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."