January… time to plan travels (Part II)

Map courtesy of Worldmapper (Creative Commons Licence)

This is the continuation of my post of January 27th. All the comments from my blogging friends are very much appreciated. Comments feed my blog and give me more ideas for future posts. One of the comments, a question really, was from “loveable_homebody” who asked: “Why do you think you have always had wanderlust?” I thought about this for a while and believe it is a combination of several things. When I was a child staying at my grand-parents' house there were few toys so my grandpa would bring me a small suitcase full of postcards, old and new, from many regions of France, Europe and the world. I would spend hours looking at them and ask questions about all these far-away places and dream about them. Click on the following pictures to enlarge them.

Vintage Postcards – from top left : Chateau de Ramezay, Montreal, Canada – The Old Arsenal and the Arno River, Pisa, Italy – West Block House. Tartar Wall, Beijing, China – The New Medersa, Algiers, Algeria – Dal Lake, Kashmir, India – Driveway in Lafayette, Louisiana, USA

When I went to Turkey at 5 years of age I was allowed to roam free on the ship as my mother was mostly below deck - sea sick. I loved the freedom and independence. When I came back to our apartment in Paris I looked at all the postcards, my stamp collection, maps and dreamed again of many travels to come. I was bitten by the travel bug.

He who returns from a journey is not the same as he who left. -Chinese proverb


Flight Toward the Sea, 1968, Painting by Giorgio de Chirico, Italian, 1888-1978

From childhood some persons know that they want to be a doctor, an actor or a football player – I always wanted to travel. Some people stay close to home – going to other places do not tempt them and they are content to stay at home. That is fine. We are all unique with different interests. Mine is to move and see new towns, new countries and have new experiences. I always come back with something I did not know before, with a new appreciation of our world and some images that will stay in my mind. For example, how could you explain what a cup of coffee tastes like if you never had one? Would you know what it tastes like by watching a National Geographic show on TV about a Kenya coffee plantation? Would you know what it tastes like by looking at the picture of a coffee bean? No – you would have to taste it yourself – try it black or with milk, with sugar or not, strong or weak, as is or as flavored coffee or even iced, then you would know.



Among other things, I wanted to see how it felt to ride a camel in Africa, go on a slow boat on the Mekong River in Southeast Asia, ride an elephant, visit Mykonos Island in Greece out of season, take part in the Louisiana Purchase Bicentennial celebration in New Orleans and visit the French islands of St Pierre and Miquelon off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada. These I did. These experiences will reverberate throughout my life. It takes time and tenacity to travel frugally. It helps to have flexible travel plans and be open to various way of travel – and watch for sales.

from top left: Elephant riding in Chaing-Mai, Thailand - Slow boats on the Mekong River, Laos – Empty street in Mykonos Island in November , Greece – Street musicians in New Orleans, Louisiana – St Pierre panorama, St Pierre et Miquelon islands.

Since my parents were in France I would go and visit them, off season. One year I was invited to an event in Pisa, Italy. Instead of flying directly to Paris I found a flight, costing the same, on British Airways going from Atlanta to Paris but with a free stop in London. From London I booked a flight on a low cost airline, Ryan Air, to Pisa which at the time costs about 30 British Pounds one way. While in Pisa I stayed in a small hotel and took trains to visit Florence and Lucca in Tuscany, and then I flew back to London and thence to Paris. It cost a fraction of what I would have had to pay if I had planned an Atlanta Paris Pisa trip, but it took planning to coordinate it all. Do not disdain train travel. The rail system in Europe and many other countries is very efficient and inexpensive – it provides safe and economical ways to visit expensive cities. For example there is a quick train trip between Nice in France and Monte Carlo in Monaco – or a 1 hour 20 minutes train between Paris and Brussels, Belgium ($48) or a 2 hour 10 minutes train between Paris and London (with many special sales and passes.) There are even some fares which include a car rental for a couple of days at the destination city.

All my methods are hard to describe in a post like this – it would be too long and boring to read. I check many travel sites and budget airlines. I’ll fly to another country and from there get a local budget flight, or take a train or a bus. I also check to see if there are any “secret flights” available. Secret flights are unusual routes flown by international airlines. For example to travel from New York to Frankfurt, Germany, you could take a regular US airline or you could take Singapore Airlines stopping in Newark on their way to Frankfurt – this might be much less expensive. Going to Dubai I flew with a foreign airline going from Chicago to Australia, but stopping in Dubai. Then after a week in Dubai I took a round trip on a local airline to go back to Addis Ababa in Ethiopia. The trip was about half or less than I would have paid using conventional methods. I also used an airline “consolidator” who is a wholesaler to the public.

Photo of camel watching me taking its picture in Dubai (you can see my shadow.) Click to enlarge.

For all purchases, including food, medicine, gas and to pay my telephone and other bills I use a couple of credit cards which offer frequent flyer miles (on any airlines.) I pay the cards off each month but the miles accumulate quickly. We will redeem our frequent flyer miles for our next flight overseas, not use cash. For example in 2005 we had free flights (by redeeming our frequent flyer miles) to go to St Petersburg, Russia, and were allowed one stop. Since reading Out of Africa I wished to visit Karen Blixen’s (the author) home in Denmark so I wanted to stop in Copenhagen. There were no flights on that airline out of Copenhagen to St Petersburg. I searched and finally found a flight on Czech Airlines going to Prague and connecting with a flight to St Petersburg; Czech Airlines was a partner airline, so no added cost. Before going to Russia I had researched and found that renting an apartment would be much more advantageous than going to a hotel. We rented the apartment which was centrally located (costing about $50 a night) then took buses to get around. We looked so much like locals that Russians from out of town asked me directions for the bus to the Hermitage Museum – and I knew which one it was since we had already been there (I speak a little Russian – not much.)

Church of the Saviour of Spilled Blood, St Petersburg, Russia and Peterhof the Great Palace, The Blue Drawing Room

A point to make, when overseas, is to look like a local, not a tourist. I always buy something at a local grocery store to get their plastic bag and place my camera and maps in it. I carry a local newspaper; wear no blue jeans or tee-shirts with ads on them. I never have had a bad experience in all my years of traveling. I am always open to new trips. I subscribe to travel sites which send emails on travel deals – here are a few: SmarterTravel.com, http://www.travelzoo.com, http://www.farecompare.com/, http://www.hotwire.com/index.jsp, as well as various airlines. I also receive emails from cruise discounters such as http://www.vacationstogo.com/, and travel info and deals from http://www.budgettravel.com/?wpisrc=newsletter. When fares are high I use a travel consolidator like http://consolidatorwebfares.ezgds.com/. I also subscribe to motel and car rental emails advertising special offers. A couple of years ago my family wished to spend a week on a nice beach in Florida so we could all enjoy our first grand-child. Instead of lodging at a hotel or motel I used the Vacation Rental by Owners site http://www.vrbo.com/. We rented a beautiful condo, on the beach, and at an advantageous price.

Views from our condo in Indian Shores, Florida (near Tampa)

A voyage of discovery does not have to always be in another state or country. Now that I am retired I take great pleasure in discovering parks, historical sites or little towns close to my home. When we only had a couple weeks of vacation a year then we wanted to go as far away as we could, but when time is open, that is when we can discover the charms of our own area. If we place our town in a 100 mile circle on a map we’ll see that there are many places we do not know and maybe quite enchanting. And as Robert Louis Stevenson said “…For my part, I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel's sake. The great affair is to move …”

Wormsloe Plantation State Park, Savannah, Georgia (photo courtesy Savannah Visitors Center)

To be an independent shoestring traveler takes time and work but the rewards are great. We meet more locals by staying in small hotels and eating in local-style restaurants. We rarely shop but we look – I usually buy postcards, they are inexpensive, unbreakable and take little space. Sometimes it is logistically more feasible to take part in a tour, but we can still manage to have some independent time. When we were in Tunis last November it was faster and easier to take the bus tour as we did not have much time there. But while the guide was escorting the tour to a carpet shop in the Medina Bazaar in Tunis I asked if I could leave for ½ hour. Then I went further into the bazaar by myself and explored before returning to the tour.

Carpet shop in Medina bazaar,Tunis, Tunisia.

Some important points I follow are to treat people and places with respect, be friendly and courteous. Special treatment should not be expected because one is American or European. I stay aware of the culture, environment and local customs of the country visited and try to be patient and flexible. I don’t get suspicious or scared and don’t let fears make the decisions for me. Everything has always been and will be fine.

The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with eager feet,
Until it joins some larger way
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say.
-J. R. R. Tolkien, English 1892-1973


Wanderer above the Sea of Fog, painting by David Caspar Friedrich, German 1774-1880

Trip report and Happy Thanksgiving

Unfortunately since my return my cold intensified and turned into an infection. I had to have more bed rest and am still taking antibiotics (until Thanksgiving) - but I’d like to make a post to keep in touch. I’ll use some postcards now as I have not looked at all my trip pictures yet. The above photograph is the first one I took upon arrival at the airport. I do thank you for visiting my blog and shall go and visit yours very soon.



During my illness I did read at least 6 or 7 books, some in French e.g. as Henry de Monfreid’s biography. Henry, pictured above, was a French adventurer, smuggler and watercolourist. With his boat he traveled across the Red Sea in the early 1900s and evaded many deadly close calls. He wrote 70 books and if you can find one in an old book store you will enjoy it. You can read more on him here. I also read a small book on the First World War (have another couple to read), a French book by Emile Zola titled “Le Ventre de Paris” (the belly of Paris) and some light reading such as a mystery by the New Zealand writer Ngaio Marsh. That was the good part about being sick - reading. I also thought about my trip and tried to remember what I observed in Europe.

Below is a postcard of the Palace of Catalane Music in Barcelona (by Triangle Postals.)


Here are a few observations, not in order. These are just observations and do not imply that what I observed was better or worse than in the US – they are just my random observations.

1. The people in the countries I visited in Europe wore very dark clothes, mostly black with some navy or dark grey – very few brown or dark green and no vivid colours. About 90% of the women in Paris wore boots of many styles and shapes (boots are quite expensive there.) Trousers were tight and women quite slim – I saw very few overweight people in any of the countries visited. Did not see many jeans or sneakers – just some kids wore them. Also the newer generation is quite tall. There are many young men and women who now are over 6 ft tall.

2. In France the tourists were from Italy, Germany, Spain, Russia, and the Orient – I heard only one American couple (sitting on a bench in Paris eating a sandwich) and just a couple of Brits – could be the time of year. In Spain I heard one American couple on the main road. However, we did not go to many touristy spots.

Postcard of Norvins Street in Montmartre, Paris (by Artertre.)


3. Watching TV – the news included more stories about the world than we get here – the TV channels there gave local news but also news about the USA, Japan, Africa, etc. The weather info included the weather in many parts of the world. There are many game shows on Italian and Russian TVs. France TV was still talking a lot about Michael Jackson and showed old American soaps.

4. I watched television channels from France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Russia, England – there were many channels from each country – but I never found a single religious channel (Christian or otherwise.)

5. A popular reality TV show in France was “Maman Cherche l’Amour” (Mommy is Looking for Love.) I did not watch it but just saw a few clips and it looks like a divorced/widowed/single mother is looking for a partner and a few are offered to her during the show. The interesting observation I made was that when I saw the clip the mother, a white young woman, had selected a young black partner. I don’t think such a show would be popular here or would even appear on TV, but I could be wrong.

Postcard of Tunis, Tunisia (North Africa) (by Carte d’Or.)


6. In Tunisia, a Muslim country, I was surprised to see so many women without a head covering. Most of the younger women in Tunis were bare headed and wore stylish clothes and make-up. I had been there before twice in the 80s and thought that this had changed (more strict) –but it has not.

7. There were many beggars in the main street of Paris and other large cities. They usually come from Eastern Europe (Romania) and also from Colombia. They would sit on the ground - women had kids sitting with them and the men had puppies. I wonder what happens to the dogs when they get older. Puppies are so cute; I guess that is why they use them.

Postcard of a window in Provence (by Septemes-les-Vallons.)



8. A Euro cost $1.50 then (it is $1.54 today.) So everything was 50% more for us. For example 2 cups of coffee at a café, standing by the bar not even at a table, were 3 Euros each (total $9.00 for two cups.) The cheapest lunch was 15 to 20 Euros (about $30 each) in Paris. We did though eat a great couscous in Marseille in the Arab quarter for 6 Euros each.

9. My cousins live in a small town, 17 miles South of Paris. They told me that since my last visit in 2005 there have been several apartment buildings built as well as many condos and a few subdivisions. It was interesting to observe though that for a city of 15,510 people they did not built any new churches. The 13th century church is still the only one in town. By comparison, in my neighborhood near Atlanta, 5 new churches have been built during these same 4 years in addition to the several already here.

Postcard of Malta (by Perfecta Advertising Ltd.)


10. Another observation: in the various countries we visited, including Malta, the country flags were only flown on administrative buildings. We even had a hard time finding the post office in both Malta and Italy because they did not have flags. There were no flags on people houses.

11. I did look but never saw a “God Save Italy” sign or bumper sticker (I guess it would be translated as il Dio conserva l'Italia) or God Save France (could be translated as Que Dieu Sauve la France) or God Save Spain (maybe Dios ahorra España) as we commonly see "God Save America" in the US. I never saw any car in these countries with a flag on its bumper or windshield. Now I am not saying that European countries are not patriotic or that America is too nationalistic – these are just neutral observations which I find interesting.

Postcard of Sicily, Italy (by Cartoleria Nigri Carmen.)


12. During lunches and dinners aboard ship I enjoyed listening to our dinner companions discussing various subjects. Many if not most of them had traveled to the US and enjoyed their visit very much but they could not believe the debates in the US on healthcare policy. It was unreal to them. An article had come out from the US Census Bureau saying that over 46 million Americans were without health coverage. The fact that the lack of health insurance had caused 45,000 preventable deaths in the US last year made a very negative impression at the lunch table. I remember a retired couple from Belgium at lunch saying that it was monstrous for the US in 2008 to have let 17,000 children as well as over 2,000 veterans die due to lack of health care (they said that this was more than 5 times the number of victims from 9/11.) They could not understand why people were not demonstrating in the streets en masse against this. There was a strike in Italy that day and another one in France when we came back – I observed that the European people are not bashful to demonstrate for what they think is their right. The lunching couple told me that it was a disgrace to be so uncaring of the weak and worrying so much about taxes, but I did not want or could not give a satisfying explanation to them. Then when it was reported on Italian News that the American Medical Association said that 50% of children in the US depend on food stamps to eat they were outraged. Changing the subject to travel was a nice respite.

Postcard of of Boccadasse Cove in Genoa, Italy (by Edizioni Marconi)



13. The Italians are, as a rule, very vocal and they voices are quite high. On board the ship most were Italians, and it made for a very, let’s say “dynamic” group. Children up to 17 years old could accompany their parents free of charge, so there was a large number of children and many young couples. In comparison, in the US, cruises tend to have more mature people. About 90% of the families had only one child, usually quite young and the children were not very loud. I rarely heard one scream or talk loud during meals or have the parent talk to them loud like they do here (as if the children are hard of hearing.) Again, these are just observations.

14. The news on TV talked a lot more about the environment, climate change than in the US. Also I read local reports saying that the number one problem was overpopulation rather than climate change (here overpopulation is rarely mentioned.)

15. The latest fashion in Paris is to wear a very long scarf, circled around the neck and hanging almost to your knees (for both men and women.) The “in” color is purple – mostly in the plum shades. I did buy a scarf in this color, but it is not long enough. It was only 14 Euros. Here it is below



16. While riding trains we passed by many cemeteries. All the tombs were covered with fresh flowers, mostly yellow or dark red chrysanthemums. It seems that in early November everybody goes to place flowers on their family graves. Florists offer hundreds of chrysanthemum varieties for that purpose.

17. I observed more people walking in the streets than around here. Also the cars tended to be much smaller. There are few SUVs in cities and even less outside metro areas.

18. One final observation: when people found out that we came from America they were very interested and friendly. We never found a cold reception from French people or from those of other European countries or Asia (we spoke with people from New Zealand and Hong Kong too) and since I can speak French and Italian, they were always interested to find out about where we live and our life here.

These are the few observations I made during the trip. I’ll try to write future posts on the towns visited. But for now I’d like to end this post wishing you all a Happy Thanksgiving.

Here is a vintage postcard for this occasion.