Have you heard of Pub Cruisers? Lots of cities have them. A fun 2-3 hour tour of the city, accommodates 16 people. Drink beer, get exercise and stop at bars/restaurants along the way.
I happened to see this group going by in Michigan. They were having a great time.
What are you/we waiting for?
It’s Wednesday, I thought we could use a funny post. Check this out on Amazon, a special on rubber ducks, tags, rubber bands, etc.
Do you really need that extra swim suit? Why not pack some rubber ducks and leave them around the ship. Yes, people are now leaving rubber ducks with messages on them around the ship for “other” passengers to find.
Have you found a rubber duck on your cruise?
Would you join in the fun?
I just read a great article on a vacation with no phones. Well, that’s the idea. Finland has declared that this summer they want tourists to enjoy the island of Ulko-Tammio, a national park, know as the “happiest country in the world” without using their phones. YES, without using their phones.
This was music to my ears. I’m tired of phones and constant picture taking. I just want to RELAX. The idea of going to a National Park and enjoying nature as we did “before” cell phones sounds marvelous. I talked with other friends, they feel the same. The constant pictures/selfies takes away from enjoying “the moment.”
I went to Google to see “where” Ulko-Tammio is as I have not traveled to this area. As you see, it’s very far North. My daughter was in Norway last December. She said it took a couple of flights to get there. Not always easy to make the connections, less flights, etc. However, once in Norway, so beautiful.
So, let’s see what happens. I do feel that the right people who want to enjoy nature will gladly put their phones aside. Laughing, wouldn’t this be funny. You are walking in the forest, you decide you just “have to have” the photo of a bird and you hear on a microphone, “Miss, this is a phone-free zone, please put cell phone away. PLEASE put cell phone away! Have a great day!”
Ah, but without my cell phone, how would I take a photo to PROVE I was there?? Wait, I could photoshop the perfect photo, you’d NEVER know! Then I could use AI to write my post. You see where I’m going here?
Finally, a happy and interesting story in the news!
New adventures await…cell phone free!
Did you know people were paying over $200K to tour the Titanic wreckage, which is 13,000 feet deep in the Atlantic ocean? This latest tour left on Sunday. It was reported lost after one hour forty-five minutes. It takes about 2.5 hours to reach the Titanic’s wreckage. The submersible had 96 hours of oxygen when it left. The media says there are five people on board the vessel.
This is a scary situation. I’ve always thought that to be down in a submarine for months on end would be claustrophobic. Imagine a smaller vessel that has reported technical problems in the past.
There is a lot to discuss on this topic as we sit and wait “hoping” they are found.
Would you want to go on a tour of the Titanic if money were no issue?
Whenever I’ve traveled to Italy, it’s usually been in the Spring right before heavy tourist season in June. My daughter was able to find a good flight to Italy, winter rates, so was just there. We’ve learned there are pros/cons to traveling off season.
She noticed not very many tourists, that’s a pro. She could take pictures of special places with no people around. However, major con, many shops and restaurants closed. They had signs on their windows, back in March. I told her, she would have to ask the locals where they go. Also, find grocery stores, she could make sandwiches herself. We chuckled, we like pizza, but not every day for 10 days.
I thought this was a beautiful photograph of St Peter’s Basilica in Rome. I didn’t crop the photo, because the sky is amazing. The light behind the clouds, above the Vatican, it gives us pause to think.
She also took this photograph of the Virgin Mary. I was pleasantly surprised to see she was able to light a candle. In most Italian churches they use the electric candles. Have you seen that? You flip a switch and the electric candle lights up. It’s not very spiritual, prevents fires, so I understand.
I have a few more photos I’ll share of Italy in the next posts.
Right now, airlines are having low fares on winter travel until end of March. BOOK NOW!
Spring is coming. The sun has been shinning.
What special adventures do YOU have planned?
Signs from loved ones in Heaven are powerful. We know without a doubt exactly “who” the message is from! We are overcome with emotion. I received a sign. I’m still in awe of how this occurred.
The holidays can be a roller coaster of feelings/memories. After Christmas, where we had below zero temps, I was anxious for a walk and fresh air. I decided to go downtown, it was still festive with the lights up. The display in a toy store window caught my attention. My desire to go in was strong.
It was joyful, families shopping for deals. As I continued to the back of the store, I saw the puzzle area. I enjoy puzzles, so stopped to explore. I sighed, the usual puzzles of flowers, Monet, etc. Disappointing.
However, on the bottom shelf, behind another puzzle, I found FLORENCE. I smiled -> F-L-O-R-E-N-C-E. My mother’s home town in Italy. Of course, I had to have it. I clutched it close, it was mine!
Walking home, I kept thinking how strange it was to find this puzzle. Why, what was the meaning? I was overcome with memories of visiting my grandmother in Florence. I thought, perfect timing. Long weekend for New Year’s Eve, I would do the puzzle.
I started with the Duomo. Proud when it was done. As I continued, I found yellow and green pieces. Putting them together, I looked down and got teary-eyed. What a memory! Take a look at the photo. The pieces of this particular puzzle area, looked exactly like my grandmother’s building. Amazing!
Back then, we did not have cell phones. When I would go out my grandmother and grandfather would rush to open the window. I would hear the green shutters crackling as they opened them. They would yell down to me in Italian (they didn’t speak English), Ciao, baci (kisses), a presto (see you soon). I felt so much love every time they did this. There are more memories, of course.
So, a sign indeed!
Don’t forget Nonnina and Nonno!
We are with you. We LOVE you! Go back!
Are you looking for ideas on places to explore? I received this MT. SOBEK adventure magazine in the mail. It’s really wonderful. They have trips all over the world. They’ve been in business since 1969. If you’re interested, I’ve put a link to their website. They also have a travel Blog.
Here’s what you would see in the magazine. Trips are in this format. I’m not sure what’s included in the price. I read online they take small groups for each trip, approximately 10 people.
On the website the About section explains how the company got started and who the founders are. This was interesting, the name SOBEK is the Egyptian God of crocodiles. They didn’t say why they chose this name, they just explained where the name came from.
This was an enjoyable catalog/magazine to go through. So many exciting trips.
There is a trip called, “Mongolia Horse Trek.” OK, I don’t ride horses daily, but this trip piqued my interest. I’ve always wanted to go to Mongolia. LOL – Don’t shake your head yet.
I’M OFF TO RESEARCH, LEARN MORE…. WHO KNOWS!
Aren’t we supposed to go out of our comfort zone?!
That reminds me, the Lottery is SKY HIGH again, I better get ONE ticket – that’s all it takes, right!
THEN, Mongolia — Here I come!
Anyone thinking of Rudyard Kipling’s, “Jungle Book” right now?
Kudos for creativity and humor.
We have ALL accumulated “things” that need to be given away, thrown away or repurposed.
I admit… sometimes I enjoy walking, but there are days when “trying” to get 10K steps in is a “real chore.”
Imagine seeing this TIGER on my walk.
Suddenly, I perked up!
I had decided to walk in a different neighborhood. So glad I did.
That tiger gave me the extra energy I needed to get my steps in. I just couldn’t stop smiling, such a clever idea.
I also thought of a child coming home from College and seeing their favorite stuffed animal in a tree, not sure how well that would go over. Of course, maybe it was a child who put the tiger in the tree. So many scenarios.
Walking CAN BE interesting, right!
What have you found on YOUR walks?
I saw this in the Colorado news, thought I would share it. Do you know how to flag down a helicopter?
There are certain hand signals to use. Waving one hand like you are saying, “Hi” is not one of them.
I think many of us are shaking our heads at this. I’ve never thought about this as “training” we need. By instinct, if we were in distress, we would desperately wave both hands in the air to get the attention of the pilot. No way, would we want him leave without us on board.
The one hand wave. Benefit of the doubt, maybe the hiker was overly tired, could tell the pilot saw him and just expected the pilot to stop and pick him up? I find these situations maddening. WHO is paying for the helicopter to go rescue a hiker? And if the hiker is just “tired” and not really in distress, was this a true S.O.S call or a hiker feeling that he wanted a “FREE ride home?”
I’m sharing this, because I never thought about it before.
So, this is a powerful lesson. WAVE like CRAZY with TWO HANDS if you are stranded and see a helicopter flying over head. The same routine we would use if we saw a bear, right! Except with the bear, we do this to SCARE him away, with the helicopter, we are BEGGING him to land.
BY THE WAY – Anyone know what the hand signals are for crossing the street? You know, that instant where you lock eyes with the driver at a stop sign. He’s waving you to go ahead walk, you wave HIM to go ahead drive. Finally, you start to walk, but WHAT hand signal do you give to say, “Thanks, appreciate it, don’t run me over?” It gets so confusing. I’ve had that happen several times lately.
Happy hiking, camping or whatever outdoor activity you might be doing.
BE SAFE out there!
I know, you are thinking what I thought. What’s the catch? We need more specifics. Sardinia is the second largest Island (after Sicily) in the Mediterranean Sea. The Island is in green on the map.
When I was there a few years ago, there were not many American tourists. Mainly they were British and German. Also, I noticed that the Sardinians look very Spanish. They speak Sardo, not Italian. I mean, it’s Italian, but the dialect is very very different. In fact, if you read the history of the Island, through the wars, they have a strong Spanish influence.
Fast forward to now. The Sardinian Government wants to attract young people to remote areas of the Island. Goal – increase population and economic fabric of those towns. Small towns, less than 3,000 people, are in decline. People have been moving to bigger cities.
SOLUTION: Offer a grant of €15,000 to attract young people to those small towns. The grant amount must be used toward the purchase / refurbishment of a house, not to exceed half the cost of the house.
The grant is a non-repayable grant. I wonder, is a time limit for “trying” this process out? Living in a small town of 3,000 might seem claustrophobic if you came from a big city.
BIGGEST QUESTION, will Wifi work? Also, if these are small towns, I would imagine they want people who can own shops, work the land, etc. Are they open to remote technology workers?
The Sardinian Government is devoting a total of €45 million for this project; there will be enough for at least 3,000 new inhabitants.
Now, if Sardinia is not appealing, I was reading that Spain and Scotland are offering similar programs.
Time to open a map of the world — throw a dart — see where life takes us.
Brilliant Viewpoint 