Category: International Travel

anticipation & preparation: ecuador

wanderessence1025 June 16, 2022

I began 2020 with hopes of going to Ecuador that July, but sadly coronavirus put a stop to that. I still held on to my dreams of exploring this South American country, so this year (2022), I finished reading Lonely Planet Ecuador & the Galápagos Islands and another little brochure (This is Ecuador: The Most Complete Guide to Ecuador Since 1968, dated December 2018) that somehow made its way to me. I started researching online things to do and see in Ecuador.

I found an article that I also read for ideas: culture trip: 12 Amazing Things You Didn’t Know About Ecuador.

Lonely Planet guide to Ecuador & the Galápagos Islands, along with two journals

Spanish studies

My original intent was to “live like a local,” staying in Cuenca and Quito, possibly taking a Spanish immersion class and spending time wandering aimlessly and writing. In 2020, I started a Spanish class at the end of January. I’m embarrassed to say that I studied Spanish for four years in high school, but I didn’t remember much of anything. Thus I started all over at the beginning, at level 100. We started in-person classes, but due to the pandemic, we had to meet online for the remaining courses. The virtual classes weren’t much fun, and I eventually dropped them because I wasn’t consistently studying. This year I started again, this time with The Great Courses. I still have been inconsistent with studying. Finally, in mid-May, I started with Duolingo, and now I seem to be determined to meet daily goals and to practice more. This is the first language learning course I’ve done that is actually fun.

Music

For my class in 2020, I had to do a Power Point presentation about “Music of Ecuador,” so I learned about the country’s traditional music including pasillo, pasacalle, yarabi, marimba, bomba, and Sanjuanito. I also learned about some Indie rock groups, including Da Pawn and La Máquina Camaleön, both of which I love. I created a short playlist on Spotify: ecuadorian music, which I’ll add to over the coming months.

Books

Of course, I always love to read books set in my destination, so I read some of the books below (indicated with stars and ratings). I own the books in green and will read them sometime during the year.

the queen of water: a novel based on a true story by Laura Resau and María Virginia Farinango (YA) ****
America Was Hard to Find by Kathleen Alcott *
The Panama Hat Trail by Tom Miller ****
Cañar: A Year in the Highlands of Ecuador by Judy Blankenship ****
Our House in the Clouds: Building a Second Life in the Andes of Ecuador by Judy Blankenship ****
The Old Man Who Read Love Stories by Luis Sepúlveda ****
The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina by Zoraida Córdova
The Farm on the River of Emeralds by Moritz Thomsen (currently reading)
Pieces of My Life by Rachel Dann
Villa Pacifica by Kapka Kassabova
The Amnesia Clinic by James Scudamore
City on the Ledge by Philip Kraske
The General in His Labyrinth by Gabriel Garcia Marquez (+ Columbia + Venezuela)
Fool’s Gold by P.J. Skinner
Huasipungo: The Villagers by Jorge Icaza
Measure of the Earth: The Enlightenment Expedition That Reshaped Our World by Larrie D. Ferreiro
Lonely Planet Ecuador & the Galápagos Islands by Regis St. Louis ****
Galápagos Islands
1. Enchanted Islands by Allison Amand ***
2. Plundering Paradise: The Hand of Man on the Galápagos Islands by Michael D’Orso ****
3. Floreana by Margret Whittmer
4. The Evolution of Jane by Cathleen Schine
5. To the Edge of the World by Harry Thompson
6. Mr. Darwin’s Shooter by Roger McDonald
7. The Origin of Murder by Jerold Last
8. Galápagos Regained by James K. Morrow
9. The Voyage of the Beagle: Journal of Researches into the Natural History and Geology of the Countries Visited During the Voyage of H.M.S. Beagle Round the World by Charles Darwin (intro. by Steve Jones)
10. Pilgrim on the Great Bird Continent: The Importance of Everything and Other Lessons from Darwin’s Lost Notebooks by Lyanda Lynn Haupt
11. The Beak of the Finch by Jonathan Weiner
12. The Origin: A Biographical Novel of Charles Darwin by Irving Stone

For more international books, see my page: books | international a-z |.

Books I’m reading set in Ecuador

More books set in Ecuador

Movies

I found movies set in Ecuador, but sadly I haven’t seen any of them. Hopefully, I can find some of these in the coming months.

Entre Marx y una Mujer Desnuda (1996)
Proof of Life (2000)
Crónicas (2004)
Qué tan lejos (2006)
Crude (2009)
Rage (2009)
Fisherman (Pescador) (2011)
With My Heart in Yambo (Con mi Corazó en Yambo) (2011)
The Porcelain Horse (Mejor no hablar de ciertas cosas) (2012)
The Death of Jaime Roldos (La Muerte de Jaime Roldós) (2013)
El Facilitador (2013)
The Galapagos Affair: Satan Came to Eden (2013)
Holiday (Feriado) (2014)
El Secreto de Magdalena (2015)
Medardo (2015)
A Secret in the Box (Un Secreto en la Caja) (2016)
Translucido (Translúcido) (2016)
Such Is Life in the Tropics (Sin Muertos No Hay Carnaval) (2016)
Special Correspondents (2016)
Alba (2016)
Snatched (2017)
Final Minute (2018)
The Longest Night (2019)

Our Itinerary

After having researched more about Ecuador, we have expanded our travel plans extensively. We will start in Cuenca (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) for six nights, exploring the city, going out to three market towns, Gualeceo, Chordeleg and Sigsig one day, and venturing out for hikes to Parque Nacional Cajas for a day. I’m hoping to find myself a Panama hat at the Sigsig market. The hats are misnamed as they originate in Ecuador.

After leaving Cuenca we will make our way north about 80km along the Pan American Highway and stop in Ingapirca, a set of pre-Colombian ruins. We’ll overnight in Alausi and then head to Riobamba, where we can visit a Saturday market and take a bicycle ride down Volcan Chimborazo. The next day we plan to drive to Baños, where we can take a downhill bike ride on the Baños-Puyo Road through a series of waterfalls.

Then it’s ever northward to Latacunga, where we’ll drive a portion of the Quilotoa Loop to Tigua, Zumbahua, and Quilotoa, a large volcanic crater with an emerald green lake in an indigenous community. We might hike around the rim of the crater, about a 7.5 mile trek, or an out-and-back of a shorter distance. We could opt to hike down to the lake if the weather is bad.

After Latacunga, it’s hacienda time! We plan to stay at Hacienda Los Mortiños, from which we hope to hike and take a horseback ride into Parque Nacional Cotopaxi. The next day we’ll head north of Quito to Otavalo for its huge Saturday market; there, we’ll stay at another hacienda, Las Palmeras Inn. On the way to or from Otavalo, we hope to stop for lunch at yet another hacienda, Hacienda Cusín.

Finally, we will spend our last five nights in Quito, exploring the UNESCO World Heritage city, and venturing west of town to the Mindo Cloud Forest. Another day, we will possibly head southeast to the Termas de Papallacta, a complex of thermal baths in the Northern Oriente, an edge of the Ecuadorian jungle.

In all, we plan to spend three weeks in the country.

We decided against the Galápagos Islands on this trip. Originally, I didn’t think I’d have an interest in going there, but having read about it, I would like to visit at some future time.

I prepared one journal, and will bring another along in case I need two.

Quito

more Quito

Cuenca

Back in 2020, I created some intentions for my travels, although I haven’t been doing intentions since I took a break from blogging in 2021. These intentions were for my originally intended “slow travel,” where I hoped to stay in one place and write a lot. As can be seen here, our plans have become much more involved since I originally conceived of this trip.

Ecuador intentions

Warnings

We plan to leave in mid-June of 2022. We’re a bit worried about several potential hitches. We received a warning from the U.S. State Department on Friday, June 10: “The Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE) is planning demonstrations and road blockages nationwide from June 13 to June 15. Multiple roads in and out of Quito, including those leading to the airport, could be affected. Some past demonstrations have turned violent and security forces have responded with crowd dispersal agents to maintain public order.

“Among the Roads Likely to be Affected Are: San Miguel del Común, Mariscal Sucre and Humberto Albornoz, Ruta Viva, Toll Intervalles, Intervalles and Guayaquil, Intervalles and Sebastiana de Benalcazar, Mitad del Mundo, Simón Bolívar sector el Troje, and Maldonado sector Escuela Riobamba. Please keep in mind that these locations are subject to change.

During this time, please take the following actions

· Avoid crowds

· Avoid demonstration areas

· Monitor local media for updates on road closures.

· Exercise caution if transiting through affected areas.

· Consider alternate routes.”

And on Tuesday, June 14, we received this: “The Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE) continues to lead demonstrations nationwide. Demonstrators have blocked multiple roads around the country, both in cities and rural areas. There are also reports of violence in some areas, including on Avenida 6 de Diciembre in Quito where demonstrators have reportedly vandalized police cars, started fires, and assaulted law enforcement officials. The situation is rapidly evolving and could continue to worsen and spread to other areas without notice. We urge you to remain vigilant, closely monitor the situation for updates, and exercise caution when traveling in both urban and rural areas of the country.”

I have read about these protests, which apparently occur frequently, in the book by Judy Blankenship: Our House in the Clouds: Building a Second Life in the Andes of Ecuador. She describes how the indigenous people block the Pan American Highway, the main north-south highway, with boulders, trees and all other kinds of debris. On Wednesday morning, pulling up a Google map of the route I saw this:

The Pan American Highway from Cuenca to Quito on Wednesday, June 14, showing road closures.

Luckily, our plan has us flying into Quito, staying overnight in a hotel near the airport, and then immediately flying south to Cuenca, where we will stay for 6 nights. Then we will slowly make our way north. We’re hoping that the protests will be over by the time we get to Riobamba, as we still have to continue north to Latacunga and Parque Nacional Cotopaxi, then to Otavalo and Quito.

We’re keeping our fingers crossed that our plans aren’t disrupted too much.

croatia: dalmatia

wanderessence1025 May 4, 2022

We visited Croatia in October of 2021. After leaving Plitvice Lakes National Park, we headed to the east shore of the Adriatic Sea, known as Dalmatia, starting in Zadar then working our way south through Šibenik, Primošten, Split (including Hvar and Trogir), and finally Dubrovnik.

After leaving Plitvice Lakes National Park, we drove through tunnels and over mountains to Zadar, where we listened to the Sea Organ and watched the “Greeting to the Sun,” a light show powered by the sun’s energy. We enjoyed a fabulous dinner of John Dory fillet at Restaurant Bruschetta in Zadar and then strolled along the Riva. We climbed up to St. Michael’s Fortress in Šibenik and enjoyed a waterfront lunch. We wandered around the beaches of Primošten. We arrived in Split to cold and blustery weather and stopped for a warm-up with pear brandy at Semafor. We braved a miserable rainy and cold day in Split visiting Diocletian’s Palace, and then visited it again the next day when the sun came out. We climbed the Venetian bell tower at noon and got an earful of clanging bells. We drove to the Marjan Peninsula and visited Kašjuni Beach and then drove to Trogir and strolled the waterfront promenade. We ate one of our best meals of avocado & shrimp salad and stuffed green peppers with mashed potatoes at Semafor. We took the ferry to Hvar, where we zoomed through tunnels and mountain roads over the Island on a quad, with an enjoyable stop at a hidden winery in Jelsa. We took a ferry to the Pelješac Peninsula, saw shellfish cultivation, vineyards, and the Great Wall of Croatia, and imbibed in oysters at Mali Ston. We braved the hair-raising cliff drive into Dubrovnik. We strolled around Dubrovnik and stopped in at Buža I, where concrete stairs led to a beach. We ate delicious grilled calamari at Konoba Jezuite while bundled in a pink blanket against the frigid bura. We took our COVID tests with (luckily) negative results. We walked around the Dubrovnik City Walls and up to the Fort of St. Lawrence, where we had a birds’-eye view of the City Walls. We devoured Bosnian meatballs at the Taj Mahal and, the next morning, took the cable car to Mount Srd, where we had a great view of all of Dubrovnik. We climbed to Park Gradac for views and then ate our final meal at Restaurant Jezuite.

I recommend watching on YouTube for the best experience.

Our top eight experiences in Dalmatia were:
8) The Pelješac Peninsula and Mali Ston: eating shellfish, drinking wine. Climbing the “Great Wall of Croatia would have been fun, but we didn’t have time.
7) Primošten: the beach is beautiful and would be nice in summer.
6) Trogir: the rich and famous and their yachts.
5) Šibenik: Climbing to St. Michael’s Fortress for amazing views.
4) Dubrovnik: Walking around the City Walls. Otherwise, very touristy.
3) Split: lots to do. We were unlucky with weather but it would be great in warm weather.
2) Zadar: the town, restaurants, Sea Organ and “Greeting to the Sun.” Not so touristy.
1) Hvar: taking a quad and a secret winery at Jelsa. 🙂

our Polarsteps map of our route in Dalmatia

Thank you for watching!

croatia: zagreb, istria & plitvice lakes national park

wanderessence1025 April 27, 2022

We visited Croatia in October of 2021, starting in Zagreb, and working our way west to Istria, where we stopped in Opatija, Motovun, Rovinj and Pula. Then we continued southeast to Plitvice Lakes National Park where we explored the park in cold, windy and rainy weather. This was our first international trip since the pandemic started.

We also went south to Dalmatia, along the coast, which I’ll feature in an upcoming video.

In Croatia, we strolled among the disheveled and forlorn populace of Zagreb and ate pizza and fluffy pillows of warm bread with beer and rakija. We took a funicular to the Upper Town and visited the Museum of Broken Relationships with its sad tales and detritus of heartbreak. We chatted with the waiter at the Bulldog Café about divisive matters of the world. Later, we walked around the Green Horseshoe and found actors rehearsing an opera on the portico of the Croatian National Theatre. We drove to the Eastern Riviera in Opatija and promenaded down the Lungomare to meet a woman surrounded by seagulls. We enjoyed the vineyard views of Istria from the hill town of Motovun. We immersed ourselves in blue light with harbor views and seafood at Gostionica “La Gondola” in Rovinj. We wandered through the Old Town and to the Church of St. Euphemia after checking out the rock-carved “beaches.” We bicycled on a trail leading to a rocky beach where we swam under the shade of cypresses and Aleppo pines. We visited the Roman amphitheater and strolled through Pula. Finally, we were serenaded by waterfalls as we traipsed through Plitvice National Park in the pouring rain on boardwalks lined with tropical plants and marsh grasses growing out of limestone.

I recommend watching on YouTube for the best experience. 🙂

Our top six experiences in the northern portion of Croatia were:
6) Plitvice Lakes National Park (rainy, cold and miserable, but beautiful)
5) Zagreb, especially the Upper Town (Gradac) and Tkalčićeva Street
4) Motovun
3) Opatija
2) Pula and the Roman ruins
1) Rovinj (our favorite of the entire trip)

Our northern route in Croatia from Polarsteps

Thanks for watching!

happy belated new year: looking ahead to twenty twenty-two

wanderessence1025 January 7, 2022

Happy belated New Year! I’ve enjoyed having my year off from blogging but I’m ready to open it up again for 2022. I didn’t accomplish anything I set out to do; instead I focused on restoring my health and trying to make the most of life while struggling through another year of pandemic.

I don’t intend to write much this year. Instead, I want to experiment with making videos of some of my travels, focusing on travels since the pandemic began and maybe some of my past travels. If I’m able to travel any this year, I’ll try to make some for those travels as well.

There’s one big caveat. I’ve never made a video before; I’ll have to learn as I go along. Since I don’t actually have much video footage, they’ll be mostly slideshow videos (with photos only) set to music. I’ll try to take more videos while traveling in the future. The only writing I’ll do is a list of my “Top 10” for a destination, and maybe a paragraph of highlights. That will be the extent of it.

Mostly, I just want to have fun and challenge myself to learn something new. 🙂

Here are some pages from my 2022 bullet journal where I plot out my year as I’d like it to be. Who knows if any of it will happen, especially with the pandemic still tearing its way through the world. We can always hope.

my overall goals

Word of the year, as yet unknown, & some goals

my travel dreams for 2022

January cover page

my reading goals

Happy New Year! I wish all of you good health and much happiness in 2022.

twenty twenty-one: from insurrection to omicron

wanderessence1025 January 3, 2022

Twenty twenty-one was: A year of insurrections, the inauguration of a new president, and the impeachment of an ex-president, sadly without a conviction. A year of justices, injustices and utter lack of justice. A year of glimmers of hope that we were emerging from our pandemic due to availability of a vaccine and a booster, thwarted by two Greek letter variants: Delta and Omicron, and by people who either refused to do their part for the common good or were unable to access the vaccine. A year of continued attempts to heal my laryngopharyngeal reflux including some unpleasant tests and a partial laproscopic fundoplication. A partial year of working on the mind-body connection with The Cure for Chronic Pain and Curable. A year of a molar implant and a crown. A year of walking outdoors and yoga practice. A year of a “Great Lakes Road Trip” through Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan; a two-week trip to Croatia; and a long weekend in Boston. A year of our eldest son coming home to live with us and returning to college in data science. A year of my daughter making prepared meals for a market, a long-time dream of hers. A year of our youngest son continuing to live in Nicaragua. A year of flags commemorating those dead from Covid, a lavender farm, and “Les Colombes” (The Doves) at the Cathedral. A year of continuing to wear a mask everywhere and to keep the requisite social distance. A year off from blogging, a much-needed break, but still not accomplishing much. A year of favorite movies: The Dig, Nomadland, Minari, Summer of Soul, Mama Weed, Stillwater, Coda, Belfast, King Richard, and Don’t Look Up. A year of favorite books: A Reckoning by May Sarton, The Hired Man by Aminatta Forna, The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway, Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel, and Undaunted Courage by Stephen E. Ambrose. Read 57/52 books for the year (My Year in Books: 2021). A year in which the word of the year was vaccine, or “vax.”

My year in books

January was: A month of three “I”s: insurrection, impeachment and inauguration on three consecutive Wednesdays. A month of dark energy, white supremacy, hatred, violence – all an inflection point in U.S. history, outcome as yet unknown. A month of fires in the fireplace and games of Scrabble, Ticket to Ride and Yahtzee. A month where snow fell on the last day after a two-year snow drought. A month of walks in the neighborhood, around Reston lakes, in Eakin Park, and along the Glade Trail. A month where Poonam tripped on tree roots and couldn’t get up. A month of coconut water, chocolate, hot cocoa and hot water with honey. A month of lobster rolls, chili dogs, and Vietnamese food. A month of haircuts, hair straightening, and pedicures. A month of Adam breaking up with Anna and getting baptized in the name of Jesus in Nicaragua. A month of Luxor and The Dig. A month of Sarah beginning to create dishes to sell in Shields Market and working more at Soul ‘n Vinegar. A month of the Wolf Moon and bitter winds and sunshine. A month of hiking boots, umbrellas and warm woolly sweaters. A month dreaming about Minnesota, and reading Educated and The Coast of Good Intentions. A month of frantic tweeting, doomscrolling, celebrating Trump getting suspended from Twitter, and getting myself suspended temporarily from Facebook. A month of dreams about caravans of actors in a lost world after a “Georgian flu” pandemic. A month of signing up and waiting not-too-patiently for the ever-elusive COVID vaccine. A month of new coronavirus mutations from Spain, U.K., South Africa and Brazil. A month of Bernie memes with woolen mittens. A month of normalcy restored in our government.

Insurrection

Impeachment

“Unity is the path.”

February was: A month of snow mixed with rain and ice, a month of messy whiteness, slippery paths and bitter cold. A month of drab landscapes, naked brittle trees, biting winds, misery and gloom. A month, too, of hope, with the Lunar New Year, Valentine’s Day, President’s Day, Darina’s birthday, Mike’s birthday, and getting the first shot of the Pfizer COVID vaccine. A month when the groundhog saw his shadow, foretelling six more weeks of winter. A month of winter storms and a deep freeze in Texas with millions losing power and water, while Senator Ted Cruz took off for Cancún and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) went to Texas and raised millions of $$ for suffering Texans. A month of reading about Wisconsin: thousands of small lakes, Great Lakes, cheese curds, fish fries, fish boils, hiking, biking and canoeing. A month of getting exposed to COVID, but NOT getting infected (I always wear a mask indoors). A month of movies including Sophie Scholl, where the heroine was loaded like a torpedo into a guillotine; Hemingway and Gellhorn, where writers immersed themselves in the Spanish Civil War; of Two for the Road, The Song of Sparrows and Nomadland, which reminded me of Adam and his “van life.” A month of Yahtzee and Ticket to Ride and fires in the fireplace and sushi from Ariake and chili rellenos from Anita’s Mexican. A month of Sarah getting exposed to COVID at Joe’s (but testing negative) and enjoying creating meals for Shields Market. A month when Adam moved to Managua and drank too much over Anna, with whom “things are complicated.” A month of chili dogs and Pad Thai for Lunar New Year. A month of Republican senators failing to hold Trump accountable for inciting insurrection on January 6, by acquitting him in a “mock” trial. A month of French toast with brioche, triple sec and blood orange for Shrove Tuesday. A month when I met virtually with a new gastroenterologist, Dr. Emil Valle, who ordered some unpleasant tests. A month of a physical, an eye exam and visits to my dentist and oral surgeon. A month of slogs through the muddy trails at Mason Neck State Park (the Bay View Trail), where we talked by phone to Alex, saw Belmont Bay and crossed boardwalks over freshwater marshes. A month of walking on the Woodmarsh Trail at Elizabeth Hartwell Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge, where we saw migrating tundra swans in the Great Marsh off the Potomac River on a rare 50 degree day for Mike’s 67^th birthday. A month under the Snow Moon. A month where we finished Normal People and Crash Landing on You. A month where I had my first Zoom chat with Darina and a Zoom chat with my friend Jayne in Jersey. A month utterly absorbed in Station Eleven, and also enjoying Vinegar Hill and Cruising Paradise. A month of finishing 5 books, making my total for the year 12/52. A month of the U.S. hitting and surpassing 500,000 COVID deaths.

Amanda Gorman’s words

walking in the snow

Senate acquits Trump again

500,000 covid deaths

Mike’s 67th birthday

Mike at Mason Neck State Park

Mason Neck State Park

March was: A month of lengthening days, greening grasses and leaves, rain, sunshine, wind, warmth and cold. A month of daffodils, forsythia, crab apples, weeping cherries, grape hyacinths, & cherry blossoms. A month under the Worm Moon. A month of a successful molar implant & crown (#30). A month of fires in the fireplace and games of Scrabble where I chalked up one victory. A month where I endured a horribly uncomfortable Esophageal Function Test and a 24-Hour Ambulatory pH and Impedance test. A month where the Democrats passed a $1.9 trillion stimulus bill. A month of getting my second COVID vaccine (Pfizer) and Sarah getting both of hers. A month during which March 11 marked one year since COVID was declared a pandemic. A month commemorating Japan’s tsunami, earthquake and nuclear disaster of 10 years ago. A month of outdoor dining at Kalypso and Ariake. A month of walks around Burke Lake and too many other walks to count, several with Poonam. A month of an ultrasound on my thyroid, which was normal. A month of searching for and buying bedroom furniture after 32 years of marriage. A month of take-out from Cafesano & East Wind Vietnamese. A month of mass shootings: Asians in Atlanta and grocery shoppers in Boulder. A month where we finally finished Mad Men and watched the Turkish movie One -> Way to Tomorrow (Yarina tek bilet). A month exploring with Lewis & Clark in Undaunted Courage, learning about the Balkans in Café Europa, traipsing through Vietnam with Tim O’Brien in The Things They Carried, and climbing trees in The Overstory. A month of finishing 8 books, making my total for the year 20/52.

a walk on the CCT

me wearing the miserable 24-hour-Ambulatory Ph & Impedance test

flowers on my walks

Burke Lake

me at Lake Anne

Mike at Lake Anne

blossoms

April was: A month of Riverbend Park bluebells, cherry blossoms, redbuds, dogwoods and turtles. A month under the Pink Moon. A month when our son in Nicaragua wrote a ranting text revealing he’s hopelessly mired in conspiracy theories and drinking again. A month when he went silent after we sent him a harsh and brutally honest message. A month of celebrating Easter with a take-out Thai meal on our screened porch with Barbara. A month when my son Alex came from Denver for a month-long visit and finally made the decision to go back to school in data science. A month of dining: inside at Artie’s (twice), Seasons 52, and Maru Korean Cuisine & Sushi; in a parklet at Los Cuates in Old Town Alexandria; on decks at Little Nickel & Stella’s Market in Richmond with Sarah; and under a parking lot awning at Vienna Inn. A month of day trips: to Old Town Alexandria for an art walk with Mike and to Historic Annapolis with Poonam. A month of an overnight visit with Sarah in Richmond for her 37^th birthday. A month of take-out from food trucks at Oakton Swim & Racquet Club. A month of a CAT scan on my sinuses, which showed a mucous retention cyst in my right maxillary sinus and a nasal septum deviation, all of which are considered minor. A month of more doctor visits and a new medication regimen to deal with my LPR. A month when Derek Chauvin was convicted of murder in the death of George Floyd, the first police officer to be convicted of murder in forever. A month beginning a revitalization of our front lawn under the direction of Betty’s Azalea Ranch. A month where we finished watching Schitt’s Creek, Not Safe for Work, and Unorthodox. A month mired in Wisconsin’s & Michigan’s rigid Catholicism with Midnight Champagne, Read This and Tell Me What It Says, and Pears on a Willow Tree. A month of living in besieged Sarajevo in The Cellist of Sarajevo. A month of finishing 6 books, making my total for the year 26/52.

Meadowlark Garden

Mike at Artie’s

bluebells at Riverbend

Great Falls

bluebells at Riverbend

Old Town Alexandria

Annapolis

spring flowers

daffodils

the James River in Richmond

a walk under the bridge in Richmond

the James River in Richmond

Mike and Alex at Maru Korean Cuisine & Sushi

May was a month of: farmer’s markets and a first time return to the movie theater to see what turned out to be a private screening of Together Together. Dining: inside at East Wind, take-out from Anita’s for Cinco de Mayo & Lebanese Taverna for a family gathering, a Mother’s Day brunch at Clarity with Alex & Mike. Wrapping up watching The Mess You Leave Behind and Behind Her Eyes. Finishing only one book, Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie, bringing my total to 27/52 books for the year. Exploring Minnesota and Wisconsin on our Great Lakes Road Trip. Indiana Dunes, grottoes, and the confluence of the Mississippi and Wisconsin Rivers. Smoked salmon and trout, walleye tacos, cheese curds, chicken & wild rice soup, and cherry pies. Marine art, the birthplace of waterskiing, and a 16-foot-tall work boot. The SPAM Museum, flat endless farmland, Jolly Green Giant statues, Blue Mounds, Pipestone quarries, and invisible petroglyphs. German towns, waterfalls, reconciliation in Mankato, a bank robbery in Northfield. Strolling through sculpture gardens and across old stone bridges, driving through the University of Minnesota, bicycling around lakes in Minneapolis, and singing to musical murals. Browsing the Minnesota History Museum and learning about iron ore, lumber, the collapse of Interstate 35 in 2007, Minnesota weather, and Sinclair Lewis. Paying our respects to George Floyd, Prince and Bob Dylan, peeking into the On Being studio, and meeting Charlie Brown and the gang in St. Paul. Being charmed in Stillwater. Watching huge freighters go through the Duluth canal under the Aerial Lift Bridge. Railroads and rolling stock in Duluth. Hiking the Blind Ash Bay trail in Voyageurs National Park, having dinner at the Arrowhead Lodge, learning about Koochiching County and Bronko Nagurski in International Falls, and canoeing in search of pictographs on Hegman Lake in Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW). Climbing up Palisade Head for sweeping views of Lake Superior, hiking the High Falls Trail at Tettegouche State Park, admiring the Split Rock Lighthouse, and stopping briefly at Gooseberry Falls State Park. Friday night fish fries and ice cream at Bridgeman’s after a seaplane flight over Duluth. Driving along Rt. 13 in Wisconsin, exploring Bayfield and Ashland, and cruising through Apostle Islands National Lakeshore on a cold and blustery day. Exploring waterfalls at Copper Falls State Park, climbing inside of a giant sturgeon at the Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame, stopping for a beer flight at Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Co. in Chippewa Falls, and stopping to pay our respects to veterans at the Highground, topped off by an old-fashioned Chinese meal at Shaw Lee in Wisconsin Rapids.

City of Fairfax

me in Fairfax

Fairfax, VA

pansies in Fairfax

Alex and me at Clarity for Mother’s Day

Indiana Dunes National Park

Dickeyville Grotto in Wisconsin

Wyalusing State Park, WI

Valley Fish & Cheese in Prairie du Chien, WI

View from Granddad Bluff overlooking LaCrosse, WI

LaCrosse, Wi

Red Wing, Minnesota

Rochester, MN

Spam Museum, Austin, MN

Blue Mounds State Park, MN

Pipestone National Monument, MN

Jeffers Petroglyphs

Minneopa State Park & Falls, MN

Northfield, MN

Minnehaha Falls, Minneapolis, MN

Minneapolis Sculpture Garden

Spoonbridge and Cherry at the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden

Walker Art Center, Minneapolis

Mike biking around Lake Harriet

Minneapolis, MN

George Floyd Square, Minneapolis, MN

Cathedral of St. Paul, St. Paul, MN

Minnesota History Museum

Bob Dylan mural in Minneapolis

Stillwater, MN

Duluth, MN

Voyageur’s National Park, MN

Arrowhead Lodge near Voyageurs NP

Voyageur statue near Rainy Lake Visitor Center

birch tree in Voyageurs

Smoking Bear in International Falls, MN

Canadian border at International Falls, MN

Mike canoeing in Boundary Waters, MN

pictrographs at Boundary Waters

me portaging at Boundary Waters

Mike portaging

Palisade Head, MN

Tettegouche State Park

Split Rock Lighthouse State Park

flying Beaver Air in Duluth

aerial view of Duluth from the seaplane

Minnesota PolarSteps

Port Wing, Wisconsin

Cornucopia, WI

Bayfield, WI

Ashland, Wisconsin

Apostle Islands National Lakeshore

Copper Falls State Park

Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame in Hayward, WI

me at Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Co in Chippewa Falls, WI

Mike at Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Co in Chippewa Falls, WI

June was a month of: Exploring Wisconsin & Michigan on our Great Lakes Road Trip. Walking through Witches Gulch and watching a dog jump over an abyss to Stand Rock in Wisconsin Dells. Climbing the steep trail at Devil’s Lake State Park to the Devil’s Doorway. Enjoying a Bodega Bowl in the shadow of the Wisconsin State Capitol in Madison, and wandering around the beautiful University of Wisconsin campus. Strolling State Street and enjoying dumplings at Chen’s Noodles & Dumplings. Cheese curds and beer at Lakefront Brewery in Milwaukee. Walking through the “Streets of Old Milwaukee” and the European Village and learning about Nelson Mandela at the Milwaukee Public Museum. Glimpsing all-things-beer including Miller Brewing and the Pabst Mansion, then meeting “the Fonz” on the Riverwalk. Exploring the Public Market and the Historic Third Ward. Learning about maritime history in Sturgeon Bay and walking along limestone bedrock fronting Lake Michigan at Cave Point County Park. A conflagration and whitefish at a fish boil at Pelletier’s in Fish Creek. A stunning sunset at Sunset Beach at Fish Creek. Wearing cheeseheads and doing the “Lambeau Leap” at Lambeau Field in Green Bay. Visiting the Sand Point Lighthouse in Escanaba and the Marquette Harbor Lighthouse in Marquette, Michigan. Watching The Sand Lot on a big screen at the Delft Bistro. Exploring Miners Castle, Miners Beach, Sable Falls, and the Au Sable Lighthouse Trail (accompanied by black flies and mosquitoes aplenty) at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. A 2-hour sunset cruise with Pictured Rocks Cruises after eating pasties at Muldoon’s Pasties. “Yoosta be a Yooper” in Munising, MI. Waterfalls in Munising and Tahquamenon Falls State Park, the Edmund Fitzgerald and other shipwrecks at Whitefish Point’s Shipwreck Museum and a ship moving glacially through the Soo Locks at Sault Ste. Marie. Bicycling around Mackinac Island and then driving through the Tunnel of Trees to Petoskey. Enjoying thatch houses at Charlevoix, walking the Cottonwood Trail at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, and having a lovely dinner at The Cove in Leland, with views of weathered shanties on the Fishtown dock. Driving by Jim Harrison’s old home — writer’s cottage and all. Driving through cherry orchards and wineries up the slim Mission Peninsula, where we found another lighthouse. Coming face-to-face with the DeVos evangelical mission in Holland. Having a bad experience with our Airbnb in Detroit, which turned out to be in a derelict neighborhood, and losing most of our money. Wandering through Ann Arbor and watching In the Heights at the Michigan Theatre. Learning about the history of cars and American innovation at The Henry Ford in Dearborn. Learning about an obscure battle in the War of 1812 at the River Raisin National Battlefield Park. Visiting the Johnstown Flood National Memorial and learning about over 2,000 people who died in that horrible flood of 1889. Paying my respects to the 9/11 heroes of Flight 93 at the Flight 93 National Memorial. Having new landscaping installed in our front yard and new bedroom furniture delivered. Enjoying food from the Jambalaya Brothers Food Truck and welcoming Alex back home to live while he goes back to NOVA. A cookout for Father’s Day with Barb and Alex. Beginning my immunotherapy for allergies. Dinner at Barcelona Wine Bar. “Les Colombes” (The Doves) at Washington National Cathedral and a mediocre lunch at Cactus Cantina. Our first Uber Eats at La Ong Thai Bistro. Wrapping up watching Masterpiece Theater’s Us, Bless This Mess, and The Mindy Project. Finishing only one book, A Relative Stranger: Stories by Charles Baxter, bringing my total to 28/52 books for the year.

Stand Rock, Wisconsin Dells

Witches Gulch, Wisconsin Dells

Wisconsin Dells

Devils Lake State Park, WI

me at Devils Lake State Park

me at Lucille in Madison, WI

Lucille in Madison, WI

the Majestic in Madison, WI

Madison, WI

Milwaukee, WI

Milwaukee Art Museum

Milwaukee Public Museum

Miller Brewing in Milwaukee

Pabst Mansion, Milwaukee

Milwaukee Public Market

The Fonz at Riverwalk, Milwaukee

Riverwalk, Milwaukee

me at dinner at Beans & Barley, Milwaukee

view from the Door County Maritime Museum, WI

Cave Point County Park, WI

Pelletier’s Fish Boil

Fish Creek, WI

Lambeau Field, Green Bay, WI

home of the Packers, Green Bay

PolarSteps through Wisconsin

House of Ludington in Escanaba, MI

Marquette Harbor Lighthouse, Michigan

watching The Sandlot at the Delft Bistro in Marquette, MI

Mike at Miners Beach, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

Me at Miners Beach, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

Miners Falls

hike to Miners Falls

Log Slide Overlook at Pictured Rocks

pasties in Munising, MI

Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

Wagner Falls, Munising

Tahquamenon Falls State Park, MI

Shipwreck Museum at Whitefish Point, MI

Sault Ste. Marie, MI

Mackinac Island, MI

riding bikes on Mackinac Island, MI

Mike at Mackinac Island

Mackinac Island, MI

Tunnel of Trees, MI

me at Mim’s Mediterranean Grill, Petoskey, MI

Mim’s Mediterranean Grill, Petoskey, MI

Charlevoix, MI

South Pierhead Lighthouse, Charlevoix, MI

Charlevoix, MI

Mike at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

bookstore in Leland on the Leelanau Peninsula, MI

Fishtown, MI

Mission Point Lighthouse at the Old Mission Peninsula, MI

Old Mission Peninsula

Tri-Cities Historical Museum, Holland, MI

Holland, MI

beach at Holland, MI

Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum, Grand Rapids, MI

Michigan State Capitol, Lansing, MI

Ann Arbor, MI

University of Michigan stadium

University of Michigan

Ann Arbor, MI

The Henry Ford, Dearborn, MI

Michigan Polar Steps

Flight 93 National Memorial, Stoystown, PA

Washington National Cathedral

me at Washington National Cathedral

“Les Colombes” (The Doves) at Washington National Cathedral

July was a month of: Allergy shots, haircuts, a massage, a pneumonia shot, pedicures in purple at Orchid Nails, and yoga & karma meditation at Beloved Yoga (& one yoga session at Holy Comforter). Pleasant afternoons here & there and at Blooming Hill Lavender Farm. Lunch at Kalypso and a couple of walks with Jayne when she visited from California. Solo weekend time when Mike took his annual trip to Ohio with his high school buddies. First shot of the Moderna vaccine for Alex. Losing to Alex & Mike at Ticket to Ride. Enjoying food out at Enatye, Artie’s, Tsunami Sushi, Season 52, and Maru Korean Cuisine & Sushi with Alex to celebrate an “A” in his public speaking class. Enjoying Food Truck Fridays at Roaming Coyote & Empanadas de Mendoza. Jiving to Summer of Soul with Mike and enjoying Mama Weed followed by dinner at Yama Chen’s on my own; watching Stillwater with Mike at Cinema Arts. Being probed by videostroboscopy with Dr. Steven Bielamowicz at George Washington University Hospital with his determination that sinus problems were NOT the primary cause of my LPR. Starting to feel better with my LPR. Finishing Hemingway. Wrapping up five books, my favorites being Virgil Wander, Siam, Evicted, and Girl at War, bringing my total to 33/52 books for the year.

Blooming Hill Lavender Farm

Lake Anne, Reston

Jayne and me at Lake Anne

Tsunami Sushi

August was a month of: Continuing allergy shots. Visiting Sarah in Richmond & dinner at Bacchus. Playing Exploding Kittens with Alex. Watching a family of deaf fishermen and their hearing (& singing) daughter in Coda at Cinema Arts. Enjoying a meal at Istanbul Blue with Alex to celebrate finishing his summer semester with two “A”s. Eating a low carb / high protein diet to shrink my liver in preparation for a laproscopic partial fundoplication. Having the surgery & staying overnight in Reston Hospital. Basking in sunflowers at the Van Gogh Immersive Experience. Seeing Dr. Whittington and finding my teeth are super sensitive to cold due to gum recession. Visiting the orthopedic doctor due to pain in my right hip and pins & needles in my right thigh; starting a round of steroids. A liquid diet for two weeks after the surgery. Dropping 7.8 pounds due to the surgery and diet restrictions. Enjoying a royal blue pedicure at Orchid Nails. Getting my flu shot. Streaming movies: Land, Supernova, Pray Away, and The Mauritanian. Walking with Poonam to see her new house under construction and getting drenched during the walk home. Watching & waiting as Jayne’s house in South Lake Tahoe was threatened by the Caldor Fire. Finishing The Kominsky Method. Watching the six-episode The White Lotus. Finishing up three books, my favorites being The Lager Queen of Minnesota, Lullaby Road, and The Sun Collective, bringing my total to 36/52 books for the year.

the James River in Richmond, VA

Van Gogh Immersive Experience in D.C.

September was a month of: Haircuts and hair straightening. Two acupuncture treatments, one of which helped and the second of which caused some kind of damage. Watching Alfred Hitchcock’s Strangers on a Train and Do the Right Thing with Alex for his film class. Meals at Woodlands, Seasons 52, East Wind Vietnamese, and Eerkins Uyghur Cuisine, topped off with ice cream from Woody’s. Barbara’s birthday celebration on our deck with Thai food; dim sum at Mama Chang with Alex & Louisa. A walk with Poonam at Eakin Park. A surprisingly spot-on speech by George W. Bush about 9/11 and the threat posed by extremists in the U.S. today. Visiting the National Mall to see the flags commemorating those who have died of COVID in the U.S. (681,520 as of that day). Booking Croatia hotel and AirBnbs. My first massage at Srila Thai Massage. Patrick’s death in Offspring. Finishing The Chair. Finishing six books, my favorites being The Light in the Ruins, The Hired Man, and The First Rule of Swimming, bringing my total to 42/52 books for the year. Flying off on Lufthansa across the Atlantic to Frankfurt, Germany and onward to Zagreb, Croatia.

the National Mall COVID flags

October was a month of: Walking among the disheveled and forlorn populace of Zagreb, Croatia, & eating pizza and fluffy pillows of warm bread with beer and rakija. Taking a funicular to the Upper Town and visiting the Museum of Broken Relationships with its sad tales and detritus of heartbreak. Chatting with the waiter at the Bulldog Café about divisive matters of the world. Walking around the Green Horseshoe and finding actors rehearsing an opera on the portico of the Croatian National Theatre. Driving to the Eastern Riviera in Opatija and promenading down the Lungomare to meet a woman surrounded by seagulls. Enjoying the vineyard views of Istria from the hill town of Motovun. Enjoying harbor views and seafood at Gostionica “La Gondola” in Rovinj. Walking through the Old Town and to the Church of St. Euphenia after checking out the rock-carved “beaches.” Bicycling on a trail leading to a rocky beach, where we swam under the shade of cypresses and Aleppo pines. Visiting the Roman amphitheater and strolling through Pula. Being serenaded by waterfalls as we traipsed through Plitvice National Park in the pouring rain on boardwalks lined with tropical plants and marsh grasses growing out of limestone. Driving through tunnels and over the mountains to Zadar, where we listened to the Sea Organ and watched the “Greeting to the Sun,” a light show powered by the sun’s energy. Enjoying a fabulous dinner of John Dory fillet at Restaurant Bruschetta in Zadar and then strolling along the Riva. Climbing up to St. Michael’s Fortress in Šibenik and enjoying a waterfront lunch. Wandering around the beaches of Primošten. Arriving in Split to cold and blustery weather and stopping for a warm-up with pear brandy at Semafor. Braving a miserable rainy and cold day in Split visiting Diocletian’s Palace, and then visiting it again the next day when the sun came out. Visiting the Venetian bell tower at noon and getting an earful of clanging bells. Driving to the Marjan Peninsula and visiting Kašjuni Beach and then driving to Trogir and strolling the waterfront promenade. Eating one of our best meals of avocado & shrimp salad and stuffed green peppers with mashed potatoes at Semafor. Taking the ferry to Hvar and renting a quad where we zoomed through tunnels and mountain roads over the Island, with an enjoyable stop at a hidden winery in Jelsa. Taking a ferry to the Pelješac Peninsula and enjoying oysters at Mali Ston. Braving the hair-raising cliff drive into Dubrovnik. Strolling around Dubrovnik and stopping in at Buža I, where concrete stairs led to a beach. Eating grilled calamari at Konoba Jezuite while bundled in a pink blanket against the frigid bura. Taking our COVID tests with (luckily) negative results. Walking around the Dubrovnik City Walls and up to the Fort of St. Lawrence, where we had a birds’-eye view of the City Walls. Eating Bosnian meatballs at the Taj Mahal. Taking the cable car to Mount Srd, where we had a great view of all of Dubrovnik. Climbing to Park Gradac for views and then eating our final meal at Restaurant Jezuite. Returning home to Virginia. Getting our COVID booster shots. Enjoying dinner with Karen and Michael for my 66^th birthday at Barcelona. Celebrating more of my birthday with Barb, Alex and Mike at home. Working on the course The Cure for Chronic Pain, getting a Thai massage, and voting early for Terry McAuliffe for Virginia’s governor. Losing my car key while walking on the CCT. Going to Holy Comforter and eating at Anita’s. Driving in the Virginia countryside and enjoying Halloween decorations and fall colors on Halloween day. Streaming In the Land of Blood and Honey at home. Finishing the final season of Atypical. Finishing three books, my favorite being The Stone Fields: Love and Death in the Balkans, bringing my total to 45/52 books for the year.

me in Zagreb

Croatian National Theatre, Zagreb

Zagreb, Croatia

Opatija, Croatia

Motovun, Croatia

St. Stephen’s in Motovun

mural in Motovun

view from Motovun in Istria, Croatia

Motovun

me at the “beach” in Rovinj

Mike at the beach in Rovinj

Mike and his bike in Rovinj

Amphitheater in Pula

laundry in Rovinj

Plitvice National Park

St. Donatus Church in Zadar

me in Zadar

“Greeting to the Sun” in Zadar

Mike at “Greeting to the Sun” in Zadar

Zadar, Croatia

sunset in Zadar, Croatia

dinner at Bruschetta in Zadar

St. Michael’s Fortress in Šibenik

Mike at St. Michael’s Fortress

garden of St. Lawrence’s Monastery in Šibenik

Primošten

Diocletian’s Palace in Split (in the rain)

Entry vestibule to Diocletian’s Palace

me rubbing Bishop Gregory of Nin’s toe for good luck

Diocletian’s Palace

view of Split from the Bell Tower

Cathedral of St. Domnius in Split

me at Cathedral of St. Domnius in Split

The Bell Tower in Split

Trogir, Croatia

Cathedral of St. Lawrence in Trogir

Milna on Hvar Island

view from Hvar

Hvar

Cathedral of St. Stephen in Hvar

me at Buža I in Dubrovnik

me at konoba Jezuite in Dubrovnik

Jesuit steps in Dubrovnik made famous by Game of Thrones

Dubrovnik from outside the walls

City Walls of Dubrovnik

view from the City Walls

City Walls, Dubrovnik

King’s Landing from Game of Thrones?

view of Dubrovnik’s City Walls from Fort of St. Lawrence

a little beach area in Dubrovnik

Dubrovnik from Mt. Srd

Game of Thrones

view of Fort of St. Lawrence and City Walls from Park Gradac

Karen, me, Mike, and Michael on my 66th birthday at barcelona

Skeletons at Lake Anne Center

Halloween decorations in Round Hill, VA

November was a month of: Virginians electing a fascist governor (Glenn Youngkin). Visiting my dad and feeling saddened by his decline. Sitting with Sarah at the Joe’s Inn bar talking to a Vietnamese guy named Khanh. Attempting healing through Beloved Yoga sessions, yoga with Ann Gillespie, The Cure for Chronic Pain, visionboards, Curable, and massages at Srila Thai Massage. Enjoying meals at Seasons 52, Aracosia McLean (with Alex to celebrate midterms), Fin’s Sushi, Seoul-Boston, Curry Mantra, & Maru Korean Cuisine. Taking a long weekend trip to Boston where we walked the Freedom Trail, admired harvest doors in Beacon Hill, fought chaotic rain to get to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, and strolled through Cambridge. Day-tripping to Luckett’s and enjoying sandwiches at Puccio’s New York Deli in Leesburg, accompanied by anger at the acquittal of Kyle Rittenhouse, who murdered two people and shot three in “self-defense.” Enjoying Van Morrison’s songs in Belfast at Cinema Arts. A jury finding white supremacist rally organizers liable for Charlottesville violence in 2017 and awarding $25 million to plaintiffs. A Georgia jury finding three White men guilty of murdering Black Ahmaud Arbery in 2020 in what amounted to a modern-day lynching. Celebrating a lovely Thanksgiving with Barbara and Alex, playing Codenames and Ticket to Ride. Finding out about the emergence of the Omicron variant of COVID in South Africa and bracing for more of COVID just when we thought we were coming out of it. Finishing four books, my favorites being A Reckoning and Claire Marvel, bringing my total to 49/52 books for the year.

Fall trees in Virginia

Boston Public Garden

Boston Irish Famine Memorial

Old State House and Boston Massacre Site

Faneuil Hall

Paul Revere

Copp’s Hill Burying Ground

Beacon Hill

Beacon Hill, Boston

Acorn Street in Beacon Hill

Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

Ray and Maria Stata Center at MIT

MIT campus

Central Square in Cambridge

Longfellow House – Washington’s Headquarters

the CCT trail in Oakton, VA

December was a month of: Continued yoga practice, JournalSpeak, Curable, and a massage. Video chats with our son in Nicaragua for his 29^th birthday and for Christmas. Decorating the Christmas tree with Alex, accompanied by egg nog & Christmas carols. Enjoying meals at Cafesano, Taco Bamba, Sweetwater, & Sweet Ginger. Meeting my friend Leah from California at Pearl Dive for lunch and bottomless mimosas after two years of not seeing each other. Strolling through the Winter Walk of Lights at Meadowlark Gardens with Alex and Louisa. Doing the hilarious “Amazing Race,” a kind of couples scavenger hunt through Vienna, arranged by our church, and losing. Driving around with Mike, Sarah and Alex on Christmas Eve with bourbon-spiked hot apple cider, critiquing or applauding Christmas decorations and singing “Feliz Navidad” at the tops of our lungs. Celebrating a lovely Christmas with Barbara, Alex, and Sarah. Playing games of Chinese Checkers and Trekking the World. Finishing TV series including Homeland, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, and Married. Streaming movies at home: The Courier, King Richard, and Don’t Look Up. Finishing eight books, my favorites being Happy All the Time and Moth Smoke, bringing my total to 57/52 books for the year.

Winter Walk of Lights at Meadowlark Gardens, Vienna, VA

Leah and me at Pearl Dive Oyster Palace

our Christmas tree

our foyer

me with Mike

Mike, Sarah & Bagel, Alex and me

Here are some of my previous years’ recap posts. I now wish I had one for every year of my life, as they serve as great reminders of my adventures, joys and tribulations in years past!

twenty-twenty: the year of coronavirus
twenty-nineteen
twenty-eighteen
twenty-seventeen
twenty-sixteen
Sadly, I didn’t do one in 2015.
twenty-fourteen
twenty-thirteen
weekly photo challenge: my 2012 in pictures

on returning home from greece in 2012

wanderessence1025 December 9, 2020

Athens

Three days in Athens and this is what I remember. After arriving and standing at the baggage claim for a long time, as every other passenger departed with their bags, I realized my luggage had gone on a trip of its own to some unknown destination. It certainly wasn’t in Athens!

I used to pack a carry-on bag with pajamas, toiletries, and a change of clothes, JUST IN CASE. But because I’d been so lucky, I didn’t have a carry-on bag at all. All I had were the clothes on my back, a small backpack with my camera (but no charger for my battery), my phone (but no charger), money, credit cards and my passport.

After leaving my contact information with Eygpt Air, I moved in to the Acropolis View Hotel, with a rooftop terrace that offered a perfect view of the Acropolis.

I remember the Plaka neighborhood, the old Turkish quarter which used to be the whole of Athens when it was declared capital of Greece. Its paved narrow streets ran along the base of the northeastern slope of the Acropolis and passed right by the Acropolis Museum. It was a tourist-friendly and charming neighborhood with leafy trees, outdoor cafes and shops selling artsy jewelry, Grecian urns, T-shirts, paintings of the Greek islands, souvenirs and trinkets.

I remember the new 130-million-euro Acropolis Museum, opened with much fanfare in 2009. This huge modernist building collects the surviving treasures of the Acropolis, a total of over 4,000 artifacts. The museum’s collections focus on the Acropolis of the 5th century BC, generally agreed to be the height of Greece’s artistic achievement. There I found the glass floor sloped upwards in sync with the finds displayed from the slopes of the Acropolis, votive offerings from the sanctuaries where the gods were worshiped, everyday household items used by Athenians of all historical periods, as well as two clay statues of Nike at the entrance. In the Archaic Gallery, I learned of the 7th century BC, until the end of the Persian Wars (480/79 BC), characterized by the development of the city-state and the transition from aristocracy to tyranny and, eventually, democracy. It is also characterized by great achievements in the economy, art and intellectual life. Most statues were 6th century kore (maiden) statues in draped gowns and elaborate braids, carrying a bird, pomegranate or wreath.

I remember the top floor Parthenon Gallery, a glass atrium built in alignment with the temple — the museum’s highlight. It held an installation of the frieze of the Parthenon on the rectangular cement core that had exactly the same dimensions as the cella of the Parthenon. The British Museum bought the original Parthenon Marbles after Lord Elgin absconded with them in 1801; currently more than half the frieze is in Britain.

I loved the design of the museum and how it was interwoven with the Acropolis itself; I also loved all the natural light and especially the layout of the Parthenon Gallery, which was the closest thing to being able to experience the Acropolis as a whole.

Back at the hotel, I took a glass of wine up to the 5th floor terrace of the hotel and sat on a wrought-iron chair and soaked up the Acropolis view. It was amazing, with the sun setting and the golden light washing over it. It was such a pleasant spot, with a cool breeze and amazing ancient history right in front of me. Athens spread out in every direction all around. I was already in love with Greece, and I hadn’t even been here a full day.

When I returned to my room after dinner, I was again hit by the realization that I had no luggage. It seemed I had temporarily forgotten my little misfortune. During the day, I had bought a toothbrush and toothpaste and a round hairbrush. I took off the only clothes I had, washed the only underwear I had, and tried to sleep, tossing and turning with visions of Plaka, the Acropolis, colorful mussels saganaki, and my capricious vagabond bag.

My second morning in Athens, I remember putting on my same old clothes and heading to the lobby, hoping to find some word of my bag. Sadly, there had been no word at the front desk, nor had Egypt Air called me directly. I ate breakfast in the lobby cafe. They had quite a spread of hard-boiled eggs, toast, bread, cakes, cucumbers, tomatoes, cheese, and olives.

I remember the Acropolis, considered the most important ancient site in the Western world. The weather was beautiful, so cheery that it was difficult to dwell on my worries. The Acropolis stood before me, beckoning.

The Acropolis’s first temples were built in honor of the goddess Athena during the Mycenaean era. People lived on the Acropolis until the 6th century BC, but in 510 BC the Delphic oracle determined it should be the province of the gods.

The Acropolis has been ravaged over the centuries by foreign occupiers, foreign archeologists, visitors’ footsteps, earthquakes and, recently, pollution and acid rain. In 1687, the Venetians fired on the Turks, who had stored gunpowder in the Parthenon, and a destructive explosion occurred. Major restoration still continues to this day, with many original sculptures moved to the Acropolis Museum. In 1987, the Acropolis became a World Heritage-listed site.

I remember the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, built in AD 161 by wealthy Roman Herodes Atticus in memory of his wife. Uncovered in the mid-19th century and completely restored between 1950-1961, it was now the venue for performances of drama, music and dance during the Athens Festival, part of the Hellenic Festival from late May to October.

I remember heading up a slippery marble walkway, to the Propylaia, the grand entrance to the Acropolis. It is aligned with the Parthenon, the world’s first example of one building designed in relation to another. It appeared everything was under renovation, as there was scaffolding everywhere.

I remember the Parthenon, which means “virgin’s apartment,” dedicated to Athena Parthenos. Its double purpose was to house the great statue of Athena commissioned by Pericles and to serve as a new treasury.

I remember just to the north of the Parthenon was the Erechtheion, built where Poseidon struck the ground with his trident, and where Athena produced the olive tree.

I wandered around, trying to imagine what life must have been like thousands of years ago. Though the Acropolis was in ruins, it still stood majestically over Athena’s city, a commanding presence and reminder of the great accomplishments of ancient Greece. This reminder possibly represented a kind of hope for the Greek people, who were on the verge of bankruptcy. Or possibly it reflected the impending doom that Greek citizens certainly felt as they teetered on the edge of financial insolvency. It felt to me like a mix of hope and sadness.

I remember the circular path called the Peripatos that went around the slopes and intersected the Panathenaic Way at the western approach. These slopes were home to many sanctuaries that played important roles in the religious lives of the ancient Athenians. I remember the north slope, with its simple shrines, the ones that are sometimes called “rustic.” These were places where divinities of nature, fertility and healing were worshiped on a more personal level. Some shrines were nestled along the steep cliffs and pathways. I came across a group of shallow caves at the northwest corner of the north slope where Apollo, Pan, and (probably) the Nymphs were worshiped.

I remember the cult places on the south slope, which received monumental, architectural embellishments, such as the Theatre of Dionysos. The first theatre here was built during the 6th century BC, and during the golden age in the 5th century, politicians sponsored dramas by writers such as Sophocles and Euripides, with some light relief provided by the comedies of Aristophanes.

I remember taking the hop-on, hop-off Athens Open Tour after I finished walking all around the Acropolis and its slopes. We passed the Temple of Zeus, Hadrian’s Arch, Parliament and the National Gardens, Syntagma Square, the Bernaki Museum, the Presidential Residence, the Panathenaic Stadium, the National Library, Omonia Square, the National Archeological Museum, and Karaiskaki Square.

I remember disembarking at Thession, so I could walk down the main central shopping street: Ermou. I intended to buy some clothes just in case my suitcase didn’t arrive, since I was leaving for Crete the next day. I had continued to check my phone in case I’d missed a call from Egypt Air, but there was nothing. I started at the traditional Monastiraki Flea Market, a festive place with permanent antiques, furniture, collectibles, jewelry, handicrafts and bric-a-brac.

Along the pedestrian section of Ermou, with its eclectic mix of stores and shopping strips, I came across some modern-day clothing stores. Here, I popped in and out and started a buying spree. First stop, I bought two tank tops and two pairs of shorts. As I continued in and out of stores, I ended up buying a number of tops, two pairs of pants, three pairs of shorts, underwear, and pajamas. After all was said and done, I had spent 262€ (or $341)!!! Each time before I made a purchase, I checked my phone to see if Egypt Air had called about my bag, but there was never any missed call or any message. I figured as soon as they let me know they had found my bag, I would stop purchasing stuff and head back to the hotel.

My bag of stuff was heavy, and I was hot, tired and irritable, so I stopped at a little cafe to grab a drink and a bite to eat. After eating a delicious spinach pie and being refreshed by a lemonade, I walked the rest of the way to Syntagma Square, where I caught the Hop On Hop Off bus again.

As I sat on the bus, I noticed a lot of police activity down below, with police blocking off one of the streets. Word was from some people on the bus that a neo-Nazi demonstration was due to occur in an hour or so. Later I read in an online publication called Contra Info that the demonstration was more AGAINST neo-Nazis. According to Contra Info‘s story, Athens: Brief summary of the antifascist demo on September 1st: Around 2,500 people attended an antifascist demo in Athens last Saturday, September 1st. The idea of the demo was to arrive at the square to confront a group of ‘autonomous’ fascists, a Strasserist faction of the local nationalist circles, who practice the political strategy of entryism to lead dissident groups towards the neo-Nazi ways. It was crazy that I almost ended up in the middle of this demonstration!!

After getting off the bus, I walked the several blocks back to my hotel, and there, lo and behold (!), right in front of me in the hotel lobby, was my red suitcase!! A wave of happiness, relief, even ecstasy, washed over me. I asked the desk clerk when the bag appeared and they said it arrived a couple of hours ago. The only regret of course was that Egypt Air never called to let me know they found the bag, which would have 1) eased my worries and 2) saved me from spending 262€ on new clothes that I DID NOT NEED!!!

I hauled my suitcase immediately up to my room, took a shower and changed into one of the cute knit dresses I had packed. I was so happy to have clean clothes and all my belongings!! I had to figure that the clothes I bought were a sunk cost, never to be recovered except in wearing the clothes over time…..

I remember how happy I felt to sleep in my own pajamas and to charge the battery on my camera and on my phone. It was a happy reunion with all my belongings.

Spanish studies

Music

Books

Movies

Our Itinerary

Warnings

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Athens