So you might remember we had a global pandemic which affected a lot of travel plans. One of those plans was a family transatlantic cruise from Southampton to New York–or, as my mother repeatedly described it, “the Titanic route.” That trip was eventually rescheduled for April of 2023, and so last month we flew to London, visited some tourist sites, and then hopped a train to Southampton.
En route, I checked my phone and realized our train journey wouldn’t make it. The final leg was shut down due to an accident (someone had gotten onto the tracks). I worked to re-route our party, knowing we had a countdown to board the ship. But as we prepared to disembark early and find an alternate route, another message came in: our cruise was canceled, less than an hour before boarding began, due to a technical issue on the ship. (Later information revealed that it was an engine/scrubber problem.)
Well, then.
Continue readingJoin me for Road Trip on the Kumano Kodō, a talk about the thousand year old pilgrimage route and its history!
Update: Saturday, 10am!
Road Trip on the Kumano Kodō
Thursday, 10 AM (1 hour)
The Kumano Kodō is one of only two UNESCO-honored pilgrimage trails in the world, used since the 10th century for physical and spiritual journeys and helping to create a millennium of peaceful religious syncretism. Join a thousand years of ascetics, samurai, emperors, and monks to learn about the cultural history of this trail network from someone who has hiked it herself. We’ll discuss the historical context, the development of the trail network, the purpose of the pilgrimages and the resulting thousand years of religious syncretism, political implications, and how the trails can be experienced today.
Storytime from Japanese History
Thursday, 11AM (2 hours)
As the oldest monarchy in the world, Japan’s had plenty of time for some amazing moments in history. Hear a few of the most important, most famous, or most fun—from the Genpei War to the Meiji Revolution, from girl power to magical red cows, from archery contests to smallpox—with illustrations, photos, ties to your favorite anime/manga, and plenty of geekery.
Moar Storytime From Japanese History
Thursday, 1PM (2 hours)
Continued by popular demand! How did an earthquake lead to the development of ramen and a hostage situation to Cup Noodles? Who went “Gotta paste ’em all!” about religious stickers? Who were the Shitennō before they were Sailor Moon villains? What will you eat at a Buddhist temple, and why is it so good? Come pick up a few more intriguing stories and facts from Japanese history!
This entry is part 17 of 17 in the series GDB & Route 66
One of the best parts of Route 66 is the old signs, many with neon, all with fun old design. And there are a few newer signs intended to blend with the vintage ones.
I took these photos on my Route 66 trip a few years ago, but in all the travelogue posts, I forgot to publish this one! Please enjoy this blast from the past.
Continue readingSo I went on a trip. Almost an impulse trip, really; my sister Alena and our friend Mark were going to Fringe and asked if I wanted to come.
Edinburgh is home to the original Edinburgh Festival Fringe, a theater arts event that has been running annually for three-quarters of a century. All those Fringe theater events around the world are spinoffs of this OG. It is the largest arts event in the world, and possibly the third largest ticketed event in the world (after the Olympics and the World Cup). In the words of the festival itself, it features “theatre, comedy, dance, physical theatre, circus, cabaret, children’s shows, musicals, opera, music, spoken word, exhibitions and events.”
Also street food!
This year there were over 2200 official ticketed events (and more unofficial). The Fringe program book is literally larger than the phone books of some places I’ve lived (back when phone books were a thing). The entire city becomes a city of theaters, with over 300 official venues comprised of existing theatrical facilities, rented rooms, churches, pubs, classrooms and lecture halls, temporary structures, and converted spaces. There are also unofficial venues, which can be even a gap left in a crowd or a nook between food trucks. An acrobatics performance broke out during our lunch one day.
Continue readingI’m having a crHappy Birthday, so I’m fixing it by giving books away.
Your to-do list today:
- Get a free story as a birthday present for you
- Vote for Kin & Kind, please and thank you
Happy Birthday…?
So here’s the very short version: Today is my birthday, and I was supposed to be traveling through Italy this week, visiting archaeological sites and gathering research vibes.
Instead, I am spending my birthday as day 9 in isolation in a single room with a positive COVID test.
Continue readingMy husband and I (along with family and friend) are on a cruise. It’s been much fun, and our daily update included the fact that we had no known cases of COVID-19 on board in either passengers or crew. That made sense, as we were all vaccinated and everyone tested negative to board. Yay!
Then Jon had a runny nose for a day and a half. Just a runny nose, nothing bad. But he did a COVID test and turned up positive. The cruise ship machine kicked into gear — he was the first known positive — and they escorted him out among disposable scrubs, masks, shields, and a guy following him with a Ghostbusters backpack that misted disinfectant everywhere he walked.
Continue readingPodcast: Play in new window
For today’s field trip, we travel to Isla Floreana to explore the murders which may or may not have taken place. Another real life story to inspire you!
Continue readingPodcast: Play in new window
We take our first Field Trip to explore Iguazú Falls, Ushuaia, Antarctica, the Falklands, and the amazing journey of Ernest Shackleton and the Endurance expedition.
Iguazu Falls and Buenos Aires
Ushuaia
Cape Horn
Ice
Penguins
Continue readingThe iconic red gates mark the entrance to a shrine, defining a sacred space, but to many outside Japan they are most associated with Fushimi Inari Taisha, the famous shrine at Kyoto. While there are many fascinating aspects to explore here, the seemingly-endless red torii are a captivating visual and immediately recognizable all over the world.
Fushimi Inari Taisha (伏見稲荷大社) was founded in 711, on Inariyama (Mt. Inari) outside Kyoto. The main structure today dates to 1499 (but is regularly reconstructed, per tradition). Inari Ōkami is the Shinto spirit of rice and its related themes of sake and prosperity. For this reason, you will see donated sake near the shrines.
Throughout Shinto’s long history, Inari has been variously depicted as both male and female. While Susan Spann graciously guided me on my first visit to Fushimi Inari Taisha, we were amused by our distinct references in conversation—I kept referring to Inari as she, and Susan kept saying he, but really that makes sense when you remember that we write in different historical periods.
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