Thread: Holidays Board: Oblivion / Ship of Fools.
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Posted by Ariel (# 58) on
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It's spring. I've been looking at travel sites and come away with a head full of impossible dreams, and images of sun-drenched beaches, bright airy villas, intriguing old passageways and markets, cafes with tables outside, and so on.
Where would you most like to go, of all the places in the world? And why? (This can include places you can't currently visit because of wars, etc.)
Posted by Boogie (# 13538) on
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You have just described Tuscany ![[Smile]](smile.gif)
Simply wonderful
Posted by LeRoc (# 3216) on
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Especially because I'm normally travelling so much, I'd like to go on a simple camping holiday.
Posted by Doone (# 18470) on
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South Korea, the cherry blossom will be out and such an interesting diverse country. Otherwise, anywhere in Italy - the history, architecture, history, etc, beautiful.
Posted by Schroedinger's cat (# 64) on
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Iceland, and seeing the Northern Lights.
New England. In the fall, of course.
Posted by Welease Woderwick (# 10424) on
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I was going to say Angkor Wat in Cambodia, just a few flying hours from here but actually I love where I am so much and so much more is so easily reachable from here that I really don't want to go anywhere - when you live in paradise why move?
Posted by jedijudy (# 333) on
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When July and August are so hot and humid we can hardly breathe, my friends and I love to go to cool places. Alaska, Finland, Colorado, places like that. Being tempted to wear a jacket in the morning is luxury!
Posted by Karl: Liberal Backslider (# 76) on
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Svalbard. Because Polar Bears and Ice and Snow.
Posted by Sipech (# 16870) on
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I'd just love to travel more. I've been on holiday twice in the last 16 years and recently booked my 3rd (a 3 centre stay in Switzerland this summer).
One of the main problems is that I'm a temperate person. I can't stand extremes of hot or cold. I'd love to visit the US, but the gun-toting locals there make it as a scary a prospect as Australia, the land of the venomous creatures.
I think my ideal would be the Scandinavian countries and Iceland, though the latter has no public transport system, which makes getting around very difficult.
Posted by Karl: Liberal Backslider (# 76) on
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Iceland has perfectly functioning buses.
Posted by Brenda Clough (# 18061) on
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Iceland is charming and civilized, thoroughly catering to the tourist. There are bus tours to just about everything worth seeing on the island, which is not large. You can also rent a car -- the roads are not busy. Be warned that like all islands things are not cheap there.
I have to divide out travel into the places I must go (Atlanta and California), the places I need to visit for professional reasons (Italy and France, at this moment) and places that I would like to go to. I have always wanted to do a (wussy and well-catered) pilgrim walk to Compostella. Surely I will get it together and visit the Holy Land someday? And then there is Antarctica...
Posted by crunt (# 1321) on
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Japan please: a month long holiday (or maybe longer) from Hokaido down to Kyushu - by train. Either in spring or autumn.
Posted by Piglet (# 11803) on
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quote:
Originally posted by Schroedinger's cat:
Iceland, and seeing the Northern Lights ...
... again. Yes, yes, yes!
If money were no object (I can but dream!) Australia and New Zealand would be fairly high up my bucket-list, as would a return trip to Italy now I'm old enough to appreciate it: I was there on a school trip when I was 16, and thought it was all wonderful, but I think I'd probably enjoy it even more now.
I also miss the post-Easter mini-breaks we used to take to the Isle of Man, which is beautiful, quirky and blessed with many excellent eateries.
Posted by no prophet's flag is set so... (# 15560) on
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Seeing as Piglet has posted, may I suggest that Newfoundland is probably my favourite island. Been 3 times though it is cheaper to fly to Europe for us. There, all the men call me "buddy" and all the women "darling". Scenery lovely. Relatively unpopulated, good place for walking and staying in B&Bs. Recommend to rent a car and choose east or west coast. Cheaper than Ireland, which it resembles in friendliness, culture, music and beauty.
Posted by Leaf (# 14169) on
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quote:
Originally posted by no prophet's flag is set so...:
Seeing as Piglet has posted, may I suggest that Newfoundland is probably my favourite island... Recommend to rent a car and choose east or west coast.
If you plan to go to Newfoundland, arrange your travel in this order:
(1) first book your rental car
(2) then buy your plane ticket.
Since it is an island, the number of rental cars on it is finite, and EVERY tourist who goes there rents a car. This tip was given to us by a Newfie friend who goes back often to visit family. He was right, as evidenced by the lineups of unhappy people at the airport rental car desks.
Posted by Ariel (# 58) on
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quote:
Originally posted by Boogie:
You have just described Tuscany
I had actually been thinking of Malta, and Croatia, and the Greek islands.
Somewhere Mediterranean, anyway, with warmth and sun, steeped in history, with friendly people and good food, and the chance to sit out on a balcony in the evening overlooking the sea, as the sun sets swiftly into it. A few small boats passing by; the air lightly scented with flowers, or thyme, and the timeless sound of the gentle waves on the beach below.
Posted by Karl: Liberal Backslider (# 76) on
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I'd quite like to go to Italy; Sorento appeals because of the proximity of Pompeii and Herculaeneum (or however they're spelled) - but not during the summer. Far too hot.
Posted by HCH (# 14313) on
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I am hoping in a couple of months to visit Banff and Lake Louise in the Canadian Rockies. Another notion is to look for an inn-to-inn hiking visit to
Cape Breton.
Posted by Graven Image (# 8755) on
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Virginia is the spring when the hills are green and the dogwood is in bloom. To hot in the summer, and to cold in the winter but spring and fall beautiful.
Posted by Curiosity killed ... (# 11770) on
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I am actually booked to see some of my current list this summer: Skara Brae and St Magnus cathedral, plus Inverness and Aberdeen so I can visit Stonehaven Harbour, from the Haggis Hunt, and Dunnattor Castle, which is one of my work laptop backgrounds (slide show of various UK sites) and one of two I haven't already visited.
Posted by no prophet's flag is set so... (# 15560) on
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quote:
Originally posted by HCH:
I am hoping in a couple of months to visit Banff and Lake Louise in the Canadian Rockies. Another notion is to look for an inn-to-inn hiking visit to
Cape Breton.
Very crowded with tourists in the summer months. The Banff Jasper highway is the usual route for spectacular things. Yoho, Kooteney, Revelstoke are other national parks within reasonable distances, and Mount Robson provincial park (BC).
Posted by HCH (# 14313) on
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No Prophet: Thank you for the comment. At the end of May, I will not be surprised if there is still snow here and there, especially at higher altitudes, and this would deter some folks. If there are people around, perhaps the bears will leave us alone.
As usual, one of the main purposes of going on a trip is to get away from the little town in which I live.
Posted by Doone (# 18470) on
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quote:
Originally posted by Karl: Liberal Backslider:
I'd quite like to go to Italy; Sorento appeals because of the proximity of Pompeii and Herculaeneum (or however they're spelled) - but not during the summer. Far too hot.
We went a couple of years ago at the end of September. The weather was perfect. We were based in Sorrento and did trips to Pompeii, Herculaneum (which we both preferred), Capri, Naples archaeology museum and the Amalfi coast. We loved it all and really hope to go back.
Posted by no prophet's flag is set so... (# 15560) on
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quote:
Originally posted by HCH:
No Prophet: Thank you for the comment. At the end of May, I will not be surprised if there is still snow here and there, especially at higher altitudes, and this would deter some folks. If there are people around, perhaps the bears will leave us alone.
As usual, one of the main purposes of going on a trip is to get away from the little town in which I live.
Pick a sunny day for the Banff-Jasper Highway. The townsites and lower areas won't have snow. I have skied at the end of May at Sunshine many times (it's between Banff and Lake Louise).
Posted by Bene Gesserit (# 14718) on
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quote:
Originally posted by crunt:
Japan please: a month long holiday (or maybe longer) from Hokaido down to Kyushu - by train. Either in spring or autumn.
This would be my Other Half's first choice and my second; his second choice (and my first) would be a month in Austria including Christmas. Either way, there's a just a gnat's whisker (if that) between first and second ![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
Posted by Ariel (# 58) on
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quote:
Originally posted by Doone:
We went a couple of years ago at the end of September. The weather was perfect. We were based in Sorrento and did trips to Pompeii, Herculaneum (which we both preferred), Capri, Naples archaeology museum and the Amalfi coast. We loved it all and really hope to go back.
One of my abiding memories is of taking the train from Sorrento to Pompeii - the thrill of actually being able to take a train to such a historic site! - and the journey along the coast with the beautiful view of the sea, the flowers along the way, and Vesuvius looming across the bay. Then getting off actually at Pompeii itself, and looking up at those tall walls, centuries old, and wandering through the streets. With a thousand other tourists. But still amazing. ![[Cool]](cool.gif)
Posted by Firenze (# 619) on
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We were having lamb cutlets last night and I was pining for the terrace overlooking the sea, the sun setting, the cicadas shrilling in trees, a few lop-eared sheep bleating somewhere from the thyme-clad hillside, a few small skinny cats touring round your feet, a glass of Peloponnesian red at hand...
Posted by Moo (# 107) on
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quote:
Originally posted by Graven Image:
Virginia is the spring when the hills are green and the dogwood is in bloom. To hot in the summer, and to cold in the winter but spring and fall beautiful.
It's not all that hot in the mountains.
Moo
Posted by Sandemaniac (# 12829) on
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quote:
Originally posted by Curiosity killed ...:
I am actually booked to see some of my current list this summer: Skara Brae and St Magnus cathedral
Orkney is magical, CK - don't forget to go to Skaill's House on your Skara Brae ticket!
If we ever get our act together to sort it out, this year we will be heading for the land of the ice and snow, to the midnight sun where the hot springs flow. Yes, Bejam... sorry, Iceland.
AG
Posted by Lothlorien (# 4927) on
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quote:
Originally posted by Sipech:
One of the main problems is that I'm a temperate person. I can't stand extremes of hot or cold. I'd love to visit the US, but the gun-toting locals there make it as a scary a prospect as Australia, the land of the venomous creatures.
.
Don't forget you need to dodge the kangaroos hopping down our cities' main streets. Not to mention the drop bears and bunyips.
It would be years since I last saw a live snake outside.
However, my niece fished eight live funnel web spiders out of her swimming pool the other day. Funnel webs are more prevalent in certain areas od Sydney, so you could avoid those.
(Code fix)
[ 30. March 2016, 06:36: Message edited by: Firenze ]
Posted by LeRoc (# 3216) on
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I will probably never visit Australia or New Zealand. There's only so many hours I can stand on a plane.
Posted by Firenze (# 619) on
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quote:
Originally posted by LeRoc:
I will probably never visit Australia or New Zealand. There's only so many hours I can stand on a plane.
Don't they give you a seat?
Due to personal circumstances, I'm unlikely to be taking any long haul flights again. It'll be more Europe by train. I can live with that: I've been to North America and China and South Africa and it was all very memorable, but it doesn't have to exotic to be good.
Posted by MrsBeaky (# 17663) on
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quote:
Originally posted by LeRoc:
I will probably never visit Australia or New Zealand. There's only so many hours I can stand on a plane.
Our eldest daughter and family live in New Zealand and that is the only reason why we continue to endure those flights as we are finding it harder and harder to do more then 10 hours tops.
However, I have to say NZ is a wonderful country, stunning scenery, great food and we have met some really lovely people there. So I'd recommend it to anyone as long as you can cope with those flights.
I still have what I call *destinations in waiting* around the world but I don't know if I will ever manage to get there.
In June we are returning to one of our favourite places in the whole world, the Isles of Scilly.
I love that place!
Posted by Karl: Liberal Backslider (# 76) on
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quote:
Originally posted by Doone:
quote:
Originally posted by Karl: Liberal Backslider:
I'd quite like to go to Italy; Sorento appeals because of the proximity of Pompeii and Herculaeneum (or however they're spelled) - but not during the summer. Far too hot.
We went a couple of years ago at the end of September. The weather was perfect. We were based in Sorrento and did trips to Pompeii, Herculaneum (which we both preferred), Capri, Naples archaeology museum and the Amalfi coast. We loved it all and really hope to go back.
Alas we looked into it and it'd cost us a grand per person.
Posted by LeRoc (# 3216) on
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quote:
Firenze: Don't they give you a seat?
quote:
MrsBeaky: In June we are returning to one of our favourite places in the whole world, the Isles of Scilly.
I love that place!
You realise I'm still traumatised by the war we had with those islands?
[ 30. March 2016, 06:59: Message edited by: LeRoc ]
Posted by Ariel (# 58) on
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quote:
Originally posted by Karl: Liberal Backslider:
Alas we looked into it and it'd cost us a grand per person.
Packages and tours can be horrendously expensive. But they do sound lovely; and if you don't mind spending literally hours on the internet and co-ordinating everything yourself you can put your own deal together.
It is hassle, though. It's one of the reasons why I haven't done that trip to Carcassonne, or the art gallery break in the Netherlands. Travelling is quite a lot more hassle than it used to be, in the days when you could just turn up with a flight bag at an airport and get a standby out to somewhere half an hour later.
Posted by Kittyville (# 16106) on
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quote:
However, my niece fished eight live funnel web spiders out of her swimming pool the other day. Funnel webs are more prevalent in certain areas od Sydney, so you could avoid those.
[Tangent] Were any of them useful for venom harvesting, Lothlorien? [/End tangent]
Booked my flights for October holiday today, to take advantage of a Qantas sale. Now for the planning of the bits between arrival and departure...
Posted by LeRoc (# 3216) on
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quote:
Kittyville: Now for the planning of the bits between arrival and departure...
Planning is overrated
Posted by Kittyville (# 16106) on
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You might well be right, LeRoc. The flights are in and out of Jozi. Is it Mozanbique you visit, or Angola, or both? What recommendations?
Posted by MrsBeaky (# 17663) on
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quote:
Originally posted by LeRoc:
quote:
MrsBeaky: In June we are returning to one of our favourite places in the whole world, the Isles of Scilly.
I love that place!
You realise I'm still traumatised by the war we had with those islands?
Well I never knew that about Scilly!
Posted by LeRoc (# 3216) on
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quote:
Kittyville: The flights are in and out of Jozi. Is it Mozanbique you visit, or Angola, or both? What recommendations?
I'm most often in Mozambique (will be there again next month). Are you planning to go to Angola? It isn't easy to get a tourist visa for that country.
South Africa has lots of beautiful places of course. I like Mozambique, but it's only a holiday destination if you're feeling adventurous (learn some Portuguese, try to speak with the local people).
Posted by Pomona (# 17175) on
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Trans-Siberian Express, Interrailing around Europe, Japan, S. Korea, India (as a single woman I wouldn't though), as much of the US and Canada as I could see by train. Australia seems too hot for me but I would like to visit NZ (I know India would be hotter, but the food would make up for it). I would drink a lot of flat whites! Oh and green Spain around Galicia and the Basque country.
Sipech, the Pacific Northwest and New England are AFAIK all fairly liberal parts of the US, and moderate weather-wise.
Posted by Brenda Clough (# 18061) on
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When I was younger I could rough it, but now I really need amenities. I won't camp, and I do need to know that I can sleep in a bed when I arrive. I am forced to build in extra days to accommodate time changes, otherwise I am brain-dead. I need my meals regular, or blood sugar dangerously dips. And so now I plan trips carefully.
Posted by Piglet (# 11803) on
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quote:
Originally posted by Sandemaniac:
Orkney is magical, CK - don't forget to go to Skaill's House on your Skara Brae ticket!
If we ever get our act together to sort it out, this year we will be heading for the land of the ice and snow, to the midnight sun where the hot springs flow. Yes, Bejam... sorry, Iceland.
Sandemaniac, you have such good taste. ![[Overused]](graemlins/notworthy.gif)
We should be in Orkney at some point this summer; we haven't quite sussed out our itinerary yet as we have to fit in D's niece's wedding in the south of England at either the beginning or the end and work in the rest of our time round that.
My sister and her family have just been up there and they did Skara Brae and Skaill House (my nephew's fiancée is new to Orkney). They thoroughly enjoyed it, and said there's now a replica Skara Brae house that's new since they last went there.
Posted by Schroedinger's cat (# 64) on
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quote:
Originally posted by Brenda Clough:
When I was younger I could rough it, but now I really need amenities. I won't camp, and I do need to know that I can sleep in a bed when I arrive. I am forced to build in extra days to accommodate time changes, otherwise I am brain-dead. I need my meals regular, or blood sugar dangerously dips. And so now I plan trips carefully.
I don't camp (but I am glamping at Greenbelt this year, if anyone wants to join me). I need a bed at least some of the time, and some warmth. Otherwise it isn't a holiday for me, it is an ordeal.
I have come to accept that I will probably never make NZ or Aus. Probably applies to the Far East too. I don't like flying at all, but occasionally manage shorter distances. The problem is, it takes me days to settle and calm down again. That might be OK going over, but I can rarely take the time when I return.
Posted by L'organist (# 17338) on
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Where to go?
Short haul (no haul really) - Pembrokeshire in either late Spring or September.
Long haul - French Polynesia, especially Tahiti or if the 'plane didn't go that far, Noumea capital of New Caledonia.
(Code fix)
[ 30. March 2016, 20:05: Message edited by: Firenze ]
Posted by RuthW (# 13) on
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quote:
Originally posted by Sipech:
I'd love to visit the US, but the gun-toting locals there make it as a scary a prospect as Australia, the land of the venomous creatures.
I don't know how scary Australia is, but I've never been afraid to live or travel in the US. Stay in states without open-carry laws and you won't see anyone toting a gun who isn't a cop or a Brinks truck guard.
Posted by ArachnidinElmet (# 17346) on
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quote:
Originally posted by Ariel:
It is hassle, though. It's one of the reasons why I haven't done that trip to Carcassonne, or the art gallery break in the Netherlands. Travelling is quite a lot more hassle than it used to be, in the days when you could just turn up with a flight bag at an airport and get a standby out to somewhere half an hour later.
That's true in general, but the Netherlands might be doable.
I stayed in Rotterdam for 5 days after a work conference in the Netherlands (in Middelburg, well worth a visit itself)a few years ago. It's got a fair collection of galleries itself, but also, being a transport hub in a smallish country lots of places are reachable from one base. I can highly recommend the Dutch train network and crucially you don't have to book ahead to get cheap tickets.
I've always wanted to go to Iceland for the Northern Lights too, sadly foiled by a lack of cash, or a tour of southern Spain.
Posted by LeRoc (# 3216) on
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Thank you all for your nice remarks about the Netherlands.
I haven't lived there for a while, but I think it would most certainly be doable to get a cheap hotel at a nice nature location, a 20 min train ride away from the centre of Amsterdam.
Posted by Firenze (# 619) on
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quote:
Originally posted by Ariel:
It is hassle, though. It's one of the reasons why I haven't done that trip to Carcassonne
You have a car. Get a friend who can drive. Head for the Dover-Calais ferry. Stop somewhere north of Paris the first night. Aim to go through Paris at the weekend when the traffic on the orbital is much lighter. Limoges is a good stop off for the second night. Following day, you can make Languedoc. The other advantage of a car is that you can drive back with a bootfull of perfectly stunning reds of Corbiere which you will never find in the UK and which will warm your winters for years to come.
Posted by Brenda Clough (# 18061) on
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quote:
Originally posted by RuthW:
quote:
Originally posted by Sipech:
I'd love to visit the US, but the gun-toting locals there make it as a scary a prospect as Australia, the land of the venomous creatures.
I don't know how scary Australia is, but I've never been afraid to live or travel in the US. Stay in states without open-carry laws and you won't see anyone toting a gun who isn't a cop or a Brinks truck guard.
I agree. It is safe to the point of crashing boredom in 99.99 percent of the States. It will be far more dangerous, statistically, for you to travel here. Remember that our unwritten American creed is that everything should be simple and easy; all complications, all difficulties, are met with caterwauling and so tend to vanish. We are supremely wussy, exactly the opposite of all Americans you have ever seen on TV or in movies. You might want to be street-smart in the inner cities, late at night, but even then a confident walk is perfectly sufficient.
I have lived here for sixty years and never seen a gun except in the hands of police or people I know are licensed to handle them. The only crimes I have ever been a victim of took place overseas, not in the USA. (Had my purse slashed in Italy once, and a pickpocket in Piccadilly Circus.)
Posted by Sandemaniac (# 12829) on
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Holiday booked! ![[Yipee]](graemlins/spin.gif)
AG
Posted by JoyfulNoise & Parrot OKief (# 2049) on
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I have a yearning for vast open spaces, Canada, or maybe Australia..
But mostly my ideal holiday would be on a small island, small population, plenty of books, no internet or mobile phones, an i.pod full of music, streams to sit or bathe in, open mooreland across which to stomp, hill or two to climb, campfires at night - and finally a very comfortable bed.
But maybe, if you asked me the same question in an hours time, my dream would be totally different.
Posted by Pomona (# 17175) on
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quote:
Originally posted by JoyfulNoise & Parrot OKief:
I have a yearning for vast open spaces, Canada, or maybe Australia..
But mostly my ideal holiday would be on a small island, small population, plenty of books, no internet or mobile phones, an i.pod full of music, streams to sit or bathe in, open mooreland across which to stomp, hill or two to climb, campfires at night - and finally a very comfortable bed.
But maybe, if you asked me the same question in an hours time, my dream would be totally different.
Oooh this sounds wonderful!
I too long for the wide open spaces - the US and Canadian prairies, the Arctic Circle, East Anglia. Actually a narrowboat around the Fens sounds pretty good too.
Posted by North East Quine (# 13049) on
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quote:
Originally posted by Curiosity killed ...:
I am actually booked to see some of my current list this summer: ...Aberdeen ...
Aberdeen is a bit of a building site just now, so check in advance. The Art Gallery is closed for refurbishment, Marischal College is overshadowed by building works and noise, and Provost Skene's is also closed. What is it you want to see in Aberdeen?
You will love Dunnottar Castle. It is breathtaking (in more ways than one - the scenery and the climb up the stairs both take your breath away!)
Posted by Augustine the Aleut (# 1472) on
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quote:
Originally posted by Sipech:
I'd just love to travel more. I've been on holiday twice in the last 16 years and recently booked my 3rd (a 3 centre stay in Switzerland this summer).
One of the main problems is that I'm a temperate person. I can't stand extremes of hot or cold. I'd love to visit the US, but the gun-toting locals there make it as a scary a prospect as Australia, the land of the venomous creatures.
I think my ideal would be the Scandinavian countries and Iceland, though the latter has no public transport system, which makes getting around very difficult.
Alas, I must contradict you. Iceland does have a
public bus system, although it does not take you around the extraordinary northwest fjords.
If you choose your bit of the US, it is actually fairly safe-- nasty violence and gun-toting is generally restricted to unpleasant neighbourhoods and open-carry states. Your only problem will be if you are hiking, as you will often be stopped by the police who will wonder what you are doing. I have no experience of the creatures of Australia, other than the occasional Queenslander, so must bow to the experience of others in this regard.
Posted by Brenda Clough (# 18061) on
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quote:
Your only problem will be if you are hiking, as you will often be stopped by the police who will wonder what you are doing. [/QB]
Even this is only an issue if you are a male person of color. If you are white or East Asian (which counts as white), or if you are female, you do not appear on the authorities' radar at all, and nobody will bother you.
And there are a score of elementary cues or props that signal harmlessness, if you care to call upon them. Knitting always works, as do children and dogs; a simple tee shirt emblazoned with a patriotic sentiment or the logo of an American sports team will be fully sufficient.
Posted by moonlitdoor (# 11707) on
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I've been in several open carry states as a tourist, Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Arizona, Colorado. I've not had a remotely threatening experience in any of them.
The only place in the USA I have felt a bit uneasy is Sunset Boulevard, which was not quite as nice in real life as it is in the film.
Anyone who fancies going to the USA, I say go, you'll have a great time.
Posted by LeRoc (# 3216) on
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I've only been in the US once and very briefly, spending five days in Miami. During that time, I haven't spoken a word of English
Posted by Penny S (# 14768) on
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quote:
Originally posted by Piglet:
quote:
Originally posted by Sandemaniac:
Orkney is magical, CK - don't forget to go to Skaill's House on your Skara Brae ticket!
If we ever get our act together to sort it out, this year we will be heading for the land of the ice and snow, to the midnight sun where the hot springs flow. Yes, Bejam... sorry, Iceland.
Sandemaniac, you have such good taste.
We should be in Orkney at some point this summer; we haven't quite sussed out our itinerary yet as we have to fit in D's niece's wedding in the south of England at either the beginning or the end and work in the rest of our time round that.
My sister and her family have just been up there and they did Skara Brae and Skaill House (my nephew's fiancée is new to Orkney). They thoroughly enjoyed it, and said there's now a replica Skara Brae house that's new since they last went there.
I fixed up with a local guide for a day when the Iceland cruise ship was there and not offering a visit to the dig at the Ness of Brodgar, and that was very good (name available if wanted). As well as the dig, there's the Tomb of the Eagles with its museum, the Tomb of the Otters (and associated cafe).
Posted by Augustine the Aleut (# 1472) on
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quote:
Originally posted by Brenda Clough:
quote:
Your only problem will be if you are hiking, as you will often be stopped by the police who will wonder what you are doing.
Even this is only an issue if you are a male person of color. If you are white or East Asian (which counts as white), or if you are female, you do not appear on the authorities' radar at all, and nobody will bother you.
And there are a score of elementary cues or props that signal harmlessness, if you care to call upon them. Knitting always works, as do children and dogs; a simple tee shirt emblazoned with a patriotic sentiment or the logo of an American sports team will be fully sufficient. [/QB]
While enhanced melanin might make one more likely to be singled out, as a person of pallour, I have been the focus of the authorities' attention on three occasions. Twice in Florida, as I walked along side streets in a residential area so as to avoid walking alongside heavy traffic-- apparently on one occasion, the police had been called by a resident. The first time, I was asked for my passport to prove that I had entered the US legally (I had foolishly told them that I was Canadian forgetting that El Qanada was something he might have heard about on the radio)-- I was told to walk along the main highway where I would not be suspicious. The second time, the constable was quite bemused wondering why on earth anyone could walk and was I too poor for a car. However, it turned out that his wife was Argentine and we had a long chat about how mate was far better for you than Red Bull. On a third occasion, while walking to a restaurant in Charlotte (North Carolina) from my nearby hotel, the police seemed puzzled as well, but told me that it was a dangerous area (I hadn't thought so, and the hotel staff said it was fine) and I should always drive. When I told them that I was planning to have some beer with my dinner as I was told this was the best beverage for ribs, one of the local police said as long as I didn't have more than 3 or 4 brews and didn't kill anyone, nobody would worry. The other policeman was much more hostile and enjoyed a glower- in a way which suggested that his delight in anger might have had a sexual edge-- while he lectured me on how normal people didn't just walk around. Not wishing to repeat the encounter, I took a taxi back to my hotel.
While I had a daypack on me for my shopping, I was otherwise attired in Tilley hat and shorts, and a technical hiking shirt (pale blue, long sleeves) over my merino Tshirt. On all of these occasions, I was in my late fifties and, for those who have met me IRL, in appearance betraying my Anglo-Celtic likely ancestry more than my 1/264 Tuscarora of the Six Nations Confederacy (Haudenausonee or Iroquois). Bear clan if you're interested.
Posted by Brenda Clough (# 18061) on
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Wow, that has never happened to me. And I have walked in places that were clearly never designed for foot traffic, like hardened artery highways in central Texas. There was not even a foot path, just a ledge of concrete abutment. I was wearing a floor length black leather coat at the time, so perhaps they thought I was from the Matrix.
Posted by Augustine the Aleut (# 1472) on
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quote:
Originally posted by Brenda Clough:
Wow, that has never happened to me. And I have walked in places that were clearly never designed for foot traffic, like hardened artery highways in central Texas. There was not even a foot path, just a ledge of concrete abutment. I was wearing a floor length black leather coat at the time, so perhaps they thought I was from the Matrix.
That was likely the trick. Police in France and Spain have been uniformly friendly and helpful and I regale Spanish friends with my tale of how the Guardia Civil handsqueezed oranges for me at their office, as the constable thought I needed potassium in my system. One Madrilena, perhaps aware of the Guardia Civil's historical reputation, asked if they did this before or after applying the electrodes. Before, I assured her.
Posted by Penny S (# 14768) on
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By comparison, at the Bluewater shopping mall, Greenhithe, Kent, UK, which advertised itself as being in the largest public park opened in Kent in the 20th century, when my friend and I went for a walk around the circumference, alongside the lakes that give it half of its name, the security guys turned up in a van to see what we were doing. - No guns, though.
[ 31. March 2016, 19:05: Message edited by: Penny S ]
Posted by Carex (# 9643) on
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In my experience hitchhiking around Australia, the most dangerous creatures I met were the drivers with a tinnie in one hand and pile of empties in the rear seat. Well, that and the roos and wallabies crossing the road.
Similarly in the US: there are parts of town that I might avoid at night if possible, and times past when I might have been mistaken for a "hippie" and beaten up by rednecks if I stepped into the wrong bar, but in general things are rather tame, and car accidents take a much larger toll each year than gun violence. (Especially to strangers: most shootings are of people known to each other.)
A former city mayor was on TV the other day saying that, in his town, they had "drive bys" (shootings) and "drive thrus" (fast food restaurants), and the latter killed more people than the former.
Actually I'd probably rate that as one of my biggest issues traveling in some parts of the US: finding good food that I want to eat, and that actually has some nutritive value. (Rather than a big chunk of deep-fried meet and white starch, with over-cooked canned peas, and a sprig of parsley for "salad". Oh, and don't forget the white gravy over the top of everything. Yuck!)
Posted by JoyfulNoise & Parrot OKief (# 2049) on
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quote:
Originally posted by Pomona:
Actually a narrowboat around the Fens sounds pretty good too.
Ah, now that would be a pleasant chug.
Posted by Pigwidgeon (# 10192) on
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quote:
Originally posted by Carex:
Actually I'd probably rate that as one of my biggest issues traveling in some parts of the US: finding good food that I want to eat, and that actually has some nutritive value. (Rather than a big chunk of deep-fried meet and white starch, with over-cooked canned peas, and a sprig of parsley for "salad". Oh, and don't forget the white gravy over the top of everything. Yuck!)
I live in the U.S., and I easily avoid all of that!
Posted by Brenda Clough (# 18061) on
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Some years ago I occasion to drive across the US. At my dentist's office I ran across an article in GUNS & GARDENS, about a great barbecue shack in central Arkansas. Since I was passing by, I made a note of the address.
It is fair to say that I do not look like any resident of Arkansas, even a little bit. The barbecue place was indeed accurately described as a shack. The patrons and proprietor gazed at me with wonder. It was a weekday and the diners seemed to be construction workers. (I was not however wearing full length black leather, because it was summer.) We ate hugely of quite good barbecue and drove on.
I cannot explain why I never have trouble, but I never do. Somewhere else on SoF is a topic about things to be afraid of. I cannot participate. I thought about it, and I am afraid of nothing. Perhaps that's the reason why nobody bothers me.
Posted by Curiosity killed ... (# 11770) on
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quote:
Originally posted by North East Quine:
Aberdeen is a bit of a building site just now, so check in advance. The Art Gallery is closed for refurbishment, Marischal College is overshadowed by building works and noise, and Provost Skene's is also closed. What is it you want to see in Aberdeen?
You will love Dunnottar Castle. It is breathtaking (in more ways than one - the scenery and the climb up the stairs both take your breath away!)
I'm going to Aberdeen because it is 12 minutes by train from Stonehaven, I've already travelled to Inverness on my way back from Stromness and there's a SYHA hostel there. We're going away for my daughter's birthday (I know, her choice), but she has to put in a big report on her PhD around then so doesn't have much time. Whereas I can possibly take a bit longer and having got that far north I wanted to see a bit more.
I've been practising on the 199 stairs in Whitby over the Easter weekend ...
(And btw, NEQ, your pm box is full)
Posted by North East Quine (# 13049) on
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There's lots to see in Aberdeen, but the city centre isn't at its best just now. If you know what to avoid, you'll love Aberdeen!
We bumped into one disconsolate tourist who had a single day in Aberdeen and had aimed to see the top five from an old tourist guide, only to find three of the five closed.
(PM box slightly emptier)
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