Every few days, it seems, the editor of our Web newsletters gives me a general theme and asks me to write a vivid travel nugget. It’s one of my favorite tasks: just sitting quietly in front of my computer and meditating on a particular place. In fact, it occurs to me that having a memory bank of rich travel experiences is a wonderful blessing. Just the other day, I revisited London:
If I flew to London tomorrow, I’d eat dinner with a man in a fisherman’s apron who knows as many words for white fish as Eskimos have for ice. I’d learn of the wonders of scotch with local experts at a fancy mahogany bar under the chandeliers of a luxurious former bank lobby. I’d join the crush of commuters on the ramshackle Tube as they read their trashy daily newspapers. I’d walk the Jubilee Promenade along the Thames under the towering icons of a new skyline and past quirky bits of Dickens’ London ‘ half-timbered stagecoach inns, operating theaters where they sopped up the blood with hay, and a hospital for psychiatric inmates in a neighborhood called Bedlam. And I’d while away my afternoons in Europe’s greatest museums ‘ free and always tickling my sightseeing fancy with new exhibits. Between each stroll and museum visit, I’d join chatty locals again to feel the pulse of today’s London behind the etched windows of venerable watering holes where candles have spilled and beers have sloshed on the same tables for literally centuries. Just writing this makes me want to fling around my winter scarf and head for London town.
If you haven’t tried this, you might enjoy it. Spend a few meditative moments bundling travel memories.
London is my favorite European city. I would stay at the Strand Palace, primarily for its location. During the day I enjoy watching a trial at the Old Bailey a short walk away. In the evening I would plan a London theater adventure as the hotel is in the middle of the district. Directly behind the hotel is the famous market and a complete array of international restaurants. Later on I would visit one of the clubs I joined to play some hold-en poker and exchange barbs with the brits. Since you are close to Trafalgar Square and the Thames both of those are fun to walk around and go to a museum if it strikes you.
Many sleepless nights I walk the passageways of Venice in my mind. I twirl to the music in Piazza San Marco and sing Elvis tunes with Benito as he artistically sculpts my hair. You have given me the courage and tools to turn my dreams into reality and my reality to dreams. Thank you so much.
Snowedbound in Murren with 20 inches of fresh pristine snow in May. Magical.
When I have the means to do so again, I plan to revisit Sicily. I would once again stay in Acireale, a great old sooty Baroque village on the Ionian coast (eastern Sicily) shaped in many ways by the largest active volcano in Europe, nearby Mt. Etna. I would walk the narrow streets of the village center, hit the various gelato shops, eat at the fantastic seafood spots, and just walk, walk, walk, especially in the evening, and visit with locals (what the locals call “la passeggiata”). I would then rent another Alfa Romeo, and head for the hill towns of Mt. Etna, just north and east of Acireale. Starting with the obligatory visit to Taormina and Castelmola (scoping out the Greek-built ampitheater again, and procuring the best marizpan in Europe), I would eventually meander inland in the shadow of the volcano. Using my road map as a rough guide, but not really caring where I end up, I would take the time to soak in the hilly terrain, the ancient ruins, abandoned monasteries, and farms dotting the landscape, and of course to rest and stretch my legs in some of the wonderful medieval towns on the eastern slopes, such as Linguaglossa and Francavilla di Sicilia. As far as I know, I have no Italian heritage. I speak little Italian. I`m not even Catholic. But there is something magical about eastern Sicily, specifically the eastern slopes of Mt. Etna, particularly the way the sun paints the sky as it sets over the mountain to the west. I felt at peace and harmony in the upper elevations of these hill towns, with sheep and cows making pretty much the only noises out on those isolated farm roads. I felt closer to God and nature, and the wonderment of creation, in this setting than I have in most places I`ve been. I want to go back there someday.
Hi, If you are travelling to London than try Hummingbird Cars http://www.hummingbirdcars.com I have tried them for London airport transfer and they are pretty good & affordable. You can get airport transfers from all the five London Airports. They have well behaved drivers who provide meet & greet services. They have well maintained Saloon, Estate, People Carriers (MPV`s) and large public carriers. In addition to this they provide good discounts on booking.
Rick, This is exactly why you should want to have a trip reports section on your website. I think it is time to revisit this issue.
Rick…when will you visit Cyprus? Great culture, great climate, good food, and wonderful people. 70 degrees here today with blue skies and warm waters.