week end break

MARIE CURIE QUOTE #2

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“All my life through, the new sights of Nature made me rejoice like a child.”
Marie Curie

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.

week end break

MARIE CURIE QUOTE #1

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“Nothing in life is to be feared; it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.”

Marie Curie

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.

TRAVEL TALES

ODE TO MY EARPLUGS

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P1020523Booking a hotel room at the Puerta del Sol in Madrid had not been the wisest choice. The main plaza was undoubtedly central to all, but the incessant noise from the traffic and bustle below made sleeping impossible. I noted a pharmacy downstairs. Not wishing to take sleeping pills, I explained my situation and asked for some advice. The woman kindly suggested earplugs. I had never used them before.

I bought a pair and went back upstairs. I put them in my ears. The cacophony immediately diminished. I could see the traffic and bustle below but the incessant noise was no longer jarring. I took a siesta while the sun was still high.

Since that moment, many years ago, I have depended on a set of earplugs for buffering untold annoying distractions. They have rarely let me down.

ENCOUNTERS

MANHATTAN PIER

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20150713_200538_1Manhattan, although an island, rarely exploited its coast nor waterways except for commercial reasons until recently. The Circle Line, a boat that circumnavigates the island for tourists is a noteworthy exception.

Over the past twenty years or so, the island particularly the westside, continues to develop its parks(including one with a trapeze school), walkways, bikeways, various landscaped oases, and bountiful scenic piers. Riding my bicycle over to a pier the other day I saw dozens of kayakers paddling in the Hudson River for free, people playing miniature golf, adults sipping cocktails on a docked sailing vessel converted into a restaurant, and others engaging in numerous pastimes.

“How’s the fishing today?” I asked two young park employees at a free fishing kiosk on the same pier. They were providing poles, bait, lessons and sharing their appreciation for ecology and conservation. “We caught some sea squirts, and a dead shrimp with eggs still attached to it.” The woman replied with genuine enthusiasm. “But no fish today.” she added. She took a sea squirt from a large jar with water to show me how this tiny sponge (an amorphous creature) squirted like a water gun when squeezed. It was very impressive. Unfortunately her second squeeze was overzealous. She accidentally squished the tiny creature to an even less blob-like form than it previously maintained. “Oops, poor thing. But look, now we can see its guts inside. That’s pretty cool.” she added. Her demeanor quickly transformed back into being upbeat and cheerful. Seeing the internal organs of the sea squirt was admittedly pretty cool. Even the dead shrimp with eggs attached to its body was cool too.

I hope to come back and visit the pier again soon. Maybe I’ll even try fishing.

OBSERVATIONS

SHARING TABLES

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P1040428A few New York restaurants offer long tables meant for sharing. However elsewhere, if needed, I have asked and been asked to share a table of four or two with people I do not know. I have rarely, if ever, said no nor been turned away. This is especially true for those limited outdoor tables on a glorious day.

But cultures vary. I asked, in Argentina, if I could sit at an empty table of two, pushed next to another, where two women were seated. The waitress refused. The women however graciously offered me a seat then explained that people there are not accustomed to sharing. We spent the next two hours chatting.

In lower Manhattan, not far from the Liberty Island ferry, there is a dining spot on a pier. Sitting at any one of the dozens of picnic tables offers splendid views of the Hudson River and beyond. One evening the weather was perfect for outdoor dining and the tables were full. Thus, I was surprised when I was denied a seat at a long picnic table where only two people were seated. I suspect the diners were foreigners.

Undeterred, I asked again a short distance away. This time I was offered a seat by a couple with smiles. After awhile the couple left and I stayed to revel in the view. Two women came, sat down, never asking if they could, and began placing their order.

I could tell by their accents, they were New Yorkers.

THOUGHTS ON ONESELF

WAITRESSING

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P1040417In between my college studies I waitressed.

The job was generally quick paced and it was great to leave work with cash in my pocket. I particularly loved finishing my shift with no need to think of or do anything work-related, until I returned.

My coworkers were often middle aged women who had made waitressing their career. I learned about sciatica from one of them, and heard of bad backs, corns on the feet, and other hazards of the trade. There were few young waitresses and I was the only student. Even though it was clear that I would be moving on, they never held it against me.

I took pride in doing my job well. I spoke the parlance of the kitchen: whiskey down was rye toast, eighty-six meant we were out of something. I learned to carry six coffee cups with their saucers in one trip, but one mishap where I burned my hand, made me adjust my technique to something less impressive. Ditto for carrying two full armfuls of plates-no burns just a mess.

The wait staff was exclusively women and the bosses were always men. Like elsewhere some were kind and others less so.

One evening, I asked my not-so-nice boss if I could leave directly at the end of my shift. My coworkers were all fine with it and I would do all the necessary preparation beforehand. He grudgingly agreed. That evening was very slow and I had no problem finishing all my duties. But he said I had to wait until the others were done too. “If you don’t like it you can leave and not come back.” It was not the first time I had witnessed his bullying attitude. I briefly considered the circumstances. I had never quit a job before, but school was starting again soon and I had some savings. If need be, I could find another job elsewhere.

I walked out the door.

I’ve always been grateful that I could.

OBSERVATIONS

A SUMMER DAY IN THE PARK

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P1060443The fountain was a main attraction at the park. The hot afternoon enticed the children, mostly wearing bathing suits, to bring their faces up to meet the water’s spray. A few stayed beneath the falling water but most dashed in, then out. The parents and nannies waited a short distance away, as if such pleasures no longer interested people of their age, sitting on benches, engaged with their phones, reading material or each other as the sun’s summer strength filled the park, impeded intermittently by the trees’ shade.

The  park, besides the fountain, a contraption with bars, and swings, has two dinosaurs, clearly recognized but less defined in their features. No distinct eyes or mouth or detail are part of the design. But the recognizable forms are Brachiosaurus-like in odd yellowish hues.

The larger one stands about seven feet high with a small head, smooth back and tail. There is a young girl poised atop the dinosaur. She is motionless, then moves. Her body sometimes sprawls along the smooth form. Other times she sits, perched just below the head. Its height stirs no fear as she takes in the sights, clearly content. She descends then lithely climbs up again a few times more. She exudes an ease and familiarity that makes me suspect that this is not the first time she has come here to possess such joy.

week end break

NINA SIMONE QUOTE #2

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“You’ve got to learn to leave the table
When love’s no longer being served.”
Nina Simone

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.

week end break

NINA SIMONE QUOTE #1

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I had spent many years pursuing excellence, because that is what classical music is all about… Now it was dedicated to freedom, and that was far more important.
Nina Simone


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.

TRAVEL TALES

HANOI

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P1010600

Nothing could prepare me for the heat and humidity of Hanoi that summer. I stepped out of the air conditioned taxi and my body was instantly drenched by sweat. My shirt and shorts clung to me as if I were a participant in a wet t-shirt contest. Coming from New York, known for its brutal summers, did not compare to this.

The residents seemed unfazed as they went about their day. Women wore the conical straw hats, Western style long sleeves and pants –the long beautiful flowing traditional attire of Vietnam was far less prevalent. I decided to follow suit.

Purchasing the hat took only a few moments. A grey haired woman was selling them on the street. Despite no common language, the transaction was quick and the price was reasonable. I put the hat on my head. She helped me adjust the soft velveteen ribbon, attached on each side, to fit snuggly and comfortably under my chin. Instantly I felt cooler. I had my own source of shade and the interior space created by the cone allowed the air to circulate.  From that moment I wore my hat everyday and noticed the amused looks of the locals.

When the torrential rains came, as they often did, the water fell atop my hat then dispersed. The rains were warm and the clothes I also purchased were thin and dried surprisingly quickly.

My hat is now poised on a chair.  I rarely wear it or the clothes I bought that summer, although they served me well.

 

Thoughts on travel