What do I see in this photo? I’m exploring a Purépechan village, on an organized tour with friends, while enjoying photography!
I didn’t know what to expect on this trip. Tricia sent out the email; I responded. End of story. Right? Wrong! I had “technically” been to Mexico five previous times: Tijuana with my family as a kid; Ensenada on a weekend cruise as a young adult; Guaymas in my twenties with Club Med; Loreto with Joel and Tricia just before the pandemic; and touching the cliffs across the Rio Grande on my cross country adventure. (Hey, I said “technically!” 🙂 )
This trip, though, was completely different. First, it was an organized tour, so I didn’t have to make any decisions about what to do or when to do it. Given my frustration losing my wallet in Ghent, Belgium, when traveling solo in September, not having the stress of making decisions was a nice change! Second, we explored indigenous villages, showcasing Purépechan culture. Having never been to any villages in Mexico, the people, customs, and crafts mesmerized me. Third, this was a private tour with eight participants, all of whom I knew to at least some degree before the adventure began. We got along really really well. For example, in the van, we rotated seats. I enjoyed having a new seat buddy on each journey; what a wonderful way to get to know each other better.
To say that I loved connecting with the Purépechan people I met would be an understatement! I know – deep into my bones, into my very essence – that we are more alike than we are different. That we all want the same things – health for our loved ones, a sense of community, some moments of joy. I saw this. I experienced this. I witnessed this. Family, friends, togetherness. Health, community, joy. Add in some creativity, good food, lots to drink: perfect!
I had a blast taking photos! As shown in the photo above, I captured scenes from many angles. Kneeling on the ground? Climbing up walls? Shooting through holes in gates? Yep! Going through my photos, especially to organize them for this blog, proved a challenge. Some of my photos are typical tourist pics, which of course I want to help me remember this adventure. Others, though, are more…creative. I love taking pictures of and through windows, doors, and arches. I tried to use composition techniques I learned in my photography class. Sometimes they worked out; other times they did not. Regardless, I had so much fun taking photos! My favorites…hm…I culled through them and came up with these eight. (I can’t believe I got it down to eight!)
Checking my email in Brugge, Belgium, last September, I received an email from my friend Tricia asking if I, along with Joel and other friends, would like to join her on a tour of Pastorela dances in Michaocán, Mexico. Almost simultaneously, I forwarded the email to Joel, who was biking in Cappadocia, Turkey, asking if he was interested and he forwarded the email to me asking if I was interested. That was the extent of our conversation! We were IN!
Ultimately, our private group of eight – organized by tour guide extraordinaire Rick Hall of Zócalo Folk Arts Tours – experienced an amazing array of Pastorela dances, artisan displays, natural beauty, and cultural connections. What a phenomenal trip!
Details, reflections, and photos are organized into the following topics:
After spending a BUSY Chanukah with family and friends – eating lotsa latkes, lighting lotsa candles – I decided to RELAX today and take lotsa photos. The LCD screen on my camera is in the shop for repair, so I’m practicing using my rental camera – same model but I had to re-set the settings… This means, I have to re-learn what I’ve been practicing for nearly a year.
With so many Christmas decorations out, I had a great focus to practice my…focus, aperture, shutter, ISO, etc! With no time pressure to click the shutter, I returned to fully manual mode rather than aperture priority, as I’ve been shooting recently. Nice to return to basics!
Here are my favorite captures from today’s photo walk (with no comments on the individual pics).
About an hour before sundown today, I grabbed my camera and walked the neighborhood. It was a great opportunity to capture some images with end-of-sunlight colors. Here are my favorites…
Yesterday, I combined two of my loves/avocations/hobbies/joys: I hiked 15 miles and took photos along the way.
The hike: For about ten years now, my friend Melanie and I walk a marathon each year. When the pandemic arrived, we decided to create our own marathon since organized events were canceled. With our combined schedules, it still makes sense for us to create our own challenge rather than participate in formal events. This coming weekend (day depends on rain!), we will, once again, walk 26.2 miles. To train, one weekend I made sure to walk 10 miles, the next weekend 15 miles, the following weekend 20 miles, and yesterday 15 miles. I am SLOW – and I can do this!
The photos: I’ve been frustrated lately with the quality of my photos, especially the lack of focus quality. I re-read my camera’s manual, changed some settings, and captured photos during my 15 miler. Culling through over 200 pictures, following are my 15 best attempts. I figure one photo per mile – so 15 photos for 15 miles!
Today, being Thanksgiving, makes me think about GRATITUDE. My personal values – Integrity, Gratitude, and Kindness – act as a compass to help guide me in the right direction.
For example, if I’m thinking about doing something or feeling a bit uncomfortable about an issue, I weigh it against my values. Does the decision help me live with integrity – with wholeness, honesty, and completeness? This is not to say that I meet this goal all of the time – I absolutely do not! When I don’t, my stomach lurches and I know I’ve not acted with integrity. When I pause before acting and consider my decision with integrity in mind, I most often make a much better choice.
Gratitude, the theme for Thanksgiving, is paramount in my mind right now. I have so much to be grateful for. My children are happy, independent, and kind adults. (I used to say “young adults,” but at ages 28 and 31, I wonder if “young” still applies!) I enjoy spending time with my partner; we have evolved to a warm, comfortable, caring, and fun point in our lives and our relationship. His children and grandchildren add joy to my life. I love being Nana Lisa to his three grandchildren; the third one arrived November 11! I so appreciate the laughter, support, and fun of my friends. With six kids in my family, my siblings add another layer of love, support, and humor to my amazing life.
In addition to the many people whom I love and appreciate, I am so grateful for my health and fitness. I have the physical and, at times even more useful, mental ability to walk or hike many, many miles. In preparation for Melanie’s and my annual walking marathon, I completed a 20 mile walk in the mountains three days ago. In less than two weeks, it’ll be time for 26.2 (never forget the .2!) miles.
With my health and fitness, I am able to travel, explore photography, read, knit…such a full and wonderful life! So much for me to appreciate!
Opening up my lens, however, makes me concerned for the world – elections, war, climate, diseases, … – there’s so much to be concerned about.
What makes me most grateful is being able to appreciate what IS good, what IS beautiful, what IS the best of humanity. For all of the wonderful people, places, and pleasures that embellish my life, I am forever grateful.
Continuing my personal ritual of taking a long meditative walk on Yom Kippur, this morning I headed toward Morro Bay and Cayucos. For me, the process involves eating lightly so I can walk without fainting, turning off electronics while walking (no podcasts or audiobooks to distract me or change my focus), and letting my mind wander to what inspires me. Meandering while being surrounded by the natural rhythm of the ocean allows my mind to reflect on what nudges it.
Today, I felt a series of transitions. San Luis Obispo was warm and sunny while Morro Bay was foggy and cool. The sand changed from hot and soft to cold and wet. The sounds vacillated between highway car noise and waves hitting the beach.
As I walked, my mind first focused on travel, the trips I’ve recently enjoyed and the upcoming adventures that await me. Being the planner that I am, I already have a general idea of where I’d like to go in 2023. 🙂
Next, my mind wandered to photography and some creative projects I’m working on. I mentally sketched out a few ideas and am anxious to get started on them.
While shuffling along the beach, I realized that the big recent transition in my life – retirement – allows me to travel more and stretch my creativity, hence my initial thoughts surrounding these two activities. This big change in my life means there are times when my life is busy and other times when it is slow, times when I’m surrounded by family, friends, and community, and other times when I am alone, times when I feel accomplished and other times when I feel less fulfilled, times I believe I’m contributing and other times I wish I were doing more.
When I think of what fills my days as a retiree, I see a daily pattern of moving my body, doing some type of chore, and doing something fun and, often, social. There are days when I give back to our community – for example, I usher at the Performing Arts Center and I donate blood (thank you, spinach!). The “how can I make the world a better place” part of my life is still not what I want it to be. From today’s Yom Kippur reflections, my biggest takeaway – my most important future task – is to figure out what I can do to help the greater good. My hope is that during next year’s Yom Kippur walk, I’ll be able to reflect on how I contributed more to making our world a better place. כן יהי רצון
Photo from April 2022 since I didn’t take any pictures today.
After taking over 2,500 photos during my recent adventure to Germany, Holland, Luxembourg, and Belgium, I selected the following 40 photos as a “photography showcase.” Posted here without further comment! 🙂
C Plan: Before this trip began, I knew – being a bit experienced with travel – that I would need to be adaptable. In the world even before covid, flexibility was key to enjoyable travel. Joel coined the term “Plan C” for traveling nowadays. My interpretation of Plan C revolves around planning for Covid, Climate, and Conveyances. This has definitely been a Plan C experience! Covid: Although I did not (as of writing this!) get Covid this trip, Astrid did. This meant flexibility on the part of her cousins and me while in Germany, so Astrid could recover. It also means that she and I must return – together – to Germany! Climate changed Joel’s and my barge&bike trip from exploring the Mosel and Saar rivers to meandering through South Holland and spending a couple of days in Amsterdam. I used many Conveyances this month: trains, planes, automobiles, buses, trams, barge, bikes, feet! Plan C for Conveyances resulted in two major changes: a different barge&bike trip; and a train strike in Amsterdam, necessitating a very long bus travel day.
Components: This trip had three components: Germany with Astrid and her cousins, the Netherlands with Joel, and solo travel in Luxembourg and Belgian. All three components exceeded my expectations, even with the necessary Plan C adjustments. As previously mentioned, although I missed having Astrid show me Germany, her cousins Jutta and Barbara did an amazing job sharing their country with me and allowing me to see Germany through their eyes. Cycling, on my e-bike, in the Dutch countryside, along canals, and on dikes with Joel coupled with the luxury of barge cruising make me excited for another boat and bike trip. Solo traveling – or “squirrel traveling” as I call it – presents unique challenges and opportunities. I enjoyed this component of my trip, especially the squirrels that delighted me – meeting and hanging out with interesting people.
Christine and Daniel: For the first two components of this month-long European adventure, I didn’t have to make any lodging decisions entirely on my own. For the third component, it was all on me. In Luxembourg, I stayed at a hotel…which seemed more like a dorm room. In Brussels, my AirBnB was comfortable yet on the third and fourth floors of an 1800s building without air conditioning – meaning it was HOT at night. Also, it was very noisy since I was in the city center with bars and restaurants right under my open windows. The owner was nice, but I met her only once. In Bruges, however, I stayed at Christine and Daniel’s B&B Stoega, my favorite lodging! As I mentioned in earlier posts, Christine and Daniel are phenomenal PEOPLE, not just great hosts. I know opening their home to guests is a type of business, and it felt more like staying with friends than being a paying customer. They are warm, helpful, kind, intelligent, talented… I could go on and on! I repeat what I’ve said before: WHEN you’re in Bruges, I STRONGLY suggest you stay with Christine and Daniel at B&B Stoega. I look forward to keeping in touch with them and, hopefully, seeing them in California soon.
Conversations: This is why I travel!!! Yes, I love seeing new places, architecture, sculptures, gardens, museums, etc. Even more, though, I love talking to PEOPLE. I had so many engaging and enlightening conversations this trip. Jutta and Barbara, along with their husbands Hans-Juergen and Hermann Josef, helped me better understand Germany – not only the history of the Holocaust and the division of Germany and Berlin into East and West but also the modern country. My table companions on the barge were fun, kind, and interesting. In Bruges, I had a fabulous time sharing meals, sites, and conversations with Janet and Geerte – and, of course, I loved chatting with Daniel and Christine! I had a surprisingly fun time in Brussels hanging out with Steve and his pied piper group of travelers. Steve, a 41-year old married Australian man with three children, gathers people together whenever he travels. With his wife and kids in Germany visiting her family, he was solo in Brussels and joined my free walking tour. When the tour ended, he said whoever wants to get a beer and fries, follow him. About a dozen of us did – and revelry and chats ensued. Steve said he does this whenever he travels – he gathers people from tours, hostels, etc. – and creates an opportunity for everyone to socialize and talk. He said he feels this is what travel is really about: talking to a range of people. I completely agree!
Crowds vs. Value of Tourism: Okay, I get it. For many countries or communities, tourism adds significantly to their economies. Hey, I’m from San Luis Obispo where tourism helps our coffers. The challenge, though, is balancing the benefits of tourism with an overabundance of tourists. Especially following the lockdowns necessitated by the pandemic, I understand the urge to travel – the travel bug bites me, too! Nonetheless, I don’t enjoy crowds. For example in Bruges, where I stayed for four days, the first couple of days had minimal crowds. Then, the weekend arrived and, along with it, throngs of people often from cruise ships. Good thing I enjoy long walks in the country to small villages because that’s exactly what I did to remove myself from the hordes of tourists.
Cobblestones: I know cobblestones add ambience and help a city seem quaint. I love how they look and how they make me feel when wandering streets and alleys. However, walking on uneven stones or pulling a rolling suitcase going bumpity-bump can be a bit cumbersome and annoying. For some people who have turned an ankle (not me!) while walking on cobblestone, they can even be dangerous.
Cornering: Using a thesaurus, I tried to find a “C” word as a synonym for “aging.” Since I couldn’t find one, I’m using the word “cornering” instead. I feel like I’m turning the corner from young vibrant traveler to a bit older traveler. I like some of the comforts my age and privilege provide, such as barge travel and not counting every penny. (I remember my year in Israel… I had a journal and, in the back, kept track down of every cent I spent!) I also am, I would say, 5% slower than I was in 2019 BC (Before Covid). It takes me a bit longer to figure things out, to get moving, to find my groove. By my calculations, 5% per year would mean in 20 years, when I’m 82, I’ll have completely slowed down. I guess that’s okay!
Coin Purse: I’m sure it could have happened to me earlier before I “cornered” a bit as a traveler, but losing my focus causing me to forget my coin purse annoyed me. I could say it bummed me out, but although I’m not happy about the mishap, I’m not devastated. I hid my passport and extra credit cards in my luggage, so they weren’t lost. I wish I would have done the same with my cash… I use it so seldom… I should have kept, say, €50 in my purse and hid the remaining €100. Expensive lesson learned.
Conflicting Emotions: Whenever a trip ends, I have conflicting emotions. This trip is no different. I’m a bit tired and ready to be home. The stress of traveling, especially as I “corner,” tires me. I miss my family and friends. What will I do first? Hug Emmett, of course! I may even shower before I see him. 🤣 I love my home and my life at home. I look forward to relaxing in my own house, sleeping in my own bed, and spending time with my San Luis Obispo friends. Nonetheless, I love traveling! I love seeing new sites, exploring new locales, talking to new people! Another trip is on the horizon…after I recuperate from this one!
For my last full day of my trip, tomorrow being a long and exhausting travel day, I hit some of Rick Steves’ hot spots: City Museum, European Parliament, and Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium. Additionally, I returned to the Grand Place and, due to being frustrated with yesterday’s photo, Manneken-Pis. Of course, I needed to round out my eating tour of Brussels with a waffle and chocolate!
After my busy (and eventful…) day in Ghent, I arrived last night in Brussels. I enjoyed dinner in the Grand Place, eating outside until the rain began to fall. I finished my dinner inside the restaurant. Yep, I’m still a bit nervous about eating inside (corona…), but I chose eating while remaining dry.
Today was a bit of a mishmash. Tristan, my free walking tour guide for my 10:30 am tour, did a fine job. He’s only been doing this for a couple of weeks, so as he became more comfortable, he did a better job. We saw the major sites near the center of town, all near my AirBnB.
When the tour ended, an Aussie announced the “next tour,” beer and fries! About a dozen of us joined him. We found a pub and drank (lots of) beer and then a place to buy fries (frites). One couple from Cincinnati will be on a barge & bike tour with the same company Joel and I used, boatbiketours.com. They’ll be heading from Bruges to Amsterdam. Most of the others are students or recent grads.
I’m typing this at about 7:00 pm… At 8:00 pm, many of the us will be meeting in the Grand Place for dinner and, of course – ya know, it’s Brussels! – beer. 🙂
Oops! Had to happen, eh?
While preparing to stop in Ghent on my way from Bruges to Brussels, I said goodbye to my FABULOUS B&B hosts, Christine and Daniel, and hopped on my train. At the Ghent Central Train Station, there were only a few luggage lockers. All were full until – yay! Two people emptied a locker and I tried to reserve it. The pay pad wouldn’t take my Apple Pay, the way I’ve paid 99% of the vendors on this trip, so I dug out my coin purse with my debit card and…left my coin purse by the luggage lockers! Oh, well. I have my passport for ID, and I hid extra credit cards in my bags. I locked my lost cards, ordered a new drivers license, and notified the train station about my lost coin purse. Biggest bummer is the €150.00 which is lost forever…
I am NOT, however, going to let this mishap ruin my day or my trip! 🙂
This morning, during my lovely breakfast at B&B Stoega, I asked Christine about the best way to get to the train station. She offered to give me a ride. So nice! Then I discussed photography with Daniel. He’s a talented photographer who is taking his retirement hobby to an amazing level. I’ve taken one course; he’s getting a degree in photography! If you would like, take a look at some of his creative work on instagram: @phototrail_dd. And when (not IF!) you visit Bruges, I HIGHLY recommend B&B Stoega!
Ghent is so different than Bruges! Bruges’ medieval buildings present a unified perception of the city. The main sites are clustered within its walls, allowing visitors to imagine what the city was like long ago. Ghent has some similar sites – churches, cathedrals, a castle, plazas, fountains, canals – but they’re interspersed with modern buildings and facilities. Ghent is less unified than Bruges.
In Ghent, I had to see the Ghent Altarpiece, or ‘The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb,’ by the Van Eyck brothers in St. Bavo’s Cathedral. One can explore the cathedral free-of-charge, but to see the Mystic Lamb, there’s a charge. I decided to go whole hog – or should I say whole sheep?! – and paid for the augmented reality tour. Wearing a special headpiece, I saw holograms as I listened to speakers sharing the history of the Mystic Lamb. So cool! I’ve never done anything like this and was very impressed with the engagement of augmented reality!
Following the Mystic Lamb, I wandered around the city, making sure to take a look at Gravensteen, a medieval castle. Next up? The dragon on top of the Belfry of Ghent!
Now, I’m ensconsed in my AirBnB in the center of Brussels. Soon, it’ll be time for more exploration!
In the summer of 2019 BC (Before Covid), I taught for the University Studies Abroad Consortium (USAC) in Torino, Italy. After my teaching stint ended, I solo traveled to Krakow, Prague, Cesky Krumlov, Bratislava, Budapest, and Athens. (A few days later, Joel met me in Athens, and we continued onto Crete for his son and now daughter-in-law’s destination wedding.)
What became apparent to me is that as much as I enjoy cities, especially the architecture, gardens, and “surprises,” I do not enjoy crowds. I also need nature! I need to be out of the city and, preferably, in the hills or, at the very least, on a trail.
When my host Christine and I were chatting a couple of days ago, she suggested, knowing that I like to walk, a day trip to Damme, a nearby village. I decided to take her advice, prepared my backpack, and headed to Damme this morning. (My initial thought was to take a boat on the canal back to Bruges, but it wasn’t available today. No problem! It felt good to have a ten-mile day!)
What did I see? Canals, a windmill, horse-drawn carriages, cows, vintage cars, cute buildings… It was another wonderful day!
[Note: Such a wonderful day, I had to sort through 133 photos! These represent my favorites from today.]
Today, I took it a little easier.
Following my delicious breakfast at my B&B, I met Geerte in the market square, thinking we’d see the first “knighting” in 430 years. Oops! That’s scheduled for tomorrow, not today.
Instead, we sat in the courtyard of the Belfry of Bruges, a medieval tower, to listen to the 11:00 am free, live carillon concert. Next, we visited Church of Our Lady so we could see Michelangelo’s famous white marble sculpture, Madonna and Child, the only sculpture of Michelangelo to leave Italy during his lifetime. The sculpture was stolen twice from Bruges. First in 1794, French revolutionaries captured the piece, which was returned after Napoleon’s final defeat at Waterloo in 1815. In 1944, German soldiers smuggled the sculpture wrapped in mattresses using a Red Cross truck. A year later, the “monuments men” recovered Madonna and Child from a salt mine in Austria.
Geerte left for Utrecht after seeing Madonna and Child, so I meandered over to Garlic and Greens, a vegetarian Indian restaurant for a relaxing and delightful lunch.
Then what? I thought about going into some of the churches, cathedrals, and museums I’ve seen from the outside. However, the crowds! I’ve been in Bruges since Thursday afternoon, and the quantity of tourists was quite manageable. This changed today! Cruise ships arrived, visitors from nearby towns arrived, people from all over arrived. Time to move out of the city center. I walked to Beguinage Monestary and relaxed on a bench, with my book, by Minnewaterpark.
Slowly, with camera in hand and no map, I strolled (via a gelato shop!) back to my B&B.
