Tag: travel

Cruising the Med – January 2025 – Part Two

Tuesday January 14

Today was the day I’d been waiting for! Today was Pompeii. Weirdly, today was also a late day. We wouldn’t be docking until around 13:00 (1pm) so when I went down for breakfast it turned out, they were actually serving brunch. Wild. Although it wasn’t really since the more traditionally afternoon tidbits weren’t actually going to be served until after 11:00. Anyway, before eating, I made a stop at the excursions desk. See, the way I figured it, after Genoa, I decided I’d rather have a guided tour than strike off on my own. In a city where I was staying and not under a time deadline, it would be fine, but knowing I had to get back to the boat by a certain time, just filled me with a particular panic. Thus it seemed best to get it sorted. I booked myself on a city tour for Palermo, which included seeing the opera house. But more on that in the next day’s entry, when it actually took place. 

Continue reading “Cruising the Med – January 2025 – Part Two” →

Cruising the Med – January 2025 – Part One

Pre-Trip

My January trips are something I look forward to every year. The past few years I’ve headed off to London to see theatre and hang out with friends, which is amazing. Then last year, at the very last moment, I had to cancel my trip because the girls had Covid and while I felt fine and was testing negative, I couldn’t in good conscience leave them.* So no trip for me in 2024. 

Then, with January of 2025 rapidly approaching, I knew I should start planning my trip. At first I thought about returning to London, but some things there had changed and while there were still shows and friends to see, I wasn’t sure I wanted to go. So I kept hemming and hawing and dragging my feet about the whole thing. 

Continue reading “Cruising the Med – January 2025 – Part One” →

Saying goodbye to 2023

Well, here we are, the last day of the year, and I’m trying to write an end of year wrap-up. So far it’s not going well. I’ve started a few times and it’s just not coming to me. Which may be part of the problem. It seems that in the last few years, I’ve forgotten how to write. I can sum up adventures, sure, and I’ve had a few this year, but writing anything with substance, like fiction or even this introspective wrap-up of what happened in the past 12 months is just a bit blocked. 

Continue reading “Saying goodbye to 2023” →

How did you get to school as a child?

school busesAs we move through these questions, they become harder and harder to answer, not because the questions are more difficult, they’re not, but because it seems like they’re more generic. Also, a lot of them seem to be slight variations on other questions so it feels like I’ve already answered things. Continue reading “How did you get to school as a child?” →

What places can you travel to over and over again?

IMG_20190703_113548So, what places are worth a repeat visit? What are the locations one can return to and find enjoyment again and again? My first, immediate response would be an amusement park, a place designed for visiting. Basically, my knee-jerk answer is Disneyland. Continue reading “What places can you travel to over and over again?” →

Where Did You Go on Vacations As a Child?

Compass 01This week’s question is another one involving travel/vacations. That’s okay, I like traveling and vacations. This one, though, is about vacations as a child which, by default, implies they were family vacations. At least in my case since the folks are still married, to each other, so there’s no inter-family drama involving who gets to claim Disneyland. Continue reading “Where Did You Go on Vacations As a Child?” →

Coming to America – 2017 Summer Holiday

Sunday-Monday June 25-26

I’ve said it before, but traveling from Lithuania is not easy. At least not by plane. Very few places are accessible directly, and those that are, are usually through the low-cost airlines (let’s never forget Flights for 50p, shall we) and get you someplace near your destination (For example, going to Paris, Ryan and Wizz fly you to Beauvais, which is about an hour away). Anyway, for our flights to the US, where we are going to spend a week on vacation with family in San Diego then all head back to Vegas for mom’s Bat Mitzvah, we decided to do it in two jumps – Vilnius (not even from Kaunas, so that’s another hour added on to the journey) to Paris then Paris to LA. Continue reading “Coming to America – 2017 Summer Holiday” →

DAVID • Think: Travel App-titude

David March 15DAVID • Think: Travel App-titude.

This month in David, I’m putting my vast knowledge of travel to the test when I give you my thoughts on some of the cool connection apps out there to cover all aspects of your trip.

In addition to my piece, there’s all sorts of great reads to be found between the covers.

Longest bridge in the world!

2013-06-17 06.58.21I changed my header photo today with a shot of this, the Aleksotas Bridge (some hereabouts call it the Vytautas the Great Bridge as well) but I like it because, historically, it’s the longest bridge in the world. in the mid 19th century, the area on the left in the picture, the hill, that’s Aleksotas, that was part of Poland, according to Napoleon, and it followed the Gregorian calendar. It continued to use the Gregorian calendar even after 1864 when it once again fell under Russian rule. Of course, the part on the right, where I was taking the picture from and where I was walking Laika, that part used the Julian calendar which was slightly different. So when crossing the bridge, you would either gain or lose 12 days, depending on which direction you were headed. Thus, this 256 meter long bridge which spans the Nemunas river, is, in fact, the longest bridge in the world.

Brasov and Bran Castle

Castle DraculaBeing this close to Transylvania, a trip to see Dracula’s Castle was a mandatory experience – I even read the book to prepare! That said, I really didn’t want or need to spend a lot of time in Romania so I decided to make it a bonzai trip… and I enlisted Erika and Sanyi, two fellow English teachers, to go along with me! What we decided to do was catch the overnight train to Brasov, then spend the day exploring the city and the castle then catch the overnight train back. Continue reading “Brasov and Bran Castle” →