Monthly Archives: March 2015

VIEWPOINTS

EV’RYBODY GET TOGETHER TRY TO LOVE ONE ANOTHER RIGHT NOW

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IMG_3523News reports are discussing the prevalent use of social media to disseminate rants of racism, hatred and prejudice. These reports may not represent a majority but it is particularly disturbing to find the youth expressing such sentiments at all. Despite our progress, disdain for others lingers on.  Actions have been taken to block such messages on campuses and in schools but is that just putting a band-aid on a gaping wound?

We all need to address why such sentiments continue today.

Nothing good can come from them.

Wouldn’t it be easier for us all to appreciate the diversities and accentuate the similarities we find amongst ourselves?

 

 

 

 

 

RANDOM THOUGHTS

THE BEST THINGS IN LIFE ARE FREE

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P1060450With a welcome respite from the winter weather, I strolled in the almost forgotten warmth of the sun.

My steps took me through busy streets and tranquil lanes all with something to espy. I listened to birds with songs throughout the day.

A walk across the Brooklyn bridge offered the vantage of spectacular views above, beyond and below. The moon was glorious in the night sky and almost full.

Yet not a penny was spent to enjoy each thrill.

PRACTICAL ADVICE

LOST IN TRANSLATION

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P1030016A friend had taught himself Japanese by painstakingly reading texts using a Japanese-English dictionary. Such a technique seemed extremely ambitious and far too tedious for me at the time, but over the years I have found a similar process helpful in ameliorating my knowledge of Spanish  (Having a similar alphabet undoubtedly makes the effort notably easier, if not easy.)

It is at times a slow undertaking, but also deeply satisfying like the joy of unraveling a mystery. Each new word gives a clue to the story and if successful the tale becomes coherent and alive. But errors do occur and can lead to some considerable pondering. Why was the mother bringing only a large “hammer” when leaving her family for days? I thought about this for sometime and tried to imagine some logical scenarios, none of which seemed fruitful. It then occurred to me that I was confusing “martillo(hammer)” with “maleta(bag)”.

I now know to keep the dictionary closer at hand when the prose tend toward the discordant or surreal.

week end break

LOUISE BOURGEOIS QUOTE #2

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 Art is a guaranty of sanity. That is the most important thing I have said.                                                                                       Louise Bourgeois

Thank you subscribers and readers for taking the time to visit my blog!!

If this is the first time you are visiting the site, welcome to the tales of a woman solo traveler and thoughts to make today the start of something new.

Although I take a break during the weekends, I’ll be back on Monday and would be delighted, in the meantime, if you would look through my previous posts. Perhaps you missed a few or will reread one with a new perspective.There is a list of all the previous posts by title and date.

Since the configuration of the site may differ on your browser, perhaps you have not noticed the tabs which offer some additional information:Why this blog?, Images, How I Began, etc.

You can search certain posts by category: Practical Advice, Thoughts on Oneself, Snapshots, etc.

All of these may be at the very bottom of the posts.

While traveling I may not be posting each day. To be notified when I have written a new post please subscribe-of course its free.
I would be delighted if you would sign up.

I hope you find information and inspiration in the text and images and join me in my quest for growth, wonderment and self-improvement.

Here’s to new discoveries near and far!

Enjoy the day.

week end break

LOUISE BOURGEOIS QUOTE #1

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Once I was beset by anxiety but I pushed the fear away by studying the sky, determining when the moon would come out and where the sun would appear in the morning.    Louise Bourgeois

Thank you subscribers and readers for taking the time to visit my blog!!

If this is the first time you are visiting the site, welcome to the tales of a woman solo traveler and thoughts to make today the start of something new.

Although I take a break during the weekends, I’ll be back on Monday and would be delighted, in the meantime, if you would look through my previous posts. Perhaps you missed a few or will reread one with a new perspective.There is a list of all the previous posts by title and date.

Since the configuration of the site may differ on your browser, perhaps you have not noticed the tabs which offer some additional information:Why this blog?, Images, How I Began, etc.

You can search certain posts by category: Practical Advice, Thoughts on Oneself, Snapshots, etc.

All of these may be at the very bottom of the posts.

While traveling I may not be posting each day. To be notified when I have written a new post please subscribe-of course its free.
I would be delighted if you would sign up.

I hope you find information and inspiration in the text and images and join me in my quest for growth, wonderment and self-improvement.

Here’s to new discoveries near and far!

Enjoy the days.

THOUGHTS ON ONESELF

WALKS IN THE SNOW

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P1060436Taking a walk while the snow fell yesterday my thoughts were drawn to Shawn Forry and Justin Lichter. If these names are not familiar to you, I am not surprised. I discovered them by chance in the newspaper. These two men do not seem to have garnered much publicity, but their accomplishment is notable. They are the first to successfully hike the entire Pacific Crest Trail in winter, a total of 2,650 miles; trails and trials of snow. I am in awe of their capabilities and delighted with their success.

During the walk in my neighborhood park I marveled at the beauty, took some photographs, enjoyed watching kids sledding and dogs frolicking in the snow. I was happy to venture outside despite the cold weather and happy to get back home to warm my feet. My outing and that of Forry and Lichter are not to be compared, but it’s nice to know there are many ways to take a walk in the snow.P1060439

TRAVEL TALES

WELCOME TO NEW YORK

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Many years ago I strolled into a Manhattan coffee shop. It had a long counter and stools that swiveled. There were people ordering takeout, others were setting down, like me, for a bite . From a distance I noticed a tourist who was hoping to order something, but did not speak English. Despite the location, not far from several tourist sights, the waitress seemed to have had little contact with foreign speakers; her impatience with the customer was palpable. It was almost comical, but instead distressing, to hear the waitress raise her voice as if the volume of her words would magically bridge the gap toward understanding. The continued look of incomprehension upon the foreigner’s face should have been enough to dissuade her, but it didn’t.
Fortunately someone nearby intervened,  progress was made, the order was taken.
It seemed odd to me that a waitress working in one of the most visited cities in the  world would be so ill equipped to cope with an out-of-towner.  Perhaps she was new or having a bad day or perhaps she needed to experience at least once for herself the challenge of negotiating simple tasks in a foreign land. It might have encouraged her to be more patient.
RANDOM THOUGHTS

IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE

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P1000958The names Bert and Ernie were familiar to me as two of the beloved Muppets from Sesame Street, but nothing more.

There is a sweet little shop in my neighborhood that sells plants and floral decorations named, Zuzu’s Petals. A charming name for a charming store, but again I thought little of it.

And then I watched for the first time in decades, “It’s a Wonderful Life,” a classic film deserving of unbridled praise.
Who are George Bailey’s best friends? Bert and Ernie. Yes, perhaps a coincidence but it is much more fun to imagine that the Muppets’ names are an intentional homage.

And then during the film, I heard, “Zuzu’s petals.”

The petals belong to Zuzu Bailey, George’s youngest daughter. She has  brought a flower home from school and discovers a few petals have fallen off.  George pretends to reattach them but secretly slips them into his pocket rejoicing later on “Zuzu’s petals…Zuzu….there they are!” (Telling anymore of the story would be unfair.)

But now the names Bert, Ernie and Zuzu ring with new resonance and a touch of joy.

 

 

 

 

TRAVEL TALES

GOING TO MARKET

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Whenever possible, I make a point to find the local market in the town or city I am visiting. There is perhaps no other designation that so succinctly offers a glimpse of the residents’ daily lives. The ongoing banter rings throughout the day as items are displayed, inspected, handled, weighed, purchased with haggling, smiles and discerning eyes. There is a vibrancy here that one seldom finds in supermarkets. The personal investment and pride is evident in the hawkers and sellers of items that likely come from near rather than far.

I’ve spent time in markets wandering up and down and around,seeing fruits, vegetables I did not recognize. My curious looks and questions have been answered with tastes of something new and conversations started.

Markets may spill out of their physical confines extending onto adjoining streets or an area to the side, above or behind. More goods can be found there, but I seek out the food stalls offering inexpensive and freshly cooked fare. On those occasions when there is no common language it is a great place to point and get an authentic, often delicious, meal with ingredients I am sure of.

Although I am rarely fond of shopping on my own turf, the ambiance and exchanges in these environs undoubtedly reverberate and become memorable moments of my voyage.
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TRAVEL TALES

GETTING SCRUBBED

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P1020595The pleasure I have found bathing in hammams over the years has not abated. Until recently, I had always opted on washing myself and forgoing the in-house scrub and massage offered by the staff. However on a return trip to Morocco, my curiosity got the better of me; many consider this to be a requisite part of the experience.

I was introduced to a robust woman, her hair was wrapped up and she wore only a loose cloth that resembled what a baby might wear from the waist down. She led me to lie down on a long marble slab in one of the heated chambers and set out to fill her buckets and gather her necessities of the trade. She then soaped me thoroughly and I slid about.  But any fear of falling off the slab was quickly negated. My head was soon wedged between her enormous breasts and my body’s motion thwarted. Enveloped in her soft flesh was admittedly not an uncomfortable place to be while she scrubbed and rinsed and washed my hair. It seemed to be her best position for proper leverage.

The bathing was done quickly, efficiently, with a familiar routine guiding her movements. Somehow I do not recall a massage.  It was all over rather quickly.