New week! For me that means to FINALLY having a couple of vacation days at the ocean - from Wednesday to Sunday, very much looking forward to that. I think I will still post a picture or two during that time, but just in case: have an awesome week, everyone 😀
I love sunset, especially sunset on the coast. The wet sand reflects the rocks in the sea, as well as the sky overhead. The horizon is layered with purple, rust, gold, cream, and the last of day's light glows outside of the encroaching shadows. It is quiet, peaceful, calm, reflective.
Light Over the Ocean - A long 2 second exposure allowed the water to move over and between the rocks and the sky to feather itself into a softly blurred vastness.
Summer on the beach: it's a time to walk and think and dream, to dabble in the surf, stroll barefoot in the sand, and then stop and look out, out, out into the vast expanse of the ocean's majesty. There are no walls or limitations. Is this what freedom looks like?
A lot of #americans are nervous when traveling to #europe. They’re worried about being judged or whatever. As someone who just waited in line with a ton of American tourists, here’s the number 1 thing you can do to stand out less in Europe.
Stop scream talking. The volume Americans talk at is frightening. Try whispering, then go like one step above that. That’s normal talking. If I can hear your entire conversation from 10 feet away, that’s too loud.
Need to make a phone call? Put the phone up to your ear and talk into it at that one step above whisper volume. Never ever ever put the person on speaker and then scream into the bottom of your phone. My jaw dropped as not one but two people coming to Denmark from California started doing this inside of a coffee shop. Not old people, people in their 20s.
Never fucking do this anywhere. For any reason. Unless your hands are like trapped by a car wreck and it is the only way to talk to emergency services. It’s not just rude it’s downright offensive. I cannot have a normal volume conversation with an employee because you are screaming about what bar you are going to.
It feels good to get out and away, distancing ourselves from not only the noise of the "news," but the false reality of the digital world. Out in the real world, we feel the breeze on our face, the sunlight on our shoulders, and we hear the sound of our friend as we talk and laugh and solve the problems of the world.
When I am below in the valley, I look up, and I see the landscape around me in a certain way. But when I stand at the heights and look down, I see the same landscape in a different way. Perspective matters.
I wrote about our plans for a #summer#vacation to #Greece without airtravel a while ago. I'd said I wanted to put my money and effort where my mouth is.
Now I wanted to add a follow-up, but the original post is already gone. My fault for setting auto-deletion to 3 months.
Two adults and two children travelled from #Vienna 🇦🇹 to #Corfu 🇬🇷 and back via #Italy 🇮🇹 , with some sightseeing in #Ancona, Corfu Town, #Brindisi, and #Rome without using any cars or airplanes. I had bought additional travel insurance for missed connections, but we didn't need that.
Itinerary: Tram, #Nightjet sleeper, bus, #ferry, bus, bus, (hotel stay with occasional outings by bus), bus, bus, ferry, shuttle bus, bus, (hotel), #Frecciargento train, (hotel, metro and bus for #sightseeing), #Frecciarossa train, Nightjet sleeper, metro. (Busses means regular public transit busses on numbered lines that the locals also take.)
Every single vehicle everywhere had working air condition. They were clean and on time, and all the longer trips had tasty food. There's power outlets everywhere. The Frecciarossa (red arrow) between Rome and #Bologna only got to 250 km/h, not the 300 we were hoping to see, but that was the only slightest disappointment.
The ferries are not at all climate-friendly. I have not found a number for how much #CO² for a crossing, but they are similar to cruise ships. The trips are far shorter than cruises of course, but we see and smell the black smoke from the stacks. It's wrong to feel smug about taking a ferry instead of an airplane. All the busses had #combustion engines. All the trains/metros/trams were #electric, so that depends on the grid. The Austrian ÖBB prides itself on using only "green" #electricity.
We enjoyed the trip very much. I am unsure about any future travel. I would totally do this again in terms of comfort and experiences. But my goals for how much I hope to not pollute and damage the world for my pleasure have changed. I have no answers right now.
It's not a yellow brick road, and it doesn't lead to the Emerald City: it's better than that. It's a quiet, winding path through country fields, leading to and through a place of peace where you can stop and think awhile.
Summer. And childhood. There is time in each and freedom -- freedom from the schoolroom and its rules, and time to think and imagine and wonder. Even as adults, we experience summer, and can pick a flower, look closely at it, and dream.
May this day -- and every day -- be one of thought and contemplation, of calmness in your mind and peace within your heart, filled with creative ideas and of plans for the good things you were created in this life to do.