24 10, 2016

Travel Missteps: The Dueling Grounds of Bath, England

By |October 24th, 2016|Categories: Travel, Travel Missteps|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |1 Comment

Source I always was a strange kid. I loved reading about magic and ghosts, so when my family was in England I begged to do a ghost tour. My parents figured the poltergeist tours of London and Edinburg might be a little too intense for my sister and I, so instead my mother found a walking ghost tour of Bath. It was a fairly tame tour, starting out right before dusk and telling us the history of the town, from Roman times up to Victorian times. He told us about druids and ley lines, and how the

21 10, 2016

My favorite Carved Pumpkins!

By |October 21st, 2016|Categories: Crafts, Photography|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , |1 Comment

Halloween is my favorite time of the year! I wanted to share with you all some of my past favorite Pumpkin Carvings! This is the front of a pumpkin, showing a witch in front of her cauldron! And this is the back! When lit it would cast flickering shadows and light in the form of the moon, stars, and wisps off of the witch's potion! I hadn't thought about carving the backs of pumpkins to give more of an atmosphere! I actually hate the feeling of gutting a pumpkin. So I started using fake pumpkins

20 10, 2016

Death on the Nile: The Ghost Ships of Egypt

By |October 20th, 2016|Categories: Travel, Travel Memories|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |0 Comments

Ghost Ships at Luxor Temple Preparing for my trip to Egypt, I read many blogs. One of the unique articles I read was "Egypt's Modern Day Ruins: The Nile River Cruises of Yesteryear" from Roaming Around the World. It was fascinating to read about the fact that tourism has dropped so much in Egypt that out of over 350 Nile Cruise Ships that use to be working less than 15 are still in use. I marveled at the photos of the dilapidated Ghost Ships, decaying in the desert heat. Rows of mothballed ships. Source And I wondered

17 10, 2016

Museum Monday: Egyptian Antinous

By |October 17th, 2016|Categories: Museums, Travel|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |0 Comments

Antinous was a lover of the Roman Emperor Hadrian who drowned in Alexandria in October 130 AD. After his death Hadrian commemorated him with many different statues and elevated Antinous to an almost god-like hero/deity. This version shows Antinous as Osiris, an Egyptian god who came back from death after his body was scattered in the Nile. This is actually a remarkable Roman take of the typical Egyptian statue pose of royalty, with one foot forward. It is on display at the Vatican Museum. Museum Monday is an every other week series about museum news, objects, and reviews.

15 10, 2016

Souvenir Saturday: Japanese Wooden Dolls

By |October 15th, 2016|Categories: Souvenirs, Travel|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |0 Comments

A common souvenir from Japan is the Japanese Wooden Doll, or Kokeshi. There are two types, the traditional kokeshi, which is made in two parts and all details are usually painted on. Or the Creative Kokeshi which may have other elements. This Kokeshi below I got in Tokyo and is a Creative Kokeshi. I picked it out as its wearing a kimono with a sakura blossom design. Souvenir Saturday is an every-other week series on the items that represent travel memories.

11 10, 2016

Local Haunts: Banjo Billy’s Ghost Bus

By |October 11th, 2016|Categories: Attractions & Sights, Local, Travel|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |0 Comments

Source: Vince Darcangelo Another one of my Halloween traditions is to take Banjo Billy's Ghost Tour in Boulder. This is all about the experience. The bus is made of wood, and inside are an eclectic mix of seats. (While the saw-horse is a novelty, it is not comfy enough to sit in on the entire ride.)  The decor is also very mixed with christmas lights, buttons, tassels, disco balls, and other kitschy decorations hot glued here and there. The horn has a mixture of sounds from a cat-call like whistle to the sound of a barking dog.

10 10, 2016

Travel Missteps: Trapped in Prayer

By |October 10th, 2016|Categories: Travel, Travel Missteps|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |0 Comments

I only had a few minutes before my group was going to leave. And I really really wanted a star lamp. I mean really, being in a Middle Eastern Souq/Market just screams buying a lamp. So I was determined to get one during my visit to Khan el Khalili, the large market in the heart of Islamic Cairo. But, all the other shops had lamps that were much too big. And I knew I was going to have to carry on whatever I bought. So right as I was about to leave, when I spied the perfect smallish star lamp

6 10, 2016

Traveling with Medications

By |October 6th, 2016|Categories: Travel, Travel Tips|Tags: , |0 Comments

Source The old joke about American Tourists is that we are walking pharmacies with every possible over the counter drug on us. I've even heard tour guides say if you need anything make sure to ask your American tourmates before heading to a pharmacy. But jokes aside, traveling with medication isn't as simple as throwing it in your bag and heading out the door. Here are some things to think about: Each county has different restrictions on drugs and medicine. So don't assume just because you have a prescription that its legal for you to have it. In some