Rambling Traveler

A Few Hours in Amsterdam

ramblingtraveler@gmail.com (Stacy) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 13:05:00 +0000

An overnight plane delay gave us the opportunity to take a train into Amsterdam where we had fun walking around and seeing some of the sights. We also enjoyed a light dinner on a patio overlooking one of the canals. Entertainment was provided by the many boats cruising the canals. Boats filled with people, picnics, and on one, a piano.

One boat was pulled over by the police and people along the canal watched in amusement as the driver was given a breathalyzer test. Laughter followed when the driver passed the test and a roaring cheer came from the rest of his party. That night, Amsterdam moved up on my list of places to spend more time in.

Walking Dubrovnik's City Walls

ramblingtraveler@gmail.com (Stacy) — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 13:00:00 +0000

View of Old Town Dubrovnik from a tower window

Red rooftops of Old Town Dubrovnik

A highlight of visiting Dubrovnik is walking along the city walls. Following advice from other travelers, we started our walk early in the day, before the crowds arrived. After passing through Pile Gate, we climbed the steps to a ticket window. The cost was 15 euros for two of us, and they did take euros in addition to the local currency, the kuna.

It was almost 9:30 in the morning, but there were very few people around. Less than one and a half hours later when we walked back down, there was a line of people waiting to climb up. The earlier time allowed us to enjoy the views without crowds, and we stopped often to take pictures of the red rooftops of Dubrovnik.

Cliff Homes of Oia, Santorini

ramblingtraveler@gmail.com (Stacy) — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 12:50:00 +0000

A puzzle for Carolyn and the other Rambling Puzzles fans...

More pictures of Santorini cliff homes:
Oia, Santorini
More from Santorini

Churches of Santorini

ramblingtraveler@gmail.com (Stacy) — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 13:00:00 +0000

Anastasis Church in Oia

unknown church in Oia

Panagia of Platsani church in main square of Oia

previous posts on Santorini:
Santorini, Greece
More from Santorini
Oia, Santorini

Saint Mark's Square in Venice

ramblingtraveler@gmail.com (Stacy) — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 13:00:00 +0000

Piazza San Marco in Venice

Related post:
Buddhist Monk in Piazza San Marco

A Buddhist Monk in Piazza San Marco...

ramblingtraveler@gmail.com (Stacy) — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 13:10:00 +0000

Not the beginning of a joke, but the subject of one of my favorite pictures of Saint Mark's Square in Venice. I only had seconds to get my camera up and snap this shot before they moved on, but I'm very happy with the results.

Another picture with perfect timing... The bird flew across just as I snapped this picture of Saint Mark's Basilica.

Photos from our previous visit to Venice:
Rialto Bridge in Venice
View from the Bridge of Sighs
Venice, Italy

New York City Subway

ramblingtraveler@gmail.com (Stacy) — Thu, 21 May 2009 13:24:00 +0000

Taking the train was one of my favorite parts of exploring Manhattan. I wish we lived somewhere with public transportation like this.

St. Paul's Chapel in Manhattan

ramblingtraveler@gmail.com (Stacy) — Tue, 19 May 2009 13:06:00 +0000

My favorite pictures of St. Paul's Chapel, the little church down by Ground Zero. The church was completed in 1766 and is Manhattan's oldest public building in continuous use. I took the top photo with my Nikon held through the fence, unable to look through the view finder. I was delighted with how it turned out.

Times Square in New York City

ramblingtraveler@gmail.com (Stacy) — Thu, 14 May 2009 13:10:00 +0000

These daytime pictures of Times Square turned out much better than the nighttime ones I took. I recommend visiting both times, though. The lights and energy at night are fun, but it's easier to stop and take photos during the day.

View from Rockefeller Center

ramblingtraveler@gmail.com (Stacy) — Tue, 12 May 2009 12:44:00 +0000

Another place to get great views of New York City is from Top of the Rock, the observation deck of Rockefeller Center. We went during the day, but it would also be fun to go up at night to see all the city lights.

St Patrick's Cathedral

Battery Park in Manhattan, New York City

ramblingtraveler@gmail.com (Stacy) — Thu, 07 May 2009 12:54:00 +0000

After taking the Staten Island Ferry back to Manhattan, be sure to spend some time in Battery Park. You can visit Castle Clinton, wander along the promenade and through the gardens, or maybe walk the Battery Labyrinth.

Statue of Liberty from the Staten Island Ferry

ramblingtraveler@gmail.com (Stacy) — Tue, 05 May 2009 13:14:00 +0000

Doug and I recently spent a few days in New York City. While we were there, we took advantage of the free ride on the Staten Island Ferry. It's a great way to enjoy the views and take photos of Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty.

Friday Photo Post: Springtime in New York City

ramblingtraveler@gmail.com (Stacy) — Fri, 01 May 2009 13:52:00 +0000

Magnolia blossoms in Manhattan

Magnolia tree in Battery Park

Happy May Day!

Friday Photo Post: The United States Capitol

ramblingtraveler@gmail.com (Stacy) — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 13:05:00 +0000

U.S. Capitol in Washington D.C.

These are two of my favorite pictures of the United States Capitol building. They were taken during our last visit to Washington DC where we enjoyed blue skies and beautiful weather.

A Sentimental Journey

ramblingtraveler@gmail.com (Stacy) — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 16:25:00 +0000

Loubressac (46) by Tactus68 on Flickr

I've been reading David McCullough's John Adams and came across a reference to Laurence Stern's A Sentimental Journey.

"There were all kinds of travelers, Sterne had written—inquisitive travelers, idle travelers, vain travelers—but the true value of travel was not in strenuous sightseeing. It was in opening one's heart to feeling."

Another travel quote to add to my collection.

(I highly recommend McCullough's book, I only regret waiting this long to read it)

Simplicity in Travel

ramblingtraveler@gmail.com (Stacy) — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 17:12:00 +0000

In Simplicity Lessons: A 12-Step Guide to Living Simply, Linda Breen Pierce writes about "the power of travel for personal transformation."

For many people, foreign travel can be transformational, changing how we think of our lives and our world. When we spend time in different cultures, everything is new and fascinating. We start living in the present, because the present is so intriguing. We feel revitalized. Because you let go of what is familiar and routine for you, your inner mind is inclined to take a fresh look at your life- how you feel about what's going on and what direction you want to go next.

I find myself reading that over and over. It puts my feeling into words that make sense, and I'm glad someone was able to do that.

Traveling with Children

ramblingtraveler@gmail.com (Stacy) — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 15:44:00 +0000

Eric at TravelBlogs invited some travel bloggers to share their thoughts about traveling with children. Today, he posted a collection of those stories from people who travel with their children (including one from yours truly). Check it out, you'll get some great advice, and maybe find some new blogs to read!

I would also add these benefits of traveling with children:

A plus for the parents is the chance to see the world through a child's eyes. Added to your own perspective, it adds another layer to your experience.

It's a great opportunity to teach your children to see similarities between people, and to respect the differences. What is known is also less likely to be feared.

If you have a desire to travel but are putting it off because your children are young, I hope these stories will inspire you to rethink that decision.

Related posts on Rambling Traveler:
Tips for Traveling with Children
Don't Wait to Travel

Friday Photo Post: Fall Colors

ramblingtraveler@gmail.com (Stacy) — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 13:35:00 +0000

Photos by Connor Cashman

We recently enjoyed a weekend up at the lake where my son took these pictures of fall colors. I'm using the bottom photo as wallpaper on my laptop.

Flickr Favorites: g.naharro

ramblingtraveler@gmail.com (Stacy) — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 13:18:00 +0000

Skye Sunset

Glencoe

These pictures of the Scottish Highlands come from g.naharro's Scotland's Landscapes set on Flickr.

Things to do in Dublin, Ireland

ramblingtraveler@gmail.com (Stacy) — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 13:34:00 +0000

An edited excerpt of our time in Dublin from my 2006 travel journal:

Day 10: After buying a daily family rambler pass, we took the bus into the city center. We walked through the Moore Street Market, but it was very quiet, only a few stands there at 10:00.

Our next stop was Old Library at Trinity College to see the Book of Kells. There was a long line, but it went very fast. In the first room, there are displays set up describing the history of the time and the books. The books are in a glass case in the 2nd room. After looking at the books, you go upstairs to the Long Room. The Book of Kells was amazing, and the library was beautiful. There are several old books displayed in glass cases. Our sons read part of the 1st edition of Jack and the Beanstalk.

We decided to try the lunch at the Porterhouse. The lamb souvlaki was delicious. Walked to St Stephen's Green where the boys played with their new soccer balls. We also wandered through Merrion Square before visiting the National Gallery of Ireland. Finished up the day with a tour of Christchurch Cathedral and Lebanese wraps for dinner. Christchurch was very interesting, the boys were fascinated by the medieval crypt.

Day 11: Back to the city center where we visited the National Museum of Ireland. We were there for about 2 hours. It was smaller than I expected, but with a lot of interesting displays. We liked the gold exhibit and the bog bodies and clothes the best. This museum was perfect, just enough to see without getting information overload. All 3 boys enjoyed it.

After some shopping, we ate delicious sandwiches and paninis at O'Neill's. After lunch, we did the tour of Dublin Castle. This was more interesting than I expected. I enjoyed the stories about Queen Victoria (the boys are calling her "the whiner" now) and we really liked the tour of the undercroft area. Our tour guide was great at creating visuals for us, helping us imagine what it was like so long ago.

We caught the bus to Phoenix Park, more room for the boys to kick the soccer ball around. The bus dropped us off at the People's Garden, and after touring so many places, resting for a few hours in a park sounded wonderful. We played in the People's Garden and visited the Wellington Monument, then went back to Dublin and to O'Neill's to try their dinner. Bring a big appetite! They serve huge portions. I had the beef and guinness stew with roasted potatoes. You could pick mashed or roasted. The roasted were delicious.

*** tip **** Carry a small bottle of hand sanitizer in your bag. This came in very handy during our trip. Some of the restrooms weren't as clean as you might like, or might be missing soap, and sometimes you might put your hands on a railing or wall that is sticky. We used ours a lot.

More pictures of Dublin on Rambling Traveler:
Friday Photo Post: Views from a Dublin Bus
Dublin, Ireland
Anne Street in Dublin, Ireland

Powerscourt Gardens and Waterfall

ramblingtraveler@gmail.com (Stacy) — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 12:37:00 +0000

In July 2006, Doug and I took our 3 boys, then 14, 12 and 10, to Ireland. Doug's sister, Denise, joined us. The following is an edited excerpt of our visit to the Powerscourt Estate in the Wicklow Mountains from my 2006 travel journal.

Day 9: After visiting Glendalough, we drove on to Powerscourt Gardens and Waterfall. The gardens were beautiful and we enjoyed the long walk around the grounds.

There are shops inside the Powerscourt Estate, but they were extremely crowded, so we skipped the shopping and drove to the Powerscourt Waterfall.

It was crowded there, too, but no more than any nice park on a holiday. There were people having picnics, laying on blankets, playing ball, and to the boys excitement.... climbing on rocks. They climbed all around the base of the waterfall. There is also a snack bar, picnic tables, toilets, and a fun playground at the waterfall.

Like Trim Castle, this is another good day trip from Dublin.

Taking a Home Inventory

ramblingtraveler@gmail.com (Stacy) — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 13:01:00 +0000

Teapot by jovike on flickr

Last week, I created a home inventory spreadsheet to record just about everything in our house and garage. After the massive decluttering I did last fall, I thought it wouldn't be too difficult to count our possessions. I was wrong, it still took a lot of time. Time and patience.

There are some things I didn't count. I didn't include the boys' bedrooms because when they move out, everything in their rooms is going with them. (I don't store any of my stuff in their closets, it all belongs to them.) I also didn't count any consumable products like food, cleaners, skin care, medicine or office supplies. Everything else got listed. I went through drawers, cabinets, closets, and storage containers, not to mention everything that sits out in plain view.

Why I put myself through this:

1. To calculate our net worth. J.D. at Get Rich Slowly had an article about calculating your net worth, and even though I don't think net worth is the most important number in personal-finance, I was still curious what ours was. Unfortunately, I didn't know the value of our personal property. I needed to list everything in our house and figure out what it was worth.

2. To make a comprehensive list for insurance purposes if ever needed. The list, combined with photos or videos of our personal property would make replacement of those items much easier.

3. To really acknowledge the sheer volume of stuff in our home, and hopefully do even more decluttering.

What I've learned from the experience:

1. Doing a home inventory is stressful because it makes you face everything you own. No hiding behind storage containers or drawers, and no lumping everything into one category. You have how many movie dvds and music cds? How many books are on your shelves? How many shirts, pants, shorts, shoes and jackets are in your closets? You get the idea. When you finish your inventory, you will know exactly what is in your home.

2. Do your inventory on a computer. It's easier to go back and add things you missed, or delete things you decide to give away or sell.

3. It's easier if things are put where they belong before you start counting. This would be near impossible to do without some attempt at organizing and decluttering before you start counting. I did use the inventory process to put some out of place things where they belonged, but it's important to keep counting and not get too sidetracked.

If you have children, and they are old enough to help, have them put things where they belong when you come across items like that. *Remember to add the items to your list if you've already inventoried the room they belong in.

4. Itemize carefully. The more detailed you are, the more you'll benefit from the inventory. Avoid listing things like your dishes as one item. Separate them out, otherwise you might not realize that you have 46 serving bowls. 46! That is downright embarrassing. It doesn't matter that some are plastic chip and dip bowls, some are china, some are crystal, and some are stoneware, all different sizes and collected over 18 years of marriage, 46 is way too many serving bowls. If serving dishes aren't your weakness, there is probably something else that will surprise you when you see the total number you own.

5. Go slow, but keep at it. Do one or two rooms a day and take your time going through each shelf and drawer. After a while, you might find it hard to face another shelf full of stuff, and you'll be tempted to lump it all under one heading. That's when you need to take a break and start again later.

The important thing is to not give up if you start to feel overwhelmed. Consider starting with your more organized rooms where it is easier to count possessions. The more rooms you finish, the more motivated you'll be to do the rest.

6. You can use the inventory to help you declutter and stay clutter free.
- While you are doing the inventory, keep a box close to you to put give away/garage sale items. You will be looking at everything you own and before you count an item, decide if you even want to keep it. If you don't, put it in the box and skip counting it. Just make sure you don't end up keeping what's in the box. (and if you are lucky enough to have a ruthless friend help you with some of those decisions, even better- Thanks, Deb!)

- When you are done with the inventory, you can make goals about how many lines on your spreadsheet you want to delete. If you follow the "1 in, 2 out" rule, or decide to join the 100 Thing Challenge, use the list to decide what to get rid of.

-When you go shopping, remind yourself that you'll have to enter all non-consumables into your spreadsheet. Hopefully that thought will help you avoid impulse purchases.

I've told a few people about the inventory, and so far, no one else wants to even think about attempting it themselves. It's hard to imagine counting everything, and it's scary to find out exactly what you own, but I think it's worth it.

Trim Castle in Ireland

ramblingtraveler@gmail.com (Stacy) — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 13:20:00 +0000

If you are looking for a day trip from Dublin, I recommend taking a tour of Trim Castle and wandering around the beautiful countryside. We had a great lunch at Watson's Cafe and Pizzeria, just a short walk from the castle.

Bunratty Castle in Ireland

ramblingtraveler@gmail.com (Stacy) — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 13:02:00 +0000

If you fly into Shannon, a great stop that first day is Bunratty Castle and Folk Park. A popular tourist attraction for good reason, I recommend it for even the most independent traveler, just relax and enjoy it for what it is. We had fun exploring the restored castle and other other historical buildings. There were also costumed re-enactors who described life in Ireland's past and answered questions.

The Ring of Kerry in Ireland

ramblingtraveler@gmail.com (Stacy) — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 13:12:00 +0000

In July 2006, Doug and I took our 3 boys, then 14, 12 and 10, to Ireland. Doug's sister, Denise, joined us. The following is an edited excerpt from my 2006 travel journal.

Day 4: Today we drove the Ring of Kerry. We started at 8:30 in the morning before the buses started their tours. By getting an early start, and by making several scenic stops where buses can't go, we avoided a lot of the crowds all day (a benefit of driving yourself.)

On the advice of others who had gone before, we drove the route counter clockwise. The roads were winding, but not too narrow until Waterville. I liked the fuschia and montbresia flowers by the side of the roads. Our favorite place was Sheehan's Point by the statue of the Virgin Mary. The boys scrambled up the rocky hill while we took in the wonderful scenery. There weren't as many scenic views driving from Castlecove and Sneem to Kenmare, there was too much shrubbery along the roads. We saw a few tour buses pulled off at stops, but not many.

We stopped in Kenmare for lunch. Tried to get into the Purple Heather but it was full. Ate at O'Donnabhain's and it was wonderful. The beef and guinness stew was delicious. We wandered around a small market they had going on, and shopped in some stores. It is a very pretty town, and the perfect size for me.

The drive from Kenmare to Moll's Gap was nice, and the boys did some rock climbing at the Gap. After spending so much time at different stops, we were now meeting up with the tour buses that had taken shorter breaks. For the rest of the drive, we avoided the places the buses stopped.

Killarney National Park was beautiful and I would definitely recommend spending a day there for some hiking. A lot of buses at Ladies View by the store- yikes! We passed that by and stopped at a pull-out near the south end of Upper Lake where we walked through some trees and found more rocks to climb. Doug and the boys climbed down to the small beach while I relaxed up top with my sister-in-law.

In Killarney at 4:00, so we drove the Ring of Kerry in 7 1/2 hours, with plenty of time for stops. We did miss Staigue's Fort, a popular stop for others.* Had Chinese food for dinner, it was interesting to hear Irish phrases with Chinese accents!

*Another place I would like to explore is the Gap of Dunloe near Killarney. I've seen some amazing pictures of the mountain pass between the Macgillycuddy's Reeks and the Purple Mountains and I would love to spend some time there.