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Posts tagged ‘travel’

Mar 7

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Tacky Tourist Souvenirs

Sparta danger shirt

A reference from the movie "300" at a Greek tourist tee-shirt shop

When I was in Sicily, I met a fellow traveler who had an on-going contest with his girlfriend.  Whenever they traveled, they had to bring back the most ridiculous tourist junk as a gift for the other.  This is an absolutely brilliant idea!  Tacky tourist stuff is ubiquitous at popular attractions.  It’s an international phenomena; you can find this stuff everywhere!

Moose nugget earrings - $3.95

Growing up in Alaska, I would cringe at the variety of souvenirs made from “mouse nuggets”.  As large as a moose is, their excrement is actually just a pile of 1 inch pellets.  Someone though it would be funny to lacquer a couple and make jewelry out of it and the idea has taken off.  You can get drink swizzles, rings, and key chains too.  People must be buying these assorted “nugget” items because you can always find them in tourist shops.  But just so we’re clear, moose nuggets are poop!

Michelangelo's David light switch plate - $9.99

Hands down the worst inspiration for tacky tourist stuff is Michelangelo’s David!  If you’ve ever been to Florence, you know that you can’t go 2 blocks without seeing this guy on everything from desk clocks to aprons.  And most of it is a little tasteless.  Come on, it’s not like people have never seen a nude statue before!

So what have been your favorite examples of tacky tourist junk?

Mar 5

Traveling by Book – Turn Right at Machu Picchu (Peru)

Turn right at Machu Picchu - Mark Adams

Since Peru is near the top of my “Where next?” Travel List, I’ve started doing some research.  I picked up Mark Adam’s “Turn Right at Machu Picchu: Rediscovering the Lost City One Step at a Time.”  A combination of history and travel narrative, I loved this book and need to speed up my travel planning now.

With the hundredth anniversary of Hiram Bingham III’s “discovery” of Machu Picchu in 2011, Mark Adams got to thinking about the authenticity this claim and the meaning of the famous ancient Inca site.  He embarks on a month long back-country trek to trace Bingham’s first expedition.  His team is led by John, an intense and almost larger-than-life actual explorer, and several local Peruvian men who seem unphased by the physical challenges of the journey.  While it seems that Mark does not find all the answers he was looking for, the book does a good job analyzing all the historical realities of  Machu Piccu – a beautiful piece in the interconnected Inca urban web, a forgotten jewel during the Spanish invasion, a vehicle for fame in the early 20th century and a modern day “bucket list” destination.

The book has an excellent balance of travel narrative and history.  Bingham’s background and expedition details are effortless incorporated into Mark’s modern experiences in Peru.  The chapter pacing is quick, hopping back and forth between history, anthropology and the dangers of only wearing one pair of socks while hiking.  Mark is an engaging writer and story-teller.  I immediately sympathized with the challenges he’d take on and identified with his desire to explore both the geography and the past.  Learning and seeing the world is at the heart of every trip and every adventure. Whether you’ve climbed the Inca Trail or hope to some day, you’d definitely enjoy reading “Turn Right at Machu Picchu”.

Feb 29

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Photo of the Week – Greek Gas Station Cat

cat with blue and green eyes

Greek cat with beautiful eyes found while stranded at a Greek gas station (Photo: DaydreamTourist)

Living in the US, I take for granted that everyone accepts debit and credit cards as payment.  We pulled up to a gas station in the southwest of mainland Greece and filled up.  The gas station attendant handed us the bill and then waved off our credit card when we tried too pay.  Clearly flustered because we didn’t have enough Euros for it, I tried to ask “where is the ATM?”  The attendant pointed down the road and so I hopped out of the car while my husband when in search of cash.

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Feb 17

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Jet Lag & Movies

I very much get jet-lag.  And because it’s Friday, here’s a funny story to show you how bad it can be.

This last September, we arrived in Greece around 4pm after red-eying from the US and connecting/running through Charles de Gaulle.  With the metro on strike, it took a lot longer than we had expected to get to our hotel in the heart of Athens.  It looked like we had missed the nap window and so decided to walk around a little, get dinner and stay up until 8 or 9pm.  Feeling good, we hit up a rooftop bar for a drink and a spectacular view of the Acropolis.  Back at the hotel, my hubby started playing with the TV and found, of all things, The Patriot with Greek subtitles.

Maybe 10 minutes into the movie, I starting tearing up.  Bear in mind that at this point, I had watch a small battle scene, bad guys plotting revenge and some characters hiding from the British – nothing particularly emotional.  Then, when the family reunites at the beach, I started sobbing!  I remembered thinking the sappy parts of the movie seemed so forced the first time I watched this, but it didn’t matter this time.  Crying during a cheesy movies you’ve already seen – definitely a sign of jet lag!

I tried this test again the next day.  I must have got enough sleep because I was not at all affected by The Mask of Zorro.

Feb 14

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Marathon Greece and Serious History Tourists

Our last day in Greece, we had a few hours to spare and a rental car so we decided to look for the ancient battlefield of Marathon.  It was here in 490 BC that the Greeks defeated a Persian invasion force.  After which a messenger ran the 24 miles back to Athens to declare the victory inspiring the modern marathon race.

This was the only time our GPS navigation failed us; apparently “Marathon Museum” was a little ambiguous!  Having been directed to the Marathon Run Museum, we got dubious directions toward the ancient battlefield and set out.  After several U-turns, we found ourselves traveling down a narrow road through a field where a crowd had gathered.  I almost didn’t believe what we saw: ancient Greeks engaged in battle.

greek hoplite reenactors

Hoplite reenactors taking a break at Marathon

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