As we walked through the teeming streets of Varanasi, our guide summed up his city as one of contradictions…. Modern vs. Traditional; Ugly vs. Beautiful; Chaotic vs. Peaceful; Faith vs. Vision; Life vs. Death. Varanasi is the spiritual capital of India. It is considered by many to be the birthplace...
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2013
Year in Review 2013
Happy New Year to everyone! Can you believe another year has flown by? It’s time to reflect back and it always amazes me how much I’ve actually done over the course of a year. It was only a year ago that I reported the formation of my travel consulting company...
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The Salvador Dali Triangle – Costa Brava, Spain
Eccentric…Bizarre…Imaginative…Odd…Visionary…Weird…Narcissistic…Genius…Insane….Avant-garde…Flamboyant These are some of the words that have been used to describe the Spanish artist, Salvador Dali. The Fundacio Gala-Salvador Dali manages the world’s largest collection of Dali’s work in three locations in Costa Brava, Spain….Figueras, Portlligat and Pubol…which together are known as the “Dali Triangle.” As I visited...
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Five Weeks in Girona (Costa Brava), Spain
This summer I lived in Girona, Spain for five weeks. Why? – you might ask. I had been to Girona twice. The first time was for a mere two hours in 1992 when I was in Barcelona for the Olympics… …and then again last year for 2-1/2 days for a TBEX...
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La Sagrada Familia, 2013
In 1992, I visited La Sagrada Familia for the first time during my trip to the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. At that time, construction on the church had been at nearly a standstill since Gaudi’s death in 1926. Only one of the three facades, the “Nativity” Façade… and four...
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USOpen Women’s Final, 2013
Last night I went to the Women’s Final of the 2013 U.S.Open championship! First of all, it is just way cool to just be at the U.S.Open. The energy level is so high, and the venue is great….with entertainment, lots of food vendors, big viewing screen, and lots of U.S.Open...
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Opera…My Love Affair Continues
On my recent trip to Spain, I made a special trip from Girona down to Barcelona to attend a production of Madama Butterfly at the Gran Teatre Liceu, as I continue my growing love affair with opera. (And opera houses!). This opera house, located on the famous La Rambla in...
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The Ancient City of Bagan – Myanmar – January 2013
Upon arriving in Bagan from Monywa, we immediately proceeded to Phya That Gyi Pagoda, one of the pagodas offering roof access, to watch one of Bagan’s spectacular sunsets. But first, we were able to explore the pagoda which housed Buddha images in black robes… …plus view for the first time...
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Monywa and the Buddha Caves – Myanmar – January 2013
After our two great days in Mandalay, we stopped off to watch the making of gold leaf before heading to Monywa. The artisans start out with about 2 ounces of gold which is pressed and cut into 200 pieces, which are then stacked on top of each other and secured...
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Mandalay and Environs – Myanmar – January 2013
After seeing the sights in Yangon and making our pilgrimage to Golden Rock, we took an early flight to our next destination, Mandalay. The plane was surprisingly empty, and we wondered how many people who had been scheduled on our flight had been delayed getting back to Yangon from Golden...
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