Travel Quotes

Most people collect baseball cards, or fancy artwork, or beanie babies. (Side note: What do people collect these days?) I collect travel quotes. I have an old beat-up journal that was gifted to me many years ago in which I house all my beloved quotes. I find them in books, from friends, or other travelers. The world is full of brilliant inspirational travel quotes. They all ring true and remind me of why I love love love to travel. I read these when I’m road-weary, or (like now) when I’m itching to pack my bags and head off to a new adventure.

Like this one, for example:

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”
– Mark Twain.

Or this one:

“Travel to new places...forces us to develop greater flexibility as we challenge our most cherished beliefs about the way things should be.” –Jeffrey Kottler

Some remind me that travel isn’t necessarily boarding an airplane bound for a foreign land, but is a state of mind or a way of life.

“Travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living.” – Miriam Beard

“We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open.”
– Jawaharal Nehru

“One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.” – Henry Miller
Other quotes humble me, and remind me of how big and beautiful our world is.

“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow mindedness and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.” – Mark Twain.

“The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.”
– St. Augustine

And my all-time, absolute favorite quote is the one below from On the Road. I read this (for the first of many times) on the plane heading for my semester abroad in Dublin. It fit so perfectly for the moment I was in.

“What is that feeling when you’re driving away from people and they recede on the plain til you see their specks dispersing? It’s the too-huge world vaulting us and it’s goodbye. But we lean forward to the next crazy venture beneath the skies.”
– Jack Kerouac

Just imparting a little wisdom for the week. So go pack your bags, travel, dream and grow.

A Weekend in Cabo San Lucas

Did I tell you I was going to Cabo San Lucas? I nearly forgot myself. Well, one doesn’t nearly forget a trip to Mexico, especially in light of the Swine Flu. But, it snuck up on me with graduations, crazy work schedules and final papers hogging center stage. I could go on and on about all the things we almost did like whale watching, snorkeling, or touring the glass-blowing factory. However, we opted to just lie on the beach, drink pina coladas (well, I drank fruity cocktails, J wouldn't dream being seen with such a girly drink), and read all the novels we had been meaning to read for the last six months. So, instead I’ll share with you the scene I stared at for three days as I marinated in a mixture of Banana Boat sunblock and saltwater:

Photo Friday: Vienna's Griechenbeisl
One of my absolute favorite cities in Europe is Vienna. I adore Vienna. I love the cobblestone streets, the grand palaces, and art galleries. I can see the history, I can feel elegance, and I can hear the music. Dear Internet, I love the music. Beethoven, Haydn, Mozart, Schubert. As I walk the Innere Stadt, I feel like I've been transported in time.

I could write a entire book on why I love Vienna (and people have!), but for today's photo Friday I'm going highlight one restaurant called, Griechenbeisl. This is almost more of a tourist attraction, and the minute you step inside...it's like a time warp. The building in which the restaurant is housed in is reputedly the oldest inn still standing in Vienna, having been around since 1447! It's was frequented by musical greats Schubert and Brahms and Mozart (of course), American authors (Mark Twain among one), International Artists, and all sorts of politicians!

The Hofburgs had their own room, in which they all signed the wall as well. (I nearly got pictures of it, but as it's a fancy private room...and we didn't get an special invite and I tried to sneak in which resulted in an very angry Austrian man scolding at me in German, but Internet that is another story for another time!) You could spent hours just gazing at the signatures on the walls, and seeing who was there. Everyone from Napoleon to Johnny Cash.

All in all, very historical stop - for a bier, snack or a full-three-course meal.

Photo Friday: Lake Arenal, Costa Rica

J. and I went to Costa Rica for our honeymoon. Originally, we wanted to go to Italy, but between being "house poor" (we just bought a house, 6 months before our wedding), and the quickly crashing dollar rate we didn't think we could afford it. So, we picked up our Atlas of the World, let it fall to a page...and lo and behold, it fell to Costa Rica. J. did all the planning (thanks honey!) and we enjoyed a fabulous honeymoon for a fraction of the cost.

Our tour of Costa Rica included, Arenal Volcano, one of the 10 most active volcanoes in the world. On almost a daily basis, red lava comes crashing down the volcano. During the day, the volcano looks like this:

At night, we would sit on our patio chairs with a bottle of wine and watch the lava pour down the mountain until the clouds covered our view. (At this time, I unfortunately had a crappy camera that didn't' take pictures at night...so, you'll just have to use your imaginations for this one!) While, we were lucky to have one clear day with the entire volcano visible (which is touted as good luck!) usually we saw this:

Besides the awesome scenery La Fortuna (the town's name) has many activities: hiking, mountain biking, river rafting, bird-watching, soaking in hot springs. We took a day-trip up to Cano Negro, which was a live version of Disneyland's "Jungle Cruise." But, that's another story for another time. Oh, and if you ever decide you have to see Volcano Arenal for yourself...I highly recommend you stay at the Arenal Observatory Lodge. It's the only hotel which offers front-row seats to the spectacular fireworks display, but you'll feel safe since you're protected by the deep gorge of the Agua Caliente River. It was originally built as a research station (so, you'll feel smart when you stay here) and is the only hotel situated within the Arenal National Park.

Hop in the car and drive anywhere in the United States and most of the time, no matter where you stop, there will be something familiar that feels like home. You see the familiar Starbucks cups, McDonald wrappers and huge billboards on street corners.

When J. and I were dating and living in Sacramento we frequently went on weekend getaways (usually with very little planning and preperation to them!) This spontaneous weekend began by hopping in the car and heading northwest. We wanted to escape the Sacramento heat by heading towards the coast but, we also were looking for something “distinctly Californian”. What better than the Redwood Forest, then? We quickly discovered that the Redwood Forest is pure majestic beauty, oddly personifying California in its familiar uniqueness.

At several points along the way we stopped our car for a leisurely stroll through these majestic trees. Standing among the forest floor the amazingly, ancient redwood trees form a canopy which blocks all but the strongest sun rays from reaching you. Walking among the cathedral of trees you experience the unsettling feeling of being alone while also learning a lesson in humility.
We spent the remainder of that Saturday driving among the Giant trees flirting along the coast with our windows rolled down breathing in the clean, fresh, cool air. We stopped in an Indian reservation, had our first taste of fresh Buffalo burgers and spent five minutes staring eye-to-eye at a mother elk as a herd meandered across the highway.

Bright and early the next morning – 24 hours had passed since my last mochachino and another inspiration strikes, Oregon! We drove the windy roads through the trees and every once in a while spotting another small quaint town without a Starbucks or billboard in sight. There may have been a lot of driving on this quick weekend getaway and saw many little towns laid out in a similar way, yet each one more unique in their redundancies than any big city block.
On this weekend my intention was not to escape from American commercialism that bombards us every day, but as is so often in California, a simply journey to “somewhere I’ve never been before” turns into an extraordinary memory and experience.