Post-Graduate Adventure

This May, after college graduation, I'm going on an 11 night Celebrity cruise of the British Isles and Paris.  I'm so excited, but with the shuffle of finishing the semester, graduation, my birthday, and figuring out my life post-college, it hasn't completely sunk in yet.

I'll be seeing Paris, the Channel Islands, Dublin, Cork, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Inverness/Loch Ness, Liverpool, Harwich, Belfast, and London.  I'm already sure I'll want to see more of London and Paris before I even leave.  This will be the longest I've ever been gone and I can't wait to experience literally another world for awhile.  I hope all of you get to see everything you want to see and live out your traveling dreams too. Work hard, save money, and be determined. Good luck wherever life takes you!
                  

Can't wait to check this out...

                                                                   Photo from www.europeantrips.org

 

A series of paintings

These are three beach scenes I was painting from a calender...and as you can see, the third one has been drawn but not yet painted.  I need to finish it because these kinds of paintings in groups make cute and one of a kind decorations.  You never need to spend money on pictures or art for your house if you have a camera, art tools, and a touch of creativity.

History and travel

Mount Ararat (Turkish: Ağrı, see below other: names and etymology) is a snow-capped, dormant volcanic cone in Turkey. It has two peaks: Greater Ararat (the highest peak in Turkey, and the entire Armenian plateau with an elevation of 5,137 m/16,854 ft) and Lesser Ararat (with an elevation of 3,896 m/12,782 ft).
The Ararat massif is about 40 km (25 mi) in diameter. The Iran-Turkey boundary skirts east of Lesser Ararat, the lower peak of the Ararat massif. It was in this area that, by the Tehran Convention of 1932, a border change was made in Turkey's favour, allowing it to occupy the eastern flank of Lesser Ararat.^[5]
Mount Ararat in Judeo-Christian tradition is associated with the "Mountains of Ararat" where, according to the book of Genesis, Noah's ark came to rest.
It also plays a significant role in Armenian culture and irredentism. The mountain can be seen on the Coat of arms of Armenia.

Information from Wikipedia and photo from www.allvoices.com

Destination Tuesdays

The Musée du Louvre (French pronunciation: ​[myze dy luvʁ])—in English, the Louvre Museum or simply The Louvre—is one of the world's largest museums, and a historic monument. A central landmark of Paris, France, it is located on the Right Bank of the Seine in the 1st arrondissement (district). Nearly 35,000 objects from prehistory to the 19th century are exhibited over an area of 60,600 square metres (652,300 square feet). With more than 8 million visitors each year, the Louvre is the world's most visited museum.^[5]
The museum is housed in the Louvre Palace (Palais du Louvre) which began as a fortress built in the late 12th century under Philip II. Remnants of the fortress are visible in the basement of the museum. The building was extended many times to form the present Louvre Palace. In 1682, Louis XIV chose the Palace of Versailles for his household, leaving the Louvre primarily as a place to display the royal collection, including, from 1692, a collection of antique sculpture.^[6] In 1692, the building was occupied by the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles Lettres and the Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture, which in 1699 held the first of a series of salons. The Académie remained at the Louvre for 100 years.^[7] During the French Revolution, the National Assembly decreed that the Louvre should be used as a museum, to display the nation's masterpieces.
The museum opened on 10 August 1793 with an exhibition of 537 paintings, the majority of the works being royal and confiscated church property. Because of structural problems with the building, the museum was closed in 1796 until 1801. The size of the collection increased under Napoleon and the museum was renamed the Musée Napoléon. After the defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo, many works seized by his armies were returned to their original owners. The collection was further increased during the reigns of Louis XVIII and Charles X, and during the Second French Empire the museum gained 20,000 pieces. Holdings have grown steadily through donations and gifts since the Third Republic. As of 2008, the collection is divided among eight curatorial departments: Egyptian Antiquities; Near Eastern Antiquities; Greek, Etruscan, and Roman Antiquities; Islamic Art; Sculpture; Decorative Arts; Paintings; Prints and Drawings.

Information from Wikipedia and photo from www.mastersoftrivia.com

Quote :)

"The traveller is wiser than he who has never left his own doorstep."
                                                        -Margaret Mead

Best and worst airlines

Since flying is a necessary evil to go most places, at least you can choose a good airline.  I've had good experiences with American Airlines, and Delta too for the most part (although they don't feed you as much as they should, and their website hardly ever functions).  I hate United.  The one experience I had with them, I sat in the very back, they ran out of the meal I wanted the row before me, one of the bathrooms didn't work, the flight attendants were rude, they took off late and we arrived to get our connecting flight so late that I literally ran about a mile through the Houston airport. I even had to go through some express lane in security (I had to do security again because I was arriving from another country), telling the employees I was going to miss my flight otherwise. Very stressful experience. Sadly I have to fly United again this May; let's hope this time it goes a lot better!

Favorite artists

My favorite artists are Salvador Dali, Georgia O'Keefe, Picasso, and of course Michelangelo for the Sistene Chapel (which sadly you are not allowed to take pictures in there, or else I'd post one).  Besides being the greats and classic and creating new ways of using color and shape, their works are just beautiful.  For more modern day artists, I like Christian Lassen; we have two of his paintings in my house.  They're gorgeous beach scenes from Hawaii mainly, and the colors are bright and rich. Who are some of your favorite artists?

Back to art

This is an oil painting I did of Table Mountain in South Africa.  On the right is the page in my book that I painted from, and on the left is the painting.  The colors in the painting look a bit brighter because of my camera's flash, but I love the purples.

For destination Tuesdays

Mount Fuji (富士山, Fuji-san^?, IPA: [ɸɯꜜdʑisaɴ] ( listen)), located on Honshu Island, is the highest mountain in Japan at 3,776.24 m (12,389 ft).^[1] An active stratovolcano^[5][6] that last erupted in 1707–08, Mount Fuji lies about 100 kilometres (62 mi) south-west of Tokyo, and can be seen from there on a clear day. Mount Fuji's exceptionally symmetrical cone, which is snow-capped several months a year, is a well-known symbol of Japan and it is frequently depicted in art and photographs, as well as visited by sightseers and climbers. It is one of Japan's "Three Holy Mountains" (三霊山, Sanreizan^?) along with Mount Tate and Mount Haku; it is a Special Place of Scenic Beauty, a Historic Site, and has been submitted for future inscription on the World Heritage List as a Cultural (rather than Natural) Site.<sup>[7][8][9]

Information from Wikipedia and photo from http://skisoliders.blogspot.com</sup>

The most uncommon continent

Antartica...how awesome would it be to go there?  In a moment of big dreaming with a wish of unlimited funds, I looked up cruises that go there.  There are indeed ships, mostly more industrial looking ones, that cruise there for curious tourists like me.  The costs range by ship and line and duration, but I think they were around $3,000 or more. I haven't researched it in awhile, so I'm not sure how accurate that figure is.  But if sometime in the future I want extreme adventure and have that money, I'm game. How many people can say they've been to Antartica?  I'd love to see it's pristine beauty and wildness.

Places I wish were safe

I wouldn't feel safe traveling to so many places in the world-and that's sad.  It's mainly the countries steeped in the oldest and perhaps richest history, too, like Egypt and Israel and the Middle East in general.  Even areas like Southeast Asia would make me feel slightly unsafe, because of sex slave horror stories of young women being kidnapped and such.  War torn places like Africa wouldn't be my ideal destination either. And considering the current threats from North Korea, countries like South Korea and Japan are off limits right now too.  It's a shame safe exploration is limited.

Writer's Festival

Sorry I've been away-I will catch up now!  I attended a writer's festival at my college a week and a half ago and writer Jimmy Cvetic read a poem consisting of random words and phrases from around the world and from history thrown together.  It made me think of all the different languages of the world and all the history we come across in our lifetimes, whether from reading in books or traveling and experiencing it firsthand.  Everything that's happened in the last century alone is a lot, not even considering the thousands of years that came before.

A few days off

I'll be taking a few days off from posting to complete an assignment.  New posts will resume next Thursday (3/28).

Fun fact about Australia

Star gazing: under ideal viewing conditions, like in the Australian Outback, the naked eye can detect about 5,780 stars.

-From www.outback-australia-travel-secrets.com/

Destination Tuesdays

Blarney Castle (Irish: Caisleán na Blarnan) is a medieval stronghold in Blarney, near Cork, Ireland, and the River Martin. Though earlier fortifications were built on the same spot, the current keep was built by the MacCarthy of Muskerry dynasty, a cadet branch of the Kings of Desmond, and dates from 1446.^[4] The noted Blarney Stone is found among the machicolations of the castle.

The castle is now a partial ruin with some accessible rooms and battlements. At the top of the castle lies the Stone of Eloquence, better known as the Blarney Stone. Tourists visiting Blarney Castle may hang upside-down over a sheer drop to kiss the stone, which is said to give the gift of eloquence. There are many legends as to the origin of the stone, but some say that it was the Lia Fáil—a magical stone upon which Irish kings were crowned.
Surrounding the castle are extensive gardens. There are paths touring the grounds with signs pointing out the various attractions such as several natural rock formations which have been given fanciful names, such as Druid's Circle, Witch's Cave and the Wishing Steps. Blarney House, also open to the public, is a Scottish baronial-style mansion that was built on the grounds in 1874.<sup>[11]


Information from Wikipedia and photo from Wikimedia</sup>

Barcelona

Barcelona is the only place I've visited in Spain.  My mom and I had a day there after we disembarked our cruise ship last year.  The guy at our hotel taught me how to navigate the city's subway system, which I did flawlessly, miraculously.  I had really only two sights to see, Sagrada Familia and Parc Guell, but between getting off the subway and getting to the latter, we walked a long way, letting us see more of the city.

Barcelona is famous for mosaics and the white mosaic serpentine bench shown above is the most famous attraction in Parc Guell.

Spring break

I've been off for college spring break up until yesterday.  I didn't go anywhere this year because I wanted to save money to do a big trip again this summer, but last spring break I went to Costa Rica.  Here's some pictures:

I have way more than this, and better ones, but they aren't on my computer.

One fascinating place...

I just had to share this oddball destination because ever since I've heard about it, I've thought it would be the most unique place to go.

Easter Island (Rapa Nui: Rapa Nui, Spanish: Isla de Pascua) is a Polynesian island in the southeastern Pacific Ocean, at the southeasternmost point of the Polynesian Triangle. Easter Island is famous for its 887 extant monumental statues, called moai, created by the early Rapanui people. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with much of the island protected within Rapa Nui National Park. In recent times the island has served as a warning of the cultural and environmental dangers of exploitation. Ethnographers and archaeologists also blame diseases carried by European sailors and Peruvian slave raiding of the 1860s for devastating the local peoples.^[5]
Easter Island is one of the most remote inhabited islands in the world.^[6] The nearest inhabited land (50 residents) is Pitcairn Island at 2,075 kilometres (1,289 mi), and the nearest continental point lies in central Chile, at 3,512 kilometres (2,182 mi).
Eastern Island is a special territory of Chile that was annexed in 1888. Administratively, it belongs to the Valparaíso Region and more specifically, is the only commune of the Province Isla de Pascua.^[7]

Information from Wikipedia and photo from www.archaeology.about.com/.

Greater Latrobe High School's art

I was lucky enough to go to a high school that not only was large, beautiful, and full of amazing people, but we had wonderful programs in the arts as well as the stereotypical athletics. Greater Latrobe High School had art classes in drawing and painting, ceramics, drawing the human figure, independent study art, art history, fabric design, and probably a few more that I've forgotten.  I filled my schedule with as many of these as possible, with my senior year being especially art-centered. 

Latrobe also boasts the largest student purchased art collection in the country.  Every year since about 1933, students vote on paintings and the student government purchases a few.  Our school's halls are filled with art; every few feet there's a drawing or painting on the wall.  They all have individual museum lights on them and they're alarmed.  More than once I've bumped a few, but I never set them off.  My high school really does look like a museum.  It has soft lighting and glossy floors, a central rotunda surrounded by columns with a floor mosaic in the center, and glass cases. 

The paintings had special signifigance for me, and not just because I'm an art lover.  Being new to the school at the start of high school, I learned my way around by the paintings; the colorful jesters hanging on the wall marked where my homeroom was.  Paintings were meeting places, markers, and familiar friends we all passed every single day for three years.  They were a part of my high school experience, just like the prom and writing for the magazine.

Destination Tuesdays

The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It was conceived and largely built by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, opening in 1973 after a long gestation that had begun with his competition-winning design in 1957. Joseph Cahill's New South Wales Government gave the go-ahead for work to begin in 1958. The government's bold decision to select Utzon's design is often overshadowed by the scandal that followed.^[3] The Sydney Opera House is on Bennelong Point in Sydney Harbour, close to the Sydney Harbour Bridge. It sits at the northeastern tip of the Sydney central business district (the CBD), surrounded on three sides by the harbour (Sydney Cove and Farm Cove) and inland by the Royal Botanic Gardens.
Contrary to its name, the building houses multiple performance venues. The Sydney Opera House is among the busiest performing arts centres in the world, hosting over 1,500 performances each year attended by some 1.2 million people. It provides a venue for many performing-arts companies, including the four key resident companies Opera Australia, The Australian Ballet, the Sydney Theatre Company and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, and presents a wide range of productions on its own account. It is also one of the most popular visitor attractions in Australia, with more than seven million people visiting the site each year, 300,000 of whom take a guided tour.^[4][5]
The Sydney Opera House is administered by the Sydney Opera House Trust, under the New South Wales Ministry of the Arts. On 28 June 2007, the Sydney Opera House was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site.^[6] It is one of the 20th century's most distinctive buildings and one of the most famous performing arts centres in the world.^[7][8][9]

I would love to visit Australia and New Zealand, especially to see this, the Great Barrier Reef, and the beauty.  It really does feel like a whole other strange world. Information from Wikipedia and photo from www.destination360.com

On heritage

Of the seven foreign countries I've visited (Panama, Costa Rica, Spain, Italy, France, Vatican City, and Canada), I have heritage from only one: France.  It's a very small percentage, but my maternal grandmother seems to think the last name in question was French.  I'm happy to go with it; France has always been to me a place of decadent food, luxury, and snobby sophistication, and thus a country that appeals to me. Here are some of my pictures of the French Riviera from Nice.

A mystery painting

This is my only other acrylic painting, and a definite favorite of mine.  The topic was surrealism (dreamlike, fantasy, not found in reality) for this assignment, and I had a lot of fun coming up with this.  Try to guess what it means, if you like.

Written/Spoken series

My college recently had an event called the "Written/Spoken Series," where local published writers and poets come to campus to read their work, sell and sign books, and talk to students. One particular piece by Stephen Ramey, author of a short story collection entitled "Glass Animals," was about a depressed white man in a coffee shop talking to a girl working there who was of mixed race.  Their interaction and compare and contrast of differences made me think of how much we encounter the same thing while traveling. 

Traveling offers us a rainbow of different people to meet, with different backgrounds, looks, and ways of talking.  So many of my favorite and memorable exchanges while traveling have been with strangers from foreign lands.  Not only are conversations interesting and out of the ordinary, but I pretty much always walk away having learned something, with a new perspective on the world.

Traveling recommendations

For a good book about traveling or to read while traveling, I really have a favorite in "Zig Zag" by Ellen Wittlinger, about a young woman's cross country road trip.

I don't know much about cameras, but love my iPhone camera and my Kodak digital camera.

Portable DVD players are terrific but remember to bring the charger. When I tried to watch Titanic, it died right after the ship hit the iceberg.

Always remember odd things like nail clippers, Band-Aids, and bobby pins.  Bring more than one pair of sunglasses.  And always bring extra contacts AND your glasses. 

If you like to pack half of what you own and sit on your suitcase to get it to close (like me), but don't want the risk of losing anything if luggage gets lost, do what I do and pack some light, squishable things in your purse/personal item bag/carry on bag.  I've stuffed everything from pj's to swimsuits to dresses to shorts and shirts in there. This also makes for a fast, easy, and cooler change of clothes when you arrive. 

For Type A and OCD people like me, follow my packing motto: POE. Prepared, organized, and effective. It works every time.

Destination Tuesdays

The Leaning Tower of Pisa (Italian: Torre pendente di Pisa) or simply the Tower of Pisa (Torre di Pisa) is the campanile, or freestanding bell tower, of the cathedral of the Italian city of Pisa, known worldwide for its unintended tilt to one side. It is situated behind the Cathedral and is the third oldest structure in Pisa's Cathedral Square (Piazza del Duomo) after the Cathedral and the Baptistry. The tower's tilt began during construction, caused by an inadequate foundation on ground too soft on one side to properly support the structure's weight. The tilt increased in the decades before the structure was completed, and gradually increased until the structure was stabilized (and the tilt partially corrected) by efforts in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.

The height of the tower is 55.86 m (183.27 ft) from the ground on the low side and 56.70 m (186.02 ft) on the high side. The width of the walls at the base is 4.09 m (13.42 ft) and at the top 2.48 m (8.14 ft). Its weight is estimated at 14,500 metric tons (16,000 short tons). The tower has 296 or 294 steps; the seventh floor has two fewer steps on the north-facing staircase. Prior to restoration work performed between 1990 and 2001, the tower leaned at an angle of 5.5 degrees,^[1][2][3] but the tower now leans at about 3.99 degrees.^[4] This means that the top of the tower is displaced horizontally 3.9 metres (12 ft 10 in) from where it would be if the structure were perfectly vertical.<sup>[5]

Information from Wikipedia and photo taken by me.</sup>

Shore excursion advice

When choosing a shore excursion on a cruise, you may be tempted to opt for the most expensive, do-a-lot one offered, as I was.  But, as I learned from experience, you can actually do the on-your-own option. 

In every big city visited, there's usually an on-your-own excursion that's cheapest and you do everything in the city on your own.  You pay for the transportation to and from the city, which in my experience was $99, and you do your own thing the rest of the day.  In a big city like Rome, it really can be done.  Just research maps, know exactly where the bus is dropping you off and picking you up, and figure out the route you're going to take to see what you want to see.  You're free from being confined in a group and hurried along before you're ready, and you can adjust your plans spur of the moment and spend as little or as much time as you like on something. 

My mom convinced me we could do Rome on our own, and I'm so glad we did.  Not only did we save money, but we found our way around flawlessly, saw everything we wanted to see, and still had time for gelato.

Rome :)

5 Reasons I Love Rome

1. The famous landmarks-can you beat it?  The Colosseum, the Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon, the Spanish Steps, the Vatican, the Roman Forum, the Sistine Chapel, and on and on.

2.  It's an ancient cornerstone of modern civilization and the birthplace of Latin-the language of academics, success, and medicine.

3. It's grand and imposing, even two thousand years later.

4. It has all the characteristics of a great European city-winding alleys, tiny shops and restaurants, and lumpy cobblestones.

5. Gelato, Italian boys, and sunshine-does it get any better?

One of my favorite paintings

This is a series oil painting I did of the Eiffel Tower.  A series is when you break the picture up into sections and make each one different-in this case, I did the tower at dawn, mid day, evening, and night, going across the picture from left to right.  My favorite part is the blended sky at dawn-hard to get right, but I feel like I did it. 

My art teacher was very...cold kind of, and she didn't like me.  So when I got my first A+ and it was on this painting, I knew I'd done a decent job.

Here's the painting beside the picture I drew from:

Destination Tuesdays

Angkor Wat (Khmer: អង្គរវត្ត) is the largest Hindu temple complex and the largest religious monument in the world. The temple was built by a king Suryavarman II in the early 12th century in Yasodharapura (Khmer: យសោធរបុរៈ, present-day Angkor), the capital of the Khmer Empire, as his state temple and eventual mausoleum. Breaking from the Shaivism tradition of previous kings, Angkor Wat was instead dedicated to Vishnu. As the best-preserved temple at the site, it is the only one to have remained a significant religious centre since its foundation – first Hindu, dedicated to the god Vishnu, then Buddhist. The temple is at the top of the high classical style of Khmer architecture. It has become a symbol of Cambodia,^[1] appearing on its national flag, and it is the country's prime attraction for visitors.

Information from Wikipedia.

I would like to see this sometime.  I've seen aerial shots where you can see that the jungle is very close to Angkor Wat, and it looks like a lush, dense place.

Guest Blogger Whitly Gardner

I always look for art in awkward places. I don’t want to see what the city, town or country wants me to see. I want to see the true spirit of the place I’m visiting, so I pay close attention to art in bathrooms.  

I started doing it when I was 13 years old. I was eating at a restaurant with my family in Philadelphia and I saw a terrible painting of a cow. The cow was formless, black and white and it looked like someone smudged green paint on their fingers to make grass. It had no structure. It was a very ugly painting.

It was over a hand dryer. Women splashed water on it as they shook their hands dry.

Philadelphia is an artsy city. The city has over 1,000 murals and offers tours to explain them in the summer (It’s a great tour—I highly recommend it). Philly also has a very large art museum, thousands of sculptures, intricate water fountains and an abundance of galleries.

Philadelphians value all art. We love it!

 Yet, it’s a place where a deformed cow can hang in a public place.

I started to wonder where the painting would be if it wasn’t here in Philadelphia.

 It would probably, in the trash.

 It wouldn’t last in New York. New York bathrooms have pictures of ballet slippers and Sicilian oranges with class casings so no one can splash water on it.

Connecticut likes to hang print copies of flowers in their bathrooms.

Pittsburgh is conceited. Pittsburgh has pictures of its own skyline and champion football teams in its bathrooms.

Bathroom art tells the heartbeat of the city. It gives a glimpse into the culture of the moment.

Philadelphia bathroom art is telling people that as a city, Philadelphia makes the best of what it has. It is possible to become immortal in Philadelphia because whatever you leave behind will never be thrown away.

Philadelphia survives off of its history with Ben Franklin, cheese wiz, water ice, a dinged up bell, weird (almost Australian sounding) accents and we Philadelphians wouldn’t have it any other way.

Come check us out, let us multi-color your world.

—Whitly Gardner

Come check me out too! Sodangawkward.blogspot.com

 

For Friday

Since I was unable to post yesterday, I'm doing one today.

To continue reviewing the NCL Epic, some of it's special features include hosting the Blue Man Group (very funny) and having the only Ice Bar at sea.  The bar is made of ice blocks inside: walls, counters, stools, etc., are all ice. The temperature inside is about 17 degrees Fahrenheit and fur coats are provided for guests.  Unfortunately, I found out it cost about $20 just to enter it, so I didn't go in.  That's the only downside of cruising in my opinion-extra costs get you.  Cruise lines make out with shore excursion prices, too.

The ship also has a rock climbing wall on the top deck, which was exhilarating to climb and look out over the ocean.  A small pool at the very back of the ship emptied at night to become a dance club, which is shown in the last picture here.

Here are a few photos of the Epic. I loved the waterslides!

Norwegian Epic

Well, the Epic is epic.  Period.  The grandest and largest of NCL's fleet when it made its maiden voyage in 2011 (I think), it took my breath away.

The food is phenomenal; NCL operates under "freestyle cruising," which means you can pretty much do whatever, whenever. There aren't set times for meals; you can go when you want. There's a great buffet outside on the deck when you sail away, along with four hot tubs, two bars, a pool, and three waterslides (one goes out over the edge of the ship). 

A huge buffet is just inside that has windows from floor to ceiling, and more food than you could ever want. Shops, coffee bars, and specialty restuarants like Irish pubs and Italian places are inside. Besides the theater inside for performances, Cirque du Soleil has their own theater. The ship has the obvious features like basketball courts, a jogging track, a kid and teen center, a spa, and a huge photography area where professional photographers catalog all the pictures they take of you at dinner, etc., in an album and you can buy whichever of the pictures you want (I bought a lot). The ship has an art gallery, and attending my first real art auction was neat. 

The ship's inside is luxurious and richly decorated, with gold and dark wood and carpets. The rooms, however, are funky and modern, with frosted counters and curvy shower doors and wavy cabinets.

The personnal are friendly, smiling, and always ready to talk.  I made about six or seven crew friends during my seven nights on the Epic, and they added to the experience. The ship has more than 70 nationalites working on it, so every exchange is a learning opportunity.

I recommend the Epic, but would still like to try more traditional cruising where dinners are themed and more structured, just for the experience of it. But for now I am going to sign off, although I may say more about my personal experiences onboard later. Tomorrow will feature a guest blogger. Have a good weekend!

A great way to travel

I've traveled by car, plane, and ship, and the last one is my favorite by far.  I hate riding in the car, driving it makes you stiff, and I can get horribly car sick.  A road trip is NOT my idea of fun at this time, although it's a great way to see the country. Maybe sometime I will want to do that.

Air travel I loved as a kid-the moving walkways and tubey thing leading from the gate to the plane were fascinating to me, as well as looking at the earth below from the clouds. I still enjoy airports more than the average person, although flying has gotten tedious with its cramped seats, nonexistent meals, and scrutinizing security. I also get queasy on airplanes too. 

But cruising, now that is the way to go.  I've taken one cruise, which was this past May on the Norwegian Epic, and it sure lived up to its name.  Not only are your meals, lodging, and most entertainment included, making it more cost-effective and convienent, but it's just FUN.  Everything you need is in one place and you are virtually stress-free.  Soon I will review the Epic on here.

*I've never train traveled, but would like to try it. Has anyone ever done that?

Destination Tuesdays

So, I've decided to make Tuesdays "Destination Tuesdays," where I'll briefly talk about a popular sight or world landmark.  Today I'll kick it off with the Taj Mahal.

The Taj Mahal was built by Mongul emperor Shan Jahan in honor of his second and favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal (or "Exalted of the Palace"). She was his one true love and constant companion, and when she died giving birth to their 14th child in 1631, her dying wish was that he built a monument to symbolize their love. The building took 17 years to complete and was designed by two Persian architects. Marble was brought across the country by armies of a thousand elephants, and about two dozen precious stones are inlaid in the intricate designs inside.  When the emperor died in 1666, he was buried inside the Taj Mahal beside his beloved wife, and the two are united to this day.  How's that for a love story?

An acrylic painting

 

This is my favorite (and basically only) acrylic painting I've done in recent years. It was an assignment to use body parts in the painting and I made this one up as I went along and absolutely loved making it. All the colors were pretty random and spur-of-the-moment decisions, and I think it worked out really well. 

Travel quote :)

“Once you have traveled, the voyage never ends, but is played out over and over again in the quiestest chambers. The mind can never break off from the journey.” -Pat Conroy

This exactly describes how I've felt after trips.  The feeling was strongest after the Mediterranean cruise I took this past May, when I visited Spain, France, and Italy. That trip will always occupy a piece of my mind because it was the best experience of my life.  But more on that later.  Have a good weekend!
Quote from http://matadornetwork.com/bnt/50-most-inspiring-travel-quotes-of-all-time/#bz19lBkSQRMqipgd.99

My attempt at a meme

Well, this meme already existed, and I had a lot of computer trouble trying to make my own.  However, this one states my feelings perfectly about people who don't travel that far or don't think it's important.  My personal one would be something like, "Oh, you love learning about foreign countries?  I've been to seven, and you have yet to ask me anything about them."  I've felt that way a lot, and concluded that most people either just don't care about your stories or are too jealous to act like they do. 

We've all been there...

How many times has this happened to you?  You finally get through security and can now pay for water (after having to dump your free tap water out) and they tell you that you still can't take your newly purchased bottle on the plane.  You bought it in a secure area, so logically there must be something dangerous in it, and the best place to toss it would be right near everyone.  And they won't let you drink it to prove it's safe.  Why do they care if you end up killing yourself? 

Other forms of painting

Besides oil painting, I've done watercolors and acrylic painting.  My watercolors never turned out quite right-either because I didn't know quite what I was doing with that type of paint or because I just don't have talent in that specific area of painting.  For some reason, I didn't really enjoy watercolor painting, either.  Acrylic painting is fun, fairly easy, and reminds me of childhood.  I only did one acrylic in high school, which I will post up here soon.

Supplies

I took this picture to try and use as a background photo on the blog, but the computer said it was too large or something (?).  I hate computers.  Anyway, this is what my paints and brushes look like. Some of them can have unusual names, like the brown one is called "burnt umber."  I remember a girl in my high school laughing at that name.

Best Meal while Traveling

I think the best meal I ever ate, whether traveling or in general, was the French buffet I had at the Paris hotel in Las Vegas, NV.  Fabulous.  I don't even remember much of what I ate beyond ratatouille (sorry if the spelling is off) and bananas foster, but I just remember it was decedent and delicious.  What about you?

Georgia O'Keefe

While this doesn't relate to traveling, it was maybe my second oil painting I did and the assignment was to imitate a Georgia O'Keefe-esque painting of a flower. 

Quote :)

One of my absolute favorite travel quotes, by St. Augustine: "The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page."

Word of the Day

The word for today is "worldoiler."

Worldoiler; noun.

A worldoiler is a person who loves to travel the world and oil paint scenes from it: whether from life, picture, or book.  This person is adventurous and not a standard stay-in-a-Comfort Inn-and-act-like-a-tourist traveler, but rather someone who immerses themself in the culture, food, customs, and full experience of being wherever they are.  They usually are creative, unique, and love to explore off the beaten path.

Coolest hotel?

The absolute coolest hotel I ever stayed in was the Mirage in Las Vegas, NV.  Besides it's tiger habitat and having the best pool area out of all the Vegas hotels, I was fascinated by all the colors inside, the courtyards with trees, the huge aquariums, and the Beatles show that was appearing there at that time.  There was a walkway leading to it that changed different shades of the rainbow constantly.  Nevermind all the hustle and bustle and there being always something to do and people to watch, our room was upgraded to the top of the building and it's the most posh setting I've stayed in to date.  I'm talking a flatscreen, purple leather headboards, frosted countertops, geometric rug and bedspread patterns, and curvy lines.  A view down the Strip was seen out the window, and I never wanted to leave.

Most common vacation spot

Where have you been the most?  For me, again the answer is Myrtle Beach, SC.  I was there when I was four, seven, twelve, and sixteen.  I have varying memories of it: when I was seven I went to a Planet Hollywood for the first time and thought it was the coolest thing, and a hurricane kicked us out early so we made some stops in NC on the way home; when I was twelve I got stung by a jellyfish in knee-deep water and after getting a ring of blisters around my ankle, had to put a packet of powdery medicine on them and they were gone after ten minutes; and when I was sixteen, I was obsessing about a guy the whole time I was there.  I'll probably go back sometime, but right now I'm trying to go as many different places as possible and not repeat.  There's too much of the world to see.

First vacations

So, what was the first vacation you can remember taking?  Mine was when I was four and my parents and I drove down to Myrtle Beach, SC.  For anyone who hasn't been there, it's a really nice beach with a lot to do.  There's plenty of restuarants, mini golf, hotels, and attractions like Broadway on the Beach, to keep everyone entertained.  I remember my parents taking turns sitting in the backseat with me playing with stuffed animals, and getting a new Barbie swimsuit and little inflatable inner tube as a gift.  At the beach, we stayed in some sort of condo, and I was fascinated by the clear dishwashing liquid that I found under the sink...just the fact that it was clear like amazed me.  I remember my mom losing her shoe in a little stream and me wanting to save it and getting upset because she picked it up before I could, and being afraid of the ocean.  I'd cry when one of my parents went down to the ocean.  I don't know what I thought was going to happen to them.  My parents later told me I was obsessed with someone dressed up like a king at a mini golf place or something, and every night I'd say I wanted to go see the king.  I don't actually remember that, though.

My first painting

This is the first oil painting I ever did-the image I used is on the right. It's of the Serengetti in Africa.  It's not my best work at all, but as a beginner, this is a good start. You're just learning how to blend colors, so don't be upset if your first try doesn't come out better than mine did. Good luck!

You're ready to paint!

So when you finally have all your materials, and have drawn a subject on your canvas to paint from life, picture, or a book, head to a well-ventilated space (because the paint smells, and although it's not a bad or super strong smell, it's strongly recommended to be in a well-ventilated area) and set up. You might want to put newpaper under your work space. Pour oil mix in one of your little plastic cups and some Turpenoid in the other, and get a wet and dry paper towel. Put on thin disposable gloves (the paint isn't supposed to get on your skin) and squeeze small amounts of paint onto your palette. Dip your brush in oil mix to make the paint as thin as you want, and begin painting! To clean your brushes in between colors, dip them in the Turpenoid and wipe them off on the dry paper towel.  When you're done for now, wash your brushes with soap and warm water and wipe dry with a paper towel, cover the paint on your palette with plastic wrap, and put the lids on your oil mix and Turpenoid. A picture of my first painting is to come tomorrow.

Why do you travel?

While I learn how to upload photos to help you along in beginning to paint, let's talk about traveling.  When it often is time-consuming and expensive, why do you still love it and want to do it as much as possible?  Because you explore new places?  Because you're curious about different cultures?  Because you want to see as much of the world as you can?  Or is it simply because you need a break from the same-old and ordinary? 

Favorite Places to Paint

My favorite places to paint have been scenes in Africa and South America, mostly for the many colors.

Quotes :)

I'll weave some quotes in here occasionally, too. One of my favorites pertaining to painting and particularly surrealism (which he was famous for) was said by Salvador Dali: "The one thing the world will never have enough of is the outrageous."

A brief oil painting history

Just for any of you who would like a little bit of history, oil painting is the "process of painting with pigments that are bound with a medium of drying oil. Commonly used drying oils include linseed oil, poppyseed oil, walnut oil, and safflower oil. The oil may be boiled with a resin, such as pine resin or frankincense to create a varnish; often prized for its body and gloss. Different oils confer various properties to the oil paint, such as less yellowing or different drying times. Certain differences are also visible in the sheen of the paints depending on the oil. An artist might use several different oils in the same painting depending on specific pigments and effects desired. The paints themselves also develop a particular consistency depending on the medium.
Although oil paint was first used for the Buddhist Paintings by Indian and Chinese painters in western Afghanistan sometime between the fifth and ninth centuries, ^[1] it did not gain popularity until the 15th century. Its practice may have migrated westward during the Middle Ages. Oil paint eventually became the principal medium used for creating artworks as its advantages became widely known. The transition began with Early Netherlandish painting in northern Europe, and by the height of the Renaissance oil painting techniques had almost completely replaced tempera paints in the majority of Europe.
In recent years, water miscible oil paint has come to prominence, to some extent replacing the usage of traditional oils. Water soluble paints contain an emulsifier which allows them to be thinned with water (rather than with paint thinner), and allows very fast drying times (1–3 days) when compared with traditional oils (1–3 weeks)."

-Explanation courtesy of Wikipedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oil_painting

Picking a subject

So, once you have all your materials, how do you know if the subject you have chosen to paint is a good one for a beginner?  Maybe there isn't a right or wrong answer to this, but I definitely recommend nature scenes with many colors.  Skies at dawn or sunset are particularly good because they contain many colors blended together, and blending is very important to practice in oil painting.  Having many different shades in your subject will also give you the chance to practice mixing paint colors to develop the right shade. Personally, when I started oil painting, I did nearly every painting from a book I have called "Landmarks of the World," which gave me scenes of travel mixed with nature. It's a perfect way to start for someone who loves traveling, too.

Getting Started

For anyone that wants to try oil painting, getting started is fairly easy and doesn't require a visit to a niche art store.  All of the basic supplies needed can be purchased at Michael's craft store or another such store.  You will need:
                              -a canvas (available in a variety of dimensions and ususally square or rectangular in shape)
                              -a set of brushes (brushes can be bought packaged together in sets of five or six, and the size of each brush is different, giving you the basic sizes you need)
                             
                              -paints (small tubes that will be labeled as oil paints with silver metal screw-on lids)
                              -oil mix (this will be in a square tin-like container and clearly labeled. One brand has the Mona Lisa on the front of it. You will use this to water down and help mix the paints)
                              -Turpenoid (this is a non-toxic form of turpentine that you will need to clean your brushes)
                              -Small supplemental supplies like a good drawing pencil (for drawing on your canvas), a piece of cardboard covered in wax paper (for putting your paints on), a piece of plastic wrap (for covering your paints for later use), and small plastic containers with lids (for holding your oil mix and Turpenoid) are also needed.

                              -Finally, you will need whatever you are going to paint: a scene from life, a book with a scene, a picture, etc. This is the fun part!

*A word about gesso: it is a paint mixture that you need to apply to your canvas and let dry for at least a day before you start painting.  It acts as a binder for your paint.  Canvases sold in stores come pre-gessoed, so you don't have to worry about it.

Welcome :)

Since I was a very young, I've loved to travel, and when I discovered oil painting in my senior year of high school (not so very long ago), I thought it was a beautiful and unique way to capture a place.  I wish I had the time to paint from life everywhere I go, but since I don't, working from my pictures or from books I own works fine for me-and it can for you, too.  In this blog, I will share with you the basics of oil painting and how to get started, as well as experiences from the places I've visited and how to make your vacation memories last much longer than the trip. I'll also throw in travel facts, deals I find, tips, pictures, and quotes that will hopefully inspire you to explore the world, too.