No Airplanes

The final map. As far as the main “No Airplanes”...

Fri, 29 Oct 2010 16:14:17 -0400

The final map.

As far as the main “No Airplanes” trip goes, here are some rough stats I put together:

Total Distance Traveled = ~24,000 Miles

By Ship = ~13,000 Miles

By Train = ~7,500 Miles

By Car = ~3,800 Miles

By Unicycle = 0 Miles

I’m home. While my house is bit torn up due to some water...

Thu, 28 Oct 2010 15:58:42 -0400

I’m home. While my house is bit torn up due to some water issues (broken pipe while I was gone - d’oh!), some things will never change. One of those things is the “Traditional” breakfast at The National Exemplar. I eat this exact breakfast at least a few days per week. It’s nice to have place where I can just order the “usual.” You don’t get that on the road.

I’ll have some wrap-up posts coming but the trip itself is over. It feels good to be home, but I know I’ll be ready to travel again very soon. Such is the curse of a traveler!

I rolled into Chicago on a beautiful day. It was great to see...

Wed, 27 Oct 2010 15:51:49 -0400

I rolled into Chicago on a beautiful day. It was great to see my family after some time away. My little sister Kelly ran the marathon there (her first). She finished in good time - great job Kel!

Luckily our condo in Chicago was right next to the Apple Store so I could grab an iPhone 4. I felt like such a Luddite carrying my 3GS all around the world!

Only a few hours from home, I was looking forward to sleeping in my own bed for the first time in months.

Mid-October is a fantastic time of year for a drive through...

Wed, 27 Oct 2010 01:09:00 -0400

Mid-October is a fantastic time of year for a drive through Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Indiana. I got to visit some amazing places on my trip, but there’s just something about Fall in the Midwest that will always have a powerful hold on me.

I hit the ground running in New York. A direct taxi ride to...

Sun, 24 Oct 2010 01:40:33 -0400

I hit the ground running in New York. A direct taxi ride to Newark Airport to pick up my rental car and I was on my way. I hummed this song all day, especially as I took this photo:

My dinner group on the ship. Fun crowd!

Tue, 19 Oct 2010 11:42:19 -0400

[Flash 10 is required to watch video.]

My dinner group on the ship. Fun crowd!

My second sea journey was quite a bit different from my first. ...

Sun, 17 Oct 2010 18:02:00 -0400

Goodbye Europe!

Good Morning America!

My second sea journey was quite a bit different from my first. To get across the Atlantic, I took the Queen Mary 2. Which, at the time she was built, was the largest cruise ship ever produced. While she has lost that title, she’s still the largest ocean liner in the world (though there aren’t many of those in this day and age).

I’ve never actually been on a cruise before so I have nothing to compare the journey to. I will say I thought it was very comfortable, the food was fantastic, and I was never really bored, even though the week was akin to being on a floating nursing home given the average age of the clientele.

I spent most days playing poker all afternoon, reading, working out, and trying to drink my through a $600 ship credit from my travel agent (though really, half of it went to massages at the spa). I also saw Bill Bryson do a talk and even ran into him on the staircase once where I got to compliment his fine beard.

Steaming into New York Harbor after an Atlantic crossing is a great “old school” travel experience. We arrived very early in the morning but I was up at 0430 to see the ship barely clear the Verrazano Bridge. It seemed a very fitting way to re-enter the U.S. given that I left the country months before by standing on the top deck of the Hanjin Dallas while going under the Golden Gate Bridge.

After going by the Statue of Liberty, we did a big turn and settled into our dock in Red Hook. I watched the sun rise over lower Manhattan, grabbed some breakfast on the ship, and then was off to Newark Airport to pick up my rental car so I could be in Chicago the next day to meet my family.

Photo

Thu, 14 Oct 2010 16:42:51 -0400

After a quick train ride with a night in Paris, I made it...

Wed, 13 Oct 2010 22:10:36 -0400

After a quick train ride with a night in Paris, I made it through to London, my last major stop before heading across the Atlantic. I only had a few nights but I did manage to hang out with both Ash from the Vodkatrain tour and Cathy who I studied in Luxembourg with in 1999. I hadn’t seen Cathy for quite a few years so it was extra nice to catch up.

On October 1st I headed to Southampton to catch the Queen Mary 2 sailing to New York City.

I’ve been in Florence for just under two weeks and will...

Sun, 26 Sep 2010 19:38:33 -0400

I’ve been in Florence for just under two weeks and will head for London tomorrow and on the way to New York on Friday. I didn’t go in a single museum or church my entire time here (I’ve been to most things here at least twice over the years). I was able to enjoy the city with no agenda taking frequent long walks in random directions. I didn’t even take my camera most of the time and simply found good places to sit and read and a different interesting restaurant for lunch and dinner. I got a lot of work done, read “The Road” and “Slaughterhouse-Five”, started “The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao”, and watched lots of movies and TV on the laptop (fantastic Internet speed in my hotel room for downloading).

You have to put up with masses of people in Florence but I think the benefits that brings outweigh the annoying parts, especially if you know how to get outside the traditional tourist areas. If you so desire, you can see David in the morning, walk 20 minutes and easily find a place to eat that tourists rarely visit for some of the best food in the world, and, in the evening (on Sunday anyway) watch NFL games with a beer and cheeseburger. I think it’s a great mix!

One week in town so far, leave for London on Monday.

Wed, 22 Sep 2010 19:36:06 -0400

One week in town so far, leave for London on Monday.

Video

Mon, 20 Sep 2010 10:36:53 -0400

[Flash 10 is required to watch video.]

Last weekend our friend Rezo invited us to his boyhood village. ...

Wed, 15 Sep 2010 16:01:45 -0400

Last weekend our friend Rezo invited us to his boyhood village. Rezo himself hadn’t been back for over 20 years so it was an especially special occasion. The village was a little ways outside of Vani. For the cartographically oriented, we were a bit south of here (in the hills).

As they mark every special occasion in Georgia, we were to be guests at a supra. Our host was Rezo’s cousin and related family (lots of cousins young and old around this weekend!). The supra itself was an all afternoon and evening affair consisting of seemingly endless toasts to various things such as friendship, parents, those we’ve lost, etc. My glass of wine was also endless as the hosts continued to fill it even when only a sip was gone (you soon learn to drink as little as possible on each toast in order to survive the affair!).

The trip so far. Red lines are side trips using airplanes.

Wed, 15 Sep 2010 05:09:01 -0400

The trip so far. Red lines are side trips using airplanes.

I’ve been in Tbilisi almost two weeks now and am just...

Mon, 13 Sep 2010 06:38:41 -0400

Cassandra, Rezo, and Mike

Sneaky Russian border shot

I’ve been in Tbilisi almost two weeks now and am just getting around to some posts. Sorry for the delay! I’ve been having a great time enjoying a thick slice of America at the home of my friends Mike and Cassandra who both work at the U.S. Embassy here. Eating “Joe’s O’s” for breakfast, watching football on AFN (even if it means staying up all night!), and enjoying fast, free, Internet to catch up on work.

That’s not to say we haven’t had a bit fun along the way. My very first day here our friend Rezo took us north of Tbilisi to an area I didn’t get to my last time in Georgia (this past March). We drove all the way to Russian border. I wanted to sneak in, but was talked out of it. Here are some photos from that drive.

Georgia is a beautiful country and often “missed” by most travelers. If I can help get even a few more people to this wonderful place, I’ll consider that a success. More to come!

I have three side trips on the overall “No...

Sun, 05 Sep 2010 12:23:00 -0400

I have three side trips on the overall “No Airplanes” journey. The first was to visit my friend Liz in Okinawa. The second was to Cairo. It’s one of those “must do” destinations for any traveler so I went down to check things out.

I did all the usual first time stuff - Giza Plateau, Saqqara, Memphis, a Nile cruise, and a sunset horseback ride around the Pyramids to see them from a different perspective.

My hotel was fantastic and I’m looking forward to getting back to cruise down to Luxor to see the Valley of Kings (and other great stuff).

My third side trip is to Tbilisi to stay with my friends Mike and Cassandra. I’m in Georgia now and will be here until the middle of the month. Posts from the land of khachapuri and khinkali coming soon!

I call this “Portrait of man who has let his beard get far...

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 14:23:30 -0400

I call this “Portrait of man who has let his beard get far too scruffy.” I need to find a beard trimmer stat.

Copenhagen

Sun, 29 Aug 2010 11:41:26 -0400

Copenhagen

Stockholm

Sun, 29 Aug 2010 11:00:00 -0400

Stockholm

Helsinki was the first stop in a week’s run through...

Sat, 28 Aug 2010 21:34:46 -0400

Helsinki was the first stop in a week’s run through Scandinavia. In order to fit in a quick trip to Cairo (which is where I am as I write this, I’m a bit behind on the blog!), I only left myself two nights each in Helsinki, Stockholm, and Copenhagen.

Being a bit museum’d out, I spent most of my time simply walking around, sitting on park benches, and eating outside. So I don’t have much to say except that each city was great and I’ll get back for a longer stay in the near future. The weather was fantastic in each place (especially after the heat of Russia) save a bit of rain in Denmark. It’s a wonder what nice, cool, weather does for the mood!

Here’s a batch of Helsinki pics. Stockholm and Copenhagen to come.