Tag: Adventure Travel
-
Call the Ambulance!
Many years ago my good friend, Jeri, and I traveled to Italy on an unforgettable adventure. With Rick Steves’, “Europe Through the Back Door”, as our bible, we used a eurail train pass to get from town to town, covering way too much ground in just a few weeks. We saw countless cathedrals, palaces and…
-
Our Lady of the Train Station
The train system in Europe is amazing, but for the uninitiated it can be a bit overwhelming at first. So when the Old Lady with a shopping bag approached us at the S Bahn ticket kiosk in the Munich airport, we were grateful for her assistance. “Vere are you going?” she asked, outing us as…
-
Maggie’s Beads
As I pulled the beautiful blue glass bead from my back pack, I knew I had a perfect place to put it. We were in Porto, Portugal on the main boardwalk along the river. A blue dingy was on the dock, waiting. The bead needed to be on this boat. It was so apropo because the creator…
-
Snow Day
Getting sick is a little like a snow day. I have vivid memories of waking up as a kid, the radio going and my mom walking into my room saying, “School is cancelled. Snow day.” Then she’d slog back to the kitchen, prepping for the obligatory hot cocoa and endless, wet and muddy laundry. I…
-
What Could Possibly Happen?
The weather app indicates 34 degrees and a chance of rain. And some wind. Great. The idea of leaving my cozy living room is less than wonderful. As I slog around the house getting all my gear, I wonder about this cycling addiction I have. What draws me to long distance trips which, if you’ve…
-
Life is what happens…
“Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.” John Lennon from the song, Give Peace a Chance I love this quote by John Lennon. I’ve always mused on it from the perspective of folks (including myself) who are too busy keeping up with “rat race” related concerns that they miss the…
-
As Unready As I’ll Ever Be…
I am nowhere near ready. Yes, my bags are packed. Tickets purchased. Itinerary sorted. I’ve even wrapped my head around it. No, it’s my body. My physical readiness. Basically, I’m doomed. Day after tomorrow, Rick and I will ride from our front door to Kingston and catch the ferry to Edmonds, Washington. There, we will…
-
60 Shades of Gray
Reflections on Retirement When I tell people I’m from the Pacific Northwest, they invariably say,” it rains a lot there, doesn’t it?” Yes. Sort of. Like the Scots, said to have 421 words for snow (for example, the Scottish word for a large snowflake is ‘skelf’), those of us in the PNW have many many…
-
And In Summary…
“What is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” ~ Mary Oliver. “So what was the most exciting place you visited?”, our Uber driver asked as we sped through the narrow streets of Amsterdam. How do you respond to that big question that is impossible to answer? Other variations have…
-
A Room With A View
I’m pretty sure that the phrase “single story living” has never, ever been used in most of Europe. Over the past 10 weeks, we have stayed in a wide variety of accommodations of which two, had no stairs. Of those with stairs, about half had an elevator or lift. And I think it’s fair to…
Gonzo Girl 