So Long for Awhile

For over a year now, I've been writing about my travels in this blog--and now I have temporarily run out of material. I'll be back the next time I take a trip, or the next time cleaning house turns up photos from one of my earlier trips that I haven't covered yet.

Here's a recommendation for music for the road next time you take off for parts unknown:


In the meantime, if you are an aspiring fiction writer, I am writing a series of articles for you to be found at http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jean_Lorrah.

Otherwise, if you have just found this blog, or would like to reread some of the posts (or look at the pictures again), here is an index of my travel posts:

The journal of my trip to India and Nepal begins here.

Click here for Seven Reasons to Visit India.

The series of posts on my trip to Japan begins here.

The series of posts on my trip to Italy begins here.

My posts about this past summer's semi-staycation close to home begin here.

My essays on travel with pets begin here.

My posts on Travel and Cancer Survival begin here.

Geezer-Chick's guest blog on York, England is here.

Geezer-Chick's guest blog about a fabulous carousel is here.
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Travel Diary Software click here.

MATERIAL CONNECTION DISCLOSURE: You should assume that the author of this blog has an affiliate relationship and/or another material connection to the providers of goods and services mentioned in this message and may be compensated when you purchase from a provider. You should always perform due diligence before buying goods or services from anyone via the Internet or offline.

Columbus' Ships Visit Kentucky

No matter where you live, interesting things will come your way several times each year. Just last weekend the Green Turtle Bay Resort hosted the Nina and the Pinta, accurate replicas of two of the three ships Christopher Columbus sailed on his first voyage to the New World.

These ships were made for a film about Columbus some years ago, but they were built to be seaworthy, and now sail all around the world, introducing people everywhere to the latest thing in seafaring technology, circa the 15th century.

The heat wave had just finally broken, and it was an absolutely beautiful Saturday. As a result, the parks were mobbed, and so were the ships. These little ships originally sailed with a crew of eleven--with a couple hundred tourists on board they really list to the side where everyone climbs aboard!

What is most startling to modern people is how small these ships are, both in their overall size and in things like ceiling height, which is about 5'8". But 15th century European men averaged only about five feet tall. They were also very young, those men who risked their lives in hopes of reaching India and coming home with silk, spices, tea, and gold. Most of the sailors were between 14 and 20, and the cabin boy was only 9. But in those days a boy became legally a man at 14.

Watch your local news for events like this one in your area. Not only does it make a lovely day out, but it gives everyone a sense of history that you just don't get from reading books or watching TV.

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Travel Diary Software click here.

Click here for Seven Reasons to Visit India.

My essays on travel with pets begin here.

My posts on Travel and Cancer Survival begin here.

The series of posts on my trip to Japan begins here.

The journal of my trip to India and Nepal begins here.

The series of posts on my trip to Italy begins here.

Geezer-Chick's guest blog on York, England is here.

Geezer-Chick's guest blog about a fabulous carousel is here.

MATERIAL CONNECTION DISCLOSURE: You should assume that the author of this blog has an affiliate relationship and/or another material connection to the providers of goods and services mentioned in this message and may be compensated when you purchase from a provider. You should always perform due diligence before buying goods or services from anyone via the Internet or offline.

Semi-Staycation, Part Seven

Superman's Home Town

Just across the Ohio River from Paducah, Kentucky is the little city of Metropolis, Illinois, home of the annual Superman Festival each June. Eric wanted to rest, so Lois and I drove up to Metropolis one day in July.

The town is marked by the huge statue of Superman in the court square., an indication--along with casinos--that this town lives on tourism. In July, in the midst of a stifling heat wave, on a weekday, the town outside the casinos was nearly empty. The restaurant in the center of town was closed, and we were directed to a diner on the outskirts of town for lunch. Like so many small American towns, Metropolis has empty storefronts, and prime downtown property currently filled by thrift shops.

Lois and I don't gamble, so we didn't go into the part of town where the casinos are. The central part of town with the Superman Museum and Show Business Museum a few blocks apart is small enough that we parked the car and just wandered around. By the way, yes, those are raindrops on my camera lens. A shower briefly interrupted the heat, and we welcomed it.

There is a strange kind of innocence in this part of the country. The museums and shops are not glitzy, and the prices are reasonable. I couldn't resist buying a Superman T-shirt for just $12.00. The Superman Museum is packed with photos, posters, props, costumes--everything imaginable from the many incarnations of the world's first superhero.

There's even the punny street sign that our Lois could not resist.

Speaking of Lois Lane, we left the museum and strolled down the street so our Lois could commune with the new statue of Noel Neill as TV's first Lois.

From there, we walked down to the general Hollywood Museum, with displays of an amazing number of stars, movies, and TV shows.

All in all a pleasant day. If you're traveling with kids, they are sure to enjoy a day in Metropolis, while adults will appreciate all the nostalgia available, and maybe even the casinos we ignored.
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Travel Diary Software click here.

Click here for Seven Reasons to Visit India.

My essays on travel with pets begin here.

My posts on Travel and Cancer Survival begin here.

The series of posts on my trip to Japan begins here.

The journal of my trip to India and Nepal begins here.

The series of posts on my trip to Italy begins here.

Geezer-Chick's guest blog on York, England is here.

Geezer-Chick's guest blog about a fabulous carousel is here.

MATERIAL CONNECTION DISCLOSURE: You should assume that the author of this blog has an affiliate relationship and/or another material connection to the providers of goods and services mentioned in this message and may be compensated when you purchase from a provider. You should always perform due diligence before buying goods or services from anyone via the Internet or offline.