Caution Wet Floor

Because we participated in WanderFood Wednesdays earlier this week, Poetry Wednesday is moved temporarily to Friday this week.

When we two are parted
Lord Byron

When we two parted
In silence and tears,
Half broken-hearted,
To sever for years,
Pale grew thy cheek and cold,
Colder thy kiss;
Truly that hour foretold
Sorrow to this.

The dew of the morning
Sank chill on my brow
It felt like the warning
Of what I feel now.
Thy vows are all broken,
And light is thy fame:
I hear thy name spoken,
And share in its shame.

They name thee before me,
A knell to mine ear;
A shudder comes o’er me
Why wert thou so dear?
They know not I knew thee,
Who knew thee too well:
Long, long shall I rue thee
Too deeply to tell.

In secret we met
In silence I grieve
That thy heart could forget,
Thy spirit deceive.
If I should meet thee
After long years,
How should I greet thee?
With silence and tears.

Recently my fellow blogger Beth Whitman, one of my advisors on all things travel, started a segment on her blog Wanderlust and Lipstick called WanderFood Wednesdays which she describes as follows.

“WanderFood Wednesday is an opportunity for food lovers to share photos, stories, recipes, book reviews and any other food-related topics with other foodies (and non-foodies!). It doesn’t have to be travel-related because we all eat - right? - whether at home or abroad.”

Now I am not sure I will have something to write for it every Wednesday but for today I would like to share a meal I had in Olomouc, Czech Republic.

What you see in the picture below is a combination of Couscous, fruits, nuts.

What will you need (amounts are for 1 serving)

1/4 cup  of Couscous

a small packet of raisins

2 table spoons of nuts

a banana

1/2 of a peach (sliced into 4 wedges)

a can of tangerines

shredded coconut

1. Prepare Couscous for 1 (1/4 cup or thereabouts)
2. add 2 tablespoons of nuts and 1/2 of the packet of raisins - stir until the mix is even
3. place in bowl
4. Cut banana into slices and line the rim of the bowl
5. add the tangerines and peach slices
6. sprinkle shredded coconut
7. Enjoy

Of course you can substitute just about any fruit including cherries, grapes, strawberries. Either way whether you are home or on the road, this makes for a light, refreshing and surprisingly filling meal.

Thursday, July 31, 2008 - Thursday, August 7, 2008

“Prague never lets you go… this dear little mother has sharp claws.” -  Franz Kafka

Church of Our Lady in front of Tyn

Letiště Ruzyně is the aerial gateway to the city Kafka refers to and although it is not a magnificent sight, I was quite happy to see it even though it was shortly after Midnight. Mind you I did travel first class. (a big thank you to TIAA-CREF and those airline miles and upgrades) As I cleared customs, my European Union passport made the task quite easy. Just a quick line in fact. My next act is to walk out where I run into my friend Layne. She had been living in Prague for a year at that point teaching English to Pre-School students. This is something that will be important later, I assure you. Another thing to point out is that for the past few years, I do not sleep well before a flight so I just don’t sleep. It’s much easier when I fly at the end of a long day but if flying is all I am doing, yeah it does not work.

So here I am outside with Layne waiting for transportation, she thought the Bus would be the best option given price and what not. Now it’s important to point out that a Taxi Driver was offering me a 15 kilometer (6 miles and change) ride for 300-350 czk (Czech Koruna) To put this in perspective about $20 give or take depending on the exchange rate. A bus & tram ticket costs about $2 give or take. The next bus came at 12:45 just 40 minutes after I got out. So to recap 15 kilometers for $20 or wait 40 then take 25 minutes on buses and trams for $2. Normally I would just have paid the $20 and been in bed in no time but this is not my city and I left it to Layne who as previously mentioned had been there for a year. We get on the bus and we’re off.

Astrological Clock in Staré Město

Two stops in to the trip, we get to a stop called Divorká Šárka where EVERYBODY got off. We stayed on. As the bus kept going, She was beginning to realize that the trip was taking too long and the route was unfamiliar to her. Now in her defense I should say that this was the first time she took the night bus from Letiště Ruzyně, however if that is the case shouldn’t she have checked the map before we left?

Normally in this case one would ask the driver right. Well that would require some knowledge of Czech. To put it mildly I understood more Czech than she did and that’s not good. Anyways we get to Sídliště Stodůlky which is in South West Prague, we were trying to get to Dejvicka which in North West Prague. Oh yeah WRONG side of the city. The bus driver tried to explain to us how to get to where we want to go and tries quite hard not to laugh at us. We called a Czech friend of hers who tells us that nope we really don’t want to go where we are already. Perfect, all I could do was laugh at that point cause I was so tired.

Now you would think this would be the end of the ride, nope we get another bus which takes us to a tram stop. Here we catch a tram with a bunch of people heading home from drinking and whatnot. So now were are off. The tram stops and we get off to run (oh yes run with my bag and everything) to catch another one. Three stops in, She realizes we are going the wrong way. When we finally get off at the stop and yours truly is dying having been up for about 48 hours and then the next obstacle presents itself. You see if we had gone the right route this would have a down hill walk but since we went so far out of the way this became a yup you guessed it up hill walk. Normally not a daunting task but for a tired person a hill, with a duffle bag slung over your shoulder, is your worst enemy. At the end of this long trip we saved $18 and took more than THREE hours to go 15 kilometers.

View from the Top of the Astrological Tower

Now with a start like this you might think I had a horrible trip. Not at all, it definitely got better and was one of the best trips of my life. Although the next day I stayed in bed as I attempted to recover. Once I started my actual trip though, it was AMAZING.

Staré Město (Old Town) - Prague Astronomical Clock & Tower, Church of Our Lady in front of Týn, Jan Hus Memorial and The Old Town Square - Wonderful and picturesque a place I have been waiting a very long time to see and it did not disappoint. The clock tower was great and every hour on the hour people gather to see it do it’s thing. Although I am afraid of heights, I climbed the tower not once but TWICE. The first time, I was not the only scared American up there and I took great comfort in that. The second time, I not only walked up the stairs but down them as well instead of taking the lift down.

Nové Město (New Town) - Wenceslas Square - Once a square whose transportation was dominated by cable cars like San Francisco, now has all the trappings of Capitalism including fast food restaurants and department stores from London, like Marks & Spencer and Debenhams.

Malá Strana (Lesser Town) - Prague Castle, Royal Gardens, Charles Bridge, Infant Jesus of Prague(where I went to Mass in Czech no less) - The view from the Royal Gardens is amazing as it overlooks the city.

View from the Charles Bridge

Josefov (Jewish Quarter) - Franz Kafka’s birthplace, High Synagogue, Jewish Town Hall, Klaus Synagogue, Maisel Synagogue, Pinkas Synagogue, Spanish Synagogue, Old Jewish Cemetery, Jewish Ceremonial Hall. - The most impressive part is the museum where all the people who died during the holocaust have their names inscribed on these white walls. It is sight you would not believe if you had not seen it yourself.

Other places I went to were Letna Park (where I got to see my first beer garden since my days in New England), Stromovka Park (big and beautiful, it was right next to where I was staying), and a little place out in Jiřího z Poděbrad (yes I can pronounce it thanks to Kamila and Marketa) or JZP as Layne calls it (she can’t pronounce it) named Bar and Books. It’s a quaint little American style Cigar bar in a part of Prague that does not get a lot of tourists (let me tell you these are few and far between).

Now one thing you will see as this journal continues that I will be splitting out each day not something I did in Prague. Something tells me like Kafka says this is a place I am going to keep going back to. So maybe when I go back I will do a better job with that.

As things progress with my writing, I hope to look back at these entries and chart my progress from the beginning. This is after all a journey of sorts, not sure where it is going to end up but I look forward to getting there. Just as with my book I think this is a great way to work on my craft. I am working on a business plan and a white paper to see where I can and want to go with this. For the moment however I am looking at a basic 5 day a week plan and taking the weekends off.

in Berkeley Square Park doing some thinking

Monday - an update on what is going on here.

Tuedsday - Travel Journal

Wednesday - Wanderfood Wednesdays

Thursday - Weekly Photo based on the Journal of the Week

Friday - Poetry Friday

Either way from Monday to Friday there will be a post here. Like I said before some will be good some will not. I know for a fact I am too hard on myself, hopefully this exercise will change that. If you made it this far, thank you.

This Poster hung on my wall in boarding school

Ah yes the dreaded word, it strikes when you are not looking and always always gets it’s target. For those of you who do not know, I am a champion procrastinator. Back in the day or who am I kidding even now I can convince myself not to do something until 5 minutes from now or 30 or an hour or tomorrow, you get the idea. Anyway the reason I bring this up is that one of the things you can not do when starting out your own blog is to procrastinate. It is downright critical they tell me to write at least something everyday that makes people keep wanting to come back for more. When I started this, I told you all that some posts would be good, some would be bad, some would be long and some would be short. I am however doing my best to stick to writing something each day.

Another issue with starting a blog is what do you say, and can you say something different every day. Most blogs are specifically designed for a purpose, whether it be a travel blog, a news blog, a picture blog, a recipe blog etc. For now this will will be a little of everything and we will see where we go from there. In the meantime I spent the day writing, working on a book and some blog posts for other sites.

Also working on a few collaborations with others and maybe at one point hopefully finding myself on the road again full time and writing on the road.

So because I have taken a ton of photos (by my standards anyways) over the past year, I figured I would post some here. This will be a daily thing, corresponding with at least hopefully the Travel Journal entry of the week. As the first one is London, and I only took so many pictures there will only be two total so i will post them both today.

Me in Trafalgar Square

Christmas in London, Complete with Giant Snowmen on Carnaby Street

Back in the day, a group of people and I had this tradition, Poetry Monday. Recently I have shared a poem written by me to someone. So Starting today, and every wednesday following I am going to start posting favorite poems of mine and hopefully work up the nerve to post some of my own work. Okay here we go.

THE ROAD NOT TAKEN

By Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

So how about you? Any favorite poems?

So because I have been promising this for a while to most of you, I am going to start telling the story of my trip last year from my journal entries. A lot of you will be jealous and some may hate me but this is my blog. For those of you who have been asking me, sorry this took so long and I hope you like it. Each Tuesday or TravelTuesday there will be a new entry.

The flight was very eventful as with all International Carriers, the alcohol was free. Let me tell you how great it is to not have to worry about that and to be asked if you want wine with your dinner. I saw a couple of movies. Dan in Real Life, about a widower who finally finds the next love of his life only to find out she is his brother’s new girlfriend. I also saw National Treasure 2, and Atonement. Having read the book for Atonement, I have to admit that I was disappointed in the movie version. I mean it was not bad but just not as great as people made it out to be. As far as National Treasure 2, I have seen it a few times but since I love those kinds of movies it hit the spot.

Upon arrival in the UK I tried to snap a photo of the welcome to Heathrow sign but I was told in quite the forceful tone NO CAMERAS allowed. So I scoured the net for this photo and that took a while. Since I have been to London a few times, I did not do the tourist stuff. I did try to go to the Reading Room in the British Museum, only to find that it is now the home of exhibitions in the museum. One thing I did do, that I do not normally do is to spend entire days in various parks and squares. I also got to see the Houses of Parliament. Something I plan on doing in this blog is to mention places I have been in each city I go to.

One day while walking in Trafalgar Square I ran into the Corona Girls who were in fact just trying to promote their beer and offering photos with them and some guys dressed as Corona Bottles. As I was approaching them to get my picture they were cited for not having a permit and later as they changed they were arrested for indecent exposure. I love London.

Berkeley Square - pronouced Barkley and not Berkeley like the University in California. In Mayfair, it’s a nice place to have lunch and just people watch and also to write. It also happens to be near my sister’s flat (they don’t say apartment here or on the mainland for that matter) so I went there a lot.

Grosvenor Square - Aside from the U.S. embassy in Japan, the Embassy of the United States of America to the Court of St. James’ (yes that is the OFFICIAL name) is the only U.S. embassy situated on land that is not owned by the U.S. government. The land is leased from the Duke of Westminster who, when asked if he would sell the land outright, responded that he would if the U.S. Government would return the land that belonged to his family in the U.S. before it was confiscated during the Revolutionary War. That just seems like a polite way of saying HELL NO. It’s also a very nice park with a few memorials to famous Americans, like FDR and the famous Eagle Squadron. These were the U.S. Airmen who fought for the British in WWII before the U.S. got involved officially.

Green Park - One of the Royal Parks this one between Mayfair and Buckingham Palace, great place to have a picnic.

Borders in Oxford St - It gave me a place that reminded me of home. Lots of fiction and non fiction books, and a Starbucks on the upper level make this an ideal place to read on a rainy day (this is London after all). Also the large travel books and maps section made planning my next trip very very easy. I got to know the staff very well as the would always pass me as I was spread out on either the floor or a table with research, and they were always very helpful.

British Library - The Reading Rooms are amazing and the staff was very friendly. They even introduced me to a visiting Professor of Medieval History from Holland who sat with me for a few hours to talk about a subject I was looking to research.

Starbucks - Yes I went to Starbucks, it’s hard not to in London. This one I am referring too however had a library like atmosphere in it’s basement and was the ideal place to sit down and just write, catch up on tv shows or read on a rainy day and it was closer to home than the Borders was.

British Museum - During earlier trips to London, this was my home away from home. The Round Reading Room in it’s center was a great place to kick back and relax on a rainy day. Imagine my surprise however when I found out that it was now where they house the rotating exhibitions. No more reading room. My first question, though nobody could answer it was where did all those great volumes of books go?

National Portrait Gallery - Admittedly I am not a museum lover, that’s more my sister’s love. That being said however the National Portrait Gallery in Trafalgar Square is one of my favorite places in London. A great place to just sit and watch people stare at paintings or try to impress others with their knowledge of obscure facts.

Parliament - As a Political Science major and a history nut, a visit to the English Parliament, has always been on my to-do list. Finally I got my opportunity and it did not disappoint.

Selfridges Department Store - My sister’s current place of employment (she actually works in the Tiffany’s shop in the store) is like a small mall. Founded by Harry Gordon Selfridge, an American who once worked for the famed Marshall Fields in Chicago, it has everything, and I mean everything, including a spa and men’s grooming area.

Liberty’s Department Store - One of the oldest department stores in London, people come to see it’s unique architecture and of course to shop. It’s clientele is a little more high end than the other stores, but it is definitely a place to visit, even if you can’t afford to.

Marks and Spencer - A British institution, the Macy’s of Europe, and yes they are EVERYWHERE. Even in Prague in the middle St. Wenceslas Square (which is a bit deceiving since that particular square looks just like London)

Victoria and Albert - This Museum was so damaged during WWII, that it is still to this day in constant repair. The outside however still shows the scars that war have taken on it’s façade. The collection inside however is well worth the trip to Kensington, and it you disagree then remember Harrod’s at Knightsbridge is near by.

Tate Modern - I have never been here before, but on the advice of my sister’s landlord, we went to see the Francis Bacon exhibition. Now admittedly again, I am not a huge art lover and really only the old masters have ever appealed to me. The art of Francis Bacon is twisted and demented and in a morbid way, quite interesting. Three of his works, not to be missed;

Three Studies for Figures at the Base of a Crucifixion (1944) Bacon’s first acknowledged masterpiece shudders with unbearable despair.

Study After Velazquez’s Portrait of Pope Innocent X (1953) The greatest of the “screaming popes” is a remarkably delicate bit of painting.

Triptych, May-June 1973 Bacon at his best, remembering George Dyer, his dead lover.

As this was my home base for the trip, I did not take a ton of pictures here. London is indeed one of my favorite places though. So much to do, to see and to enjoy.

Or the more things change, the more they stay the same after all…This is so not true as you will see…This is only a one year in comparison. The list below is reflective of what a difference a year can make. So here we go…

Yesterday vs. Today

A Year Ago - I was gainfully employed and having a great time in Charlotte meeting people and burning the midnight oil 4 nights a week and going to work the next day or blowing off early to play golf.

* Today - Not employed and definitely NOT burning the midnight oil, and I have not touched my clubs since late June… LOL

A Year Ago - I was emerging from my long standing debt hole and starting to save money

* Today - Starting to go back in debt and no saving being done LOL

A Year Ago - I was once again driving people crazy with my yearly “I am going to Europe” remark.

* Today - I have returned from my 5 plus months away with many stories and pictures and experiences to last…well until the next trip anyway LOL

A Year Ago - I was getting on a plane twice a week to “commute” to work

* Today - the only work I have had to commute to was the 10 minute walk to Starbuck’s to use the internet or the 15 minute drive to Barnes and Noble or the Library…my new Offices. LOL at least the locations are good.

A Year Ago - I was living in Charlotte most of the Week/Month in a 2 Bedroom House w/Garage and a new rental car every week and flying 1st class

* Today - Well I still fly 1st Class when I fly but the 2 bedroom house and the rental cars are just a really good memory LOL

A Year Ago - If you had told me I would have a blog that I would write in more than once a week, I would have laughed at you.

* Today - I not only have a blog but two, yes TWO websites and something that is called a Tumblr blog (yeah I don’t know what it is either but I like it)

A Year Ago - I was reading travel sites

* Today - I write reviews for some articles posted. How about that? And I submitted a travel pitch a day for the month of April

A Year Ago - I had a myspace page with 35 or so friends

* Today - I have a Facebook page with almost 400 friends

A Year Ago - Heights were my biggest fear, and planes sometimes scared me.

* Today - They are not as bad, seeing that I climbed some pretty tall buildings and cliffs while in Europe and of course the aforementioned two plane trip a week, now the plane ride only bothers me if I ate RIGHT before getting on the plane…LOL silly I know

A Year Ago - I watched tv every day of the week

* Today - Only a few shows are really worth my time and I watch them on my own schedule

A Year Ago - If you would have told me that I would spend over 3 months in hostels and what not I would have laughed you.

* Today - I know that some hostels are very worth it and the people you meet there are both interesting and strange and sometimes both.

A Year Ago - my big europe trips to Europe were to London (Twice) and to Tuscany (once)

* Today - I can add Oxford and Stratford Upon Avon, United Kingdom/Prague, Cesky Krumlov, Bohemia Switzerland and Olomuc, Czech Republic/Krakow and Gdansk, Poland/Budapest, Hungary/Copenhagen, Roskilde, Helsingor, Fredercia, Veijle and Billund, Denmark/Helsingborg and Malmo, Sweden/Hamburg and Berlin, Germany/Vienna, Austria/Pisa, Cinque Terra, Florence, Siena, Lucca, San Gimigniano, Orvieto, Naples, Pompeii, Salerno, Amalfi Coast (minus Positano) and Rome, Italy. And I went on cruise of the Western Caribbean. Not bad eh?

A Year Ago - I had written, and rewritten many many many times the same 30 pages in a book for the past 15 years.

* Today - I have not only put those aside but I have started over and I like the new direction.

A Year Ago - I HATED taking pictures, being in them, you name it.

* Today - I own a new camera and a tripod and made it my mission to take pictures everywhere I go on a trip from now on. That and I have a pretty impressive collection of clocktower pictures and sunsets. I have also become quite the photographer.

A Year Ago - I was a PC guy, have been since the Fall of ‘96, when I gave up my Mac Powerbook 145b for a computer I built myself from scratch. Till that point I had always been an Apple guy. Just to tell you that PC lasted 6 six years and only died cause I let the wrong person play with it.

* Today - I am Mac guy again, thanks to my MacBook Pro and let me tell you it’s like I never left. Love my Mac and am trying to get as many people converted as I can.

A Year Ago - I was sort of seeing someone but not really it was more of a convenience and it was complicated even though we were in the same place.

* Today - I am currently not seeing someone, though am talking to a few people and going on dates. So we shall see

A Year Ago - Sleeping till noon on my days off was a norm

* Today - No matter the day @ 6:30 I wake and by 9am, I am up and out of bed writing, it’s uncanny, I can’t seem to sleep any later except on the weekends.

So as you can see…the person I was last year…is not the person I am now. So I can truly say, WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES…How about you?