Another Anniversary

Husband and I had our anniversary a few days ago – 43 years — if that can be possible. We decided to get away, but not far. We went to Point Reyes which is only an hour northwest of us, but seems like further. We can actually see the lighthouse on a clear day from our house…that’s how close it is.

With apologies to readers on the East coast, we had beautiful weather.

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We hiked, ate good food, stayed in a lovely bed and breakfast…

even had a picnic lunch with a heron…

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It felt like we had journeyed far, far away.

And speaking of far, far away — a friend back East found this photo of us – we’d only been married a year.

Check out that beard… still the cutest guy ever.

Happy Anniversary

I finished one book

and am halfway through another

Back to books, reading, and regular programming next time.

Welcome Back

Our beloved cable cars shut in the spring of last year due to the pandemic and remained out of service ever since. During this down time they worked on the cable system under the streets, as well as the cars themselves.

Now they’re back and for the month of August free to all (normally an astounding $8 each ride). One beautiful sunny day last week, Husband and I donned our masks and rode every cable car line.

First thing we noticed was how empty downtown was – this area is normally wall-to-wall pedestrians and traffic – eerie.

First we reviewed the new cautionary signs on how to ride a cable car. No such rules before — we laughed at how we used to run for the car as it was moving and hang on the outside. A bygone era it seems.

It was fun to play tourist in our own city and we noticed just a few of our actual tourists are back.

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The Buena Vista has opened and serving their famous Irish Coffee – outside under the tent. But we didn’t stop this time.

The cars were relatively empty and everyone wore masks.

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We had lunch at the famous Sears Fine Food – a San Francisco institution since 1938. Normally, it’s packed with a long waiting line out front. Not this day.

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We went up and down the hills of San Francisco – our trusty cable cars pulling us up and gripping us down.

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The fog waited until we were done to start rolling in.

It was one of those great days – wish you were here.

Vaccination Vacation

We both got both our shots, waited the obligatory two weeks and then took a short vacation down to Carmel by-the-Sea — and yes, that’s its official name.

When coming into the village we immediately felt safe as the signs were very clear – the yellow sign in background warns of $100 fine for not wearing a mask.

We had a cute little place right in town, so parked the car and walked everywhere. Exploring the storybook architecture – unique to Carmel.

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And all the little alleys ~~

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There was a few rest spots during our wanderings. This one we had to try.

And, of course the ocean views.

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It was a lovely couple of days. Wonderful to get out and stay somewhere else.

Not to mention having meals someone else prepared in an idyllic setting that was not our own kitchen or dining room.

Ahh — Asheville

Just got back from a trip to the Southeast.

First was our family reunion in Virginia, where we rented two condos and were able to cook and eat together.  There were walks in the woods, water aerobics at the indoor pool and some toured an underground cavern (not me ugh – everyone else).

We looked at old family photos (matching pajamas caused howls of laughter), played pool (Dad beat everyone), and generally just enjoyed the conversations.  There were photos taken – but will spare you the evidence, as we are the least photogenic family ever.  We’re all scattered now, so it was good to catch up on everyone’s lives.  And in the end  — no one lost an eye.

 

 

Then Husband and I went down to Asheville, North Carolina.  We had a home exchange with a house in Biltmore Forest and took our time exploring the city and beyond.  We’d been here before for a short visit and found it a great city.  Good bookstore, great food, and lots and lots of art gallery and craft workshops.  Here’s just a few photos:

As always you can click on the photos to see larger image.

We followed the somewhat obscure Urban Walk in Asheville, and once we cracked the code of path symbols on the sidewalks we were on our way.

Here’s one of the sidewalk symbols you follow…they change by district.

 

 

 

 

There were interesting and often surprising sculptures here and about —

Interesting architecture and cobbled back streets —

Stumbled upon Thomas Wolf’s home

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And much to Husband’s delight  —  Asheville is known for its abundance of craft brew pubs.

 

We took a day trip to the famous Penland School of Crafts about an hour outside of Asheville.

Penland School of Craft was started by a remarkable woman named Lucy Morgan, who first came to Penland, North Carolina in 1920 as a teacher at the Appalachian School.  In 1923, she spent three months at Berea College learning to weave. When she returned to Penland she began the Penland Weavers, a cottage industry which provided local women with looms and materials and then marketed their handwoven goods.  The School has now expanded to include artists workshops and residencies in books and paper, clay, drawing, glass, iron, metals, photography, printmaking and letterpress, textiles, and wood.

It was a beautiful drive and the school setting is breathtaking.  We wandered the grounds —  peeking into workshops, studios and saw some of the residences from the outside.  We also browsed – Did Not Purchase — their exquisite gallery.

The Penland school is well worth a visit and they give tours if you book ahead.

Are we bored yet?  Just one last group of photos to show y’all before I let you go.

One day dawned very foggy and damp so decided to do something indoors (other than visit yet another craft beer pub).  We ventured out to Carl Sandburg’s estate.  Which, supposedly has a beautiful view of a lake, but as you can see not so much on this day.

We took a tour inside the house and the entire collection of Sandburg’s books and magazines have been meticulously cataloged and returned to their original locations in the house.  I felt the kindred spirit of a fellow reader and book hoarder lover.

Note that Mr. Sandburg’s typewriter in his office is on an orange crate – he said if Lincoln could compose the Gettysburg Address on a crate from the battlefield, so could he.

I’ll leave you with my favorite sign from one of the craft brew pubs we visited.  Made me laugh out loud.  

 

 

 

Stay tuned — books have been read, are being read, and will be read.

 

Spring Break

You may ask, why would a retired couple need a spring break?  Well, it just suddenly seemed necessary and much desired…so we took off up the coast to Point Arena for a few days away.

Our digs were very unique.   An old trailer park given new life as long narrow cabins with full kitchens and fireplace.  Comfy living room and bedroom at the rear.  Very quiet and set in a wooded grove.  Right at the end of the road to the lighthouse.

We walked around the coastline to the lighthouse and, despite the wind, it turned out to be a beautiful day.

 

Later during our stay we drove up to Mendocino, one of our very favorite little towns, and spent the afternoon walking the entire headlands which we had never done before – we’d only explored bits and pieces.  A great walk, again very windy but clear and sunny.  Found that wearing hoods protected our ears.

Had some great meals.

Bought some local homemade jam.

Read a couple of books.

More later about said books.  Must. Do. Laundry.

Barmy Travel Tips

“He who returns from a journey is not the same as he who left.”

Chinese Proverb

 

We’re home, tired, a little bleary-eyed but very happy.

What a trip – what an adventure.  We loved every minute.

But as we unpack and try to stay awake past 8 PM, I thought I’d share some Barmy Travel Tips for what they’re worth:

 

Every shower tells a story:  Europe has weird showers and no two are alike.  Study the shower set-up before getting into said shower.  Turn on the water from outside the shower and adjust accordingly.  Otherwise you will get water everywhere except your body.  Husband graciously took on this role, always being first up and with the uncanny ability to wrangle showers in any culture.  I get shower instructions with my wake up call.

Ice dreams:  It will only make you miserable if you long for ice in your drinks.  Water, soda, beer, wine, ice tea and lemonade all come room temperature.  There is no ice, ever, anywhere. Deal with it.

Invest in good footwear:  Buy the best shoes you can, wear them for a few weeks before your trip to make sure they are comfortable.  Same for socks – you’re on your feet all day, every day and if your feet hurt, you’ll be miserable.  I took only one pair of shoes THESE which I wore every day  and a pair of lightweight sandals for around apartments, etc.  THESE.  My socks from Uniqlo were incredible, I love my socks.

Look up:  Despite the cobblestones ready to trip you, remember to look up.  Gaze at the tops of buildings to see statutes, carvings, and especially those all important street signs.

To market, to market:  Go to both grocery stores and outdoor farmers markets.  Explore the offerings, see how other countries sell bread, coffee, fresh meats and cleaning products.  Enjoy the beautifully arranged produce (but don’t touch, just look – they choose the produce for you).

I love wandering the aisles of foreign grocery stores not only to marvel at the numerous yogurt offerings, but also to watch how people shop and what they buy.  (Why is that lady buying handkerchiefs from a grocery store?)

Get lost:  We enjoy Rick Steeves walking tours and learn much from his descriptions. But we also like to get lost on purpose. Venture down a side street, find a small neighborhood.  Discover a little hidden park or a shop that sells nothing but brushes. A small church where a choir is practicing, a courtyard where children are playing soccer while parents watch indulgently. This is another way to experience a city – to see how and where its people live.

Go rogue for meals: Seek out a small cafe, one with a chalk board advertising a worker’s lunch deal.  A cafe you’ll have all to yourselves…with an owner pleased you stopped in. 

Often you’ll get samples of things ‘on the house’ and be offered a special not on the menu — home made just that morning. Ask for the restaurant’s recommendation for wine, beer, dessert…9 times of out 10, they will be delighted to bring out the really good stuff, usually saved for locals. Food is one of the best ways to experience a culture, be brave and embrace the unknown. Universally, food is how people welcome you, enjoy it, no matter how different from your own.

Trains rule:  It bears repeating — take the trains in Europe.  You can get anywhere, no matter how small the village or town.  It’s a chance to rest your weary feet, see beautiful countryside, peek into back gardens.  Most valuable, trains get you to your destination without the hassle and confusion of driving a car in a foreign country.  To me, there is nothing more exciting than an European train station – (I admit I actually hopped up and down in excitement at one point).

Bring sunscreen:  There is no need to take big quantities of toiletries from home.   Trust me, they have toothpaste and shampoo in Central Europe.  You can buy anything you need — the exception being sunscreen.  For some reason, it is very expensive in Europe.  So do invest in a few tubes to take with you.

Stop and rest:  Just when you think you’re done, when you’re too weary to go any further and you long to call it quits – stop for a moment.  Sit on a park bench, duck into a cafe for a lukewarm drink, rest that back and look around you.  Inevitably something will delight — a family playing together, an old man chuckling over his newspaper, or a little dog dressed like its owner  — you’ll find you soon regain your travel mojo.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pack light – no even lighter:  We took backpacks, no wheelies…and we were incredibly pleased.  These backpacks allowed us to go easily up and down train stations, across cities, and climb long stairwells to the loft apartments we rented.  Yes, you’ll be wearing the same clothes over and over again,  you’ll actually get sick of your clothes.  But, if you can master the showers, you will be clean every day and you’ll be surprised at how often you can re-wear things before needing to wash them. (Food spills notwithstanding.)

It’s never too late:  Back in our 20’s, we dreamed of backpacking across Europe, but college and careers got in the way.  These two aging hippies with backpacks did it anyway – 40 years later. You can too – we’re proof it’s never too late.

 

Travel is a privilege:  You are guests in another country, you need to adapt to their culture, customs and habits (see ice above).  Don’t expect them to adapt to you.  Take the time to learn the basics of the language — being able to say hello, thank you, and please in their language is a gracious step which will endear you to those you encounter.  Travel is fun but it is also a learning experience, treat it as such.  Studying the country’s history will let you see into their backgrounds.  Who are their artists?  Their rebels?  Their authors?  Why are their heros cherished?  Understanding what’s important to a people will give you a insight into their culture.

 

I will end this final installment with this –  from one of the great travel adventurers.