after a new roof is installed and the indoor space renovated. Some of the funds raised will go to the repair of the roof and some of the older boys have contributed to the prep work and will participate, led by the construction crew, in repairing the roof – a good skill to pick up!
After getting a lay of the land and seeing the garden where they grow produce, we proceeded to break up into groups to do different projects. Some of us stayed at the boys’ house to sand furniture down so they could be restored. Others went off to help bottle up jam (to sell, along with crafts made by the kids, in local markets). Others started doing a tie-dye shirt project which they kids and teens greatly enjoyed (and we the saw the end results when we returned after the hike – really good job!). At some point, we all moved through some of the activities along with the children. These activities enabled us to get to know the kids and the kids to get to know us. It was a great afternoon.
Hike concluded, we went back to the orphanage for two days of activities: on the first day BBQ/dinner and games at the orphanage; and the second day a morning hike followed by lunch. The kids sported their newly-made tie-dye shirts and they truly were amazing!
The BBQ/dinner was a lot of fun. These kids know how to fend for themselves and the food was delicious! We then did several activities: making smores, playing football (soccer) & basketball, etc. I played my very first soccer match ever and apparently I am great at defending and goal-keeping! Who knew!
The hike and lunch was a fun day too. Not all the children went up the trail and stayed earlier in the trail. The rest of us went to the top with a few of us hanging out and the bulk of the group going through a more difficult section of the trail. I hung out with a couple of adults and a few of the kids who didn’t want to go on. Afterwards, we treated the kids to a lunch out which was a great way to hang out before our departure for Bucharest, and back home.
In the end, it’s never enough time to spend with the children and teens, especially once you make the connections. While I do not know what the future brings, I sure hope I can remain in touch with the foundation and hear about the children – and, who knows, perhaps seeing them again some day! And I also hope I am blessed with another opportunity to go on a trek with TFK.
I have yet to write about my days in Dubrovnik earlier this year, or about the story behind its tiled roofs but I had to go ahead and share how those tiled roofs are made for lovers… love birds, that is.
Having added Moldova to my Romania trip itinerary , Chisinau (pronounced KISH-now), its capital, had to be central to the visit as it is the main town in this country of approximately 3.6 million people (Chisinau itself has around 750,000 inhabitants).
The city, which was founded in the 1430s, has a complex history since it was at the crossroads of various empires. It is said that it had the largest proportion of Jewish population in Europe in 1900 at 43% of the city’s population. The city was nearly destroyed in 1940 when the Soviets took over and the city was hit by an earthquake, and, later by Nazi attacks and occupation. I saw old structures but not many that pre-date this period (to my untrained eye). The Jewish population, as in other places, was wiped out to a good extent during the Nazi occupation.
City Hall, finished in 1901 but re-built after WW II due to the damage it sustained, is one of the best architectural pieces in town, built in Italian Gothic style.
Of course, a lot of buildings I saw are post-WW II. Many of the big style government buildings, apartment bloc buildings, and hotels were built in that post-war period, with the implications to architecture that that entails…
Parliament Building was damaged during demonstrations in 2009 and is under repair. It used to house the Central Committee of the Communist Party during Soviet times.
I enjoy looking at the architecture in a city to get a mental image of the place and how it evolved. Clearly, history has been wiped out a good bit by war, earthquakes, and the Soviet regime. But I also like to see what people do. Unfortunately, a countryside-heavy itinerary kept me mostly out of Chisinau. Also, I didn’t find any cafés in the central part of the city as I walked around so it was harder to sit back and watch life go by (well, I could have sat on a sidewalk but not the same!). Still, I saw life go by in its own way.
I did visit the main park in the city center, named after the national hero Stefan cel Mare (Stephen the Great), which definitely seems to be popular with locals with its trees, lawn areas, fountains and the Alley of the Classics (with sculptures of literature and political greats for Moldovans).
My guide asked me asked me when we met “why Moldova?”. I answered because “it’s there and I wanted to see what it was like.” Yet, I fully realize that to really get to know a country and its people, it takes a lot more than a short visit and the sightseeing. I was fortunate to have a great guide, Dumitru, (whom I’d recommend for anyone traveling there!) for 3 days who shared a lot with me about Moldova and Moldovans, about the times before and after the fall of the USSR, about the country’s current challenges, about the business environment, and about the hidden treasures this small country has to offer for those willing to take the extra steps to get to see it.
For me, visiting any city in the world means seeking to know its unique character, exploring the different types of neighborhoods, visiting some of the key sites (monuments, museums, grand boulevards, riversides, etc.), sampling its food, and watching life go by when time allows it. Paris has the Eiffel Tower, the Latin Quarter, and the omni-present cafés. Rome has Roman ruins galore, the Trastevere, and the Campo de Fiore. Santiago has the Cerro Santa Lucia and the Barrio Bellavista. And, as I have recently learned, Bucharest has the Palace of Parliament and Old Town.
The Palace of Parliament (“Parliament”) is such a massive building and its story equally massive in the insanity of the project that it is worth its own writeup. It is the second largest building in the world (after the U.S. Pentagon) and, ergo, the largest civilian building the world. And it certainly is a great way to understand recent Romanian history and the mental health, perhaps, of its long-in-power, last communist leader, Ceausescu.
Seeing the building from the outside is quite a sight. It is HUGE. But to best appreciate the scale of the structure and the ego that drove its construction, one MUST see it from the inside. This means going for a tour. There are a couple of options, one that covers the main rooms and another that adds to that visiting the main balcony and the basement. I highly recommend the latter and it only takes about 2 hrs for the longer tour (hours are 10AM – 4PM as of July 2012).
I was surprised to learn that it has 12 stories. It just seems so much more monumental from the outside! It also has:
Get the picture? It is worth noting that about 95% of all materials were sourced within Romania itself.
Seeing the land around the building (the tour takes you to the roof terrace, the best platform for the 360 degree view) also gives a sense of the massive destruction that was required in order to clear the way for its construction. In fact, such is the extent of the land around the Parliament building that the largest Orthodox church in southeastern Europe is being built in a corner of its grounds!! (picture that follows)
Nicolae Ceausescu and his wife Elena were, to put it simply, megalomaniacs. Crazy, narcissist, cruel, and all such words would apply as well. Maverick applies too as he was able to keep the USSR at bay; but that is another story. The point is that they saw the need for a monumentally-scaled building to house all of the key government bodies (to be called the “House of the People”), including serving as his residence (and bunker). One can see easily how it would help them better control government as just being in the building would give one a sense of their (Nicolae’s and Elena’s) power and omnipresence as opposed to feeling semi-secure and semi-removed a few blocks away from them. The new construction (though in neoclassical style) also helped drive forward the battle between the old and new which was not about aesthetics or modernity but the battle to cement communism over past systems and regimes.
So one of the most historic parts of Bucharest (with over 20 churches and 30,000 residences) was destroyed and a major hill was razed in order to clear the land for this building and other structures. What shocked me was to learn this all happened in the 1980s! Somehow that blew me away: that in such “modern times”, what is called the largest peacetime (willful) destruction of a city in recent history took place.
The Ceausescus, poor them, did not get to see the building finished (it is still not finished!). The revolution swept them out of power and out of this life in 1989. Sweet revenge by karma, I say.
The tour will take you from meeting rooms to large halls to massive hallways to ballrooms to grand staircases and everything else needed to convince people of someone’s greatness. Even the chamber that serves as preamble to the grand ballroom was designed so that as the Ceausescus’ approached the grand ballroom, the clapping of people in the ante-chamber got acoustically magnified by the room’s design so the people waiting in the grand ballroom heard an even louder reception for them before they walked in to the grand ballroom. (Mental note: consider that for a future renovation of my home’s foyer…)
The grand ballroom is of great scale and the other rooms not too shabby either. Some of them have big open spaces on the walls – were portraits of the grand couple were supposed to be hanged…
(Source: http://www.marriott.com/hotels/photo-tours.mi?marshaCode=buhro&pageID=HWPEM&imageID=0)
The meeting rooms had everything you may expect including hidden doors behind the chair Ceausescu would use in case he had to make an emergency exit. The hall (music hall, theater, whatever you want to call it) has what has to be one of the largest chandeliers in the world (per an article in Wikipedia, the largest chandelier in the world is in the Dolmabahçe Palace in Istanbul – who knew). Some of the chandeliers have over 7,000 light bulbs! For the chandelier below, there is actually a hidden room or passageway above that is used to access the light bulbs when they need to be changed! I imagine that STILL does not make it an easy endeavor…
(Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Palace_of_the_parliament_Chandelier.JPG. Author: Ferran Cornellà)
The rooms in the building are not all alike. The styles vary based on purpose, location, etc. As I mentioned before, the building actually is not yet finished. In fact, there are a lot of unfinished spaces. Curiously, the original main architect, Anca Petrescu, (there was a rather large team of architects involved – about 700!) is still the main architect today.
The grand balcony is worth stepping into. The scale of the building carries onto the balcony and its columns. Also, a little secret is that the balcony railing is shorter than normal because Mr. Ceausescu was a short man and he wanted to make sure that the “adulating crowds” saw him as tall. Were there no psychotherapists in communist Romania?? LOL.
A few pictures do not do this building justice. I am sure there are thousands out there. But, of course, the best is seeing in for oneself.
It is hard to be happy with the destruction of a historic city quarter to satisfy someone’s ego. Having said that, the building is already there and it is something to see if travels take you to Bucharest. The scale and grandeur of this structure should put it on everyone’s must-see list for sure!
Have you been to the Palace of Parliament? What were your thoughts as you saw it?
Leah, from leahtravels.com wrote a post about melodies and the travel memories they bring. It is a great idea for a post and I will be tagging 7 others as she tagged me in her writeup.
As a kid, we did not do family vacations as we did not have the means and we lived in an island (so no big drives across states!). But songs do bring memories and take me back to different places. Here are my songs…
Love Is Blue (Al Martino)
It may not remind me of travel but I think it does transport me to one of my earliest childhood musical memories. As a kid who was learning English at school, I probably had no idea what the song was about except that it mentioned the color blue.
But what I do remember is that the melody of this song, when it would come on the radio, would IMMEDIATELY triggering a crying spree on my part. Apparently, I cried with so much emotion that the adults around me could not stop laughing. I recall one time that my Mom had to pull over with my grandma also in the car because they were laughing so hard that she couldn’t drive and was on the merge of going #1 right then and there. I hadn’t heard the song in likely over a decade until just now when I thought this song had to be listed here. (Happy to report only minor sobbing, barely audible.)
The color blue for those who want to know…
The Pinocchio Song (not sure if it even has a name! Canción Infantil Pinocho is how I have found it)
Another song from my childhood taking me back to being 6 or under… It was a song my Dad -who had a great voice- would sing to my sister and I about Pinocchio (I remember the age because my memory of him singing it is when he was still married to my Mom). It was a song in Spanish and I remember feeling it was a sad song though it is the story of Pinocchio which ends well).
The song had evaporated from my memory until my Dad passed away a couple of years ago and my sister and I were trying to remember him in our childhood. She is 5 yrs older so she remembers more than me.
Since Disney would kill me for putting a picture of Pinocchio, I chose to include here a pic of the family instead. Toddler ilivetotravel on the left!
It’s Still Rock ‘n Roll to Me (Billy Joel – The Essential Billy Joel)
This song reminds me of my drive around Switzerland with a co-worker and friend as we escaped from Paris for a weekend. This song played during a particularly beautiful part of the road between Bern and Interlacken and I remember re-playing it a couple of times at a good enough volume. Somehow, the mix of this song, the drive and the enjoyment of the trip was energizing!
What’s the matter with the clothes I’m wearing…
…You get more mileage from a cheap pair of sneakers…
Don’t Stop (Fleetwood Mac)
I had not been much of a fan of Fleetwood Mac (for no real reason, just hadn’t caught on, I s’ppose) but then I went to the World Expo in Sevilla in 1992. Yes, seeing the pavilions while it was 40 C was fun. The pavilions themselves transported you to all these countries (and got you into air conditioning). But the REAL fun in the World Expo was the parties at night. This song by Fleetwood Mac played at some point well after dinner and well into drinks. I remember everyone climbing up on the picnic tables in the outdoor pavilion we were at dancing, and drinking some more. I definitely felt tomorrow WOULD BE better than before, as soon as the hangover passed.
Though in some ways the following words may seem to tell us not to focus on past trips (stay with me…), they sure tell us to keep planning away, to keep dreaming away our next destinations and discoveries! The song made me feel – and still does – that tomorrow will always be better. A great way to look at life indeed.
Life Is a Highway (Tom Cochrane’s version)
Now this is a song that defines my outlook in life as a whole and may need to be played at my funeral. It means that travel is inherently part of life: going places, not being stationary. But, more importantly, travel also not in the geography sense but in the sense of movement, of progression, of starting points and endpoints, of not stagnating. The melody and the lyrics all work for me. My anthem!
Here are six fellow bloggers I am tagging to share the songs that conjure up some of their favorite travel memories. Please feel free to tag others after you’ve published!
Now it’s your turn. Do you have a song that instantly transports you to another place and time? What is it? Where do you go?
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In my recent trip from Rome to Dubrovnik, I had to connect through the excellent Munich airport. I had chosen a 3+ hr layover so I wouldn’t be worried about a tight connection. It was the right airport choice for a 3 hr layover!
Munich, as other airports in Europe, has a lot more going on than the average U.S. airport. Munich is one of the airports in Europe with the best setup for connecting through it. They say you can easily make very short connections. Though coming from Italy and going to Croatia, I had to go through immigration which had a line so I am not sure I would risk a 45 min. connection!
Soon after arriving I spotted a massage place offering from manicures to full-body massages. I decided I would take a back and neck massage for 30 mins to help me relax from an early start to my day (woke up around 530 AM!) and also since I was still sick with a cold. I figured anything that helped my body was a good thing – and it was.
After the massage, I sat down for lunch at a place offering typical German fare. I enjoyed wursts, sauerkraut, a pretzel with mustard, and, of course, a beer! Mmm!
Num-num
Goodness…
Then, with still some time to kill, and with no real sense of purpose, I snapped a few odd shots with my mobile phone camera (which I admit is not the best). But I sort of like the shots as they do give a sense of the airport movement or activity . Looking at these, I wish I HAD taken them with the real camera! I love the reflections on the shiny floor!
I discovered a hidden gem in Chicago: The Palmer House! After the neat architecture boat tour of the city that my fellow travel bloggers and I did in our tweeetup, and after walking through Millenium Park admiring the Cloud Gate, the water statues (whatever they are called), etc., one of our local tweetuppers suggested that we headed to the Palmer House to give our legs a rest and have a drink in a unique place in Chicago.
Of course, that sounded good to all of us so we said yes not fully knowing what to expect (blessed ignorance!). We were in for a REAL treat. The Palmer House has one of the more elegant hotel lobbies I have seen in a while! Sitting there to have drinks (and people watch) was a nice break from the more visitor sightseeing we had done that day. It was elegant, magnificent, and alive – tons of people either for the wedding receptions going on, guests of the hotel, or short-term visitors like us. It is the third reincarnation of the hotel originally built by someone rich for his bride-to-be. The first building burned down in the famous Chicago fire days after opening…
The ceiling of that lobby area is a delight to look at and, to me, the centerpiece of the place. It reminds me of the ceilings around the Vatican Museum or The Hermitage in St. Petersburg. I wish I knew where exactly the building’s architect/designer got their inspiration from. I felt a little inspired myself…
… so I ordered rye Old Fashioned. No, the drink is not on the ceiling but on a mirror-top table – it made for a great contrast with the ceiling as well as for some neat pix of the folks around the table.
While it was definitely great to discover a gem like this without any research (thanks Pola from @jettingaround!), it does highlight a couple of things:
1. Serendipity can lead to great experiences – not having hard plans for every hour of the afternoon, we allowed for opportunities like this to come based on the mood of the moment; or serendipity in other cases can be just simply meandering the lesser streets in a city and pop in to any establishment that catches your eye!
2. Locals can give you some of the best insights on those places off the beaten path!
I don’t know that we found this gem. I certainly didn’t find it. But it “found” me! If you ever go to Chicago, put this on your list of places to sit at and chill – and admire.
Read more about the good times we had in Chicago and how I got to high places.
Do you know other gems like this in Chicago? Please share!
You cannot tell this sunset is happening in Copenhagen. But it is. This is from our hotel (the Marriott, an awesome property in the chain!) facing the Tivoli Gardens on a beautiful mid-June sunset.
And these two are some of the most important special people in the world to me: my nephew and my niece. No amount of money, of travel experiences, or anything tops having these two. I love this picture and I think will treasure it more as the years go by…
(Picture taken with Canon EOS Rebel T1I)
I have been blessed with the opportunity to travel by work and through my own means. The zeal for discovery began when I was about 7-8 years old and I started collecting stamps. Seeing stamps from many places that were so far away in distance and in reachability (pre- airline deregulation days!), created in me a desire to see those places myself. “Who was that guy on stamps marked Jugoslavia?” “Posta Romina is not about Rome?” “Where the heck is Suomi because it is in no map I have laid my hands on?!” I didn’t really believe I would get to see most of these places. Because of the times and the lack of financial means, I was not surrounded by a “traveling culture”.
I am not sure exactly when I started collecting stamps but the crucial moment was the summer of my 8th year when I spent a few weeks in Miami visiting my grandmother, uncle and aunt. My uncle had collected stamps as a kid for a little bit and I discovered his old and slightly battered stamp album from about 20 yrs before on the floor of his bedroom closet.
He gifted it to me and it was like the most awesome thing I had ever been given until that point in my life. I remember being so happy and they all enjoying seeing me so happy. I also benefited from my Mom’s sacrifice to give me “small” funds over the years to acquire some stamps (and this was a real sacrifice in a household with very limited means). Many relatives would save stamps for me (yes, those were the days when people STILL wrote to each other on paper!). Finally, my Dad, who worked at a data center Citibank had in Puerto Rico, would take me to the room where they received payments from people from all over the Caribbean basin (PR was the payment processing center) so that as the machine cut open the envelopes and pulled out the contents, I could go through the box where the envelopes would end up to start retrieving stamps! It was fascinating stuff (now you know what we kids did before all these fancy video systems, smartphones, etc.).
Well, many moons later, I contemplate the map of where I have been (in blue or red below; red means I have lived there, blue that I have visited, and green are places high on my priority list to visit!) and think of how that small seed planted at a young age has resulted in this awesome journey I have been on to see what this world!
I pay it forward by bringing coins or small bills from the places I travel and give to children of family and friends – because you never know what you may spark in a child by exposing them to the bigger world out there!
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Check out my homage to stamps in my Twitter page wallpaper: https://twitter.com/ilivetotravel
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Preparing to Hike Kilimanjaro: More than Training & Gear
Descending from Kilimanjaro’s Summit | Kilimanjaro Day 6 and 7
Jordan’s Wadi Rum: Not Just for Lawrence of Arabia
On the Machame Route | Kilimanjaro Day 1
Tanzania’s Lake Manyara: A Cool and Easy Safari
Great Gear for Climbing Kilimanjaro | Clothing
A Fourth of July Celebration – Atlanta’s Peachtree Road Race
A Few Good Things to Do in Willemstad, Curacao
Photo Essay of the Center of Moldova’s Capital: Chisinau
