Gimme Shelter — How about a Castle in Visegrád, Hungary?

Posted on November 15, 2012 by sglaser

Visegrád, Hungary, 2006. For a wedding setting, it’s hard to beat a medieval castle and citadel built in the 13th century on a high hill above the Danube River. My friend Rob and his Hungarian fiance, Kate, got married here. Most of the wedding took place at the citadel. The crumbling walls added an ancient feeling to the ceremony. At one point, Visegrád was the royal seat of Hungary, and the castle was King Matthias Corvinus’s summer abode in the earlier 1300’s.

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Living Large with No Money in Mykonos

Posted on November 14, 2012 by sglaser

1995 © Stephanie Glaser

Upon arrival, it’s easy to believe you have money in Mykonos in 1995 — especially when you’ve just found a gorgeous whitewashed pension with cobalt blue trim for $13 a night. It’s got a view of the Aegean Sea, a pool and a toilet. Goats even roam the hills in the background for a quaint, rustic feel.

Where is Robin Leach? “I’m ready to be interviewed about my champagne and caviar lifestyle!” In reality, for my friend Indira and me, it was more of an airline size bottle of Ouzo and a street side gyro lifestyle.

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The Travel Ahh…A Lasting Impression

Posted on November 12, 2012 by sglaser

When traveling with kids, you hope they will appreciate culture as much as you do. You also, when they are young, hope they will remember what they have experienced. In 2010, the beautiful dances of Bali, in particular, Legong Dancing, definitely made an impression on my daughter Kasey.

We went to a show in Ubud that was spectacular. Then, little did we know, we would see more Legong dancing in several restaurants (geared for tourists). The striking music always caught our attention — especially Kasey’s. She would look around and wait for the princesses to come out.

For her, these beautiful princesses, who were unlike the Disney princesses that she loves, captivated her even more. The music that complements the dancing so well also stuck with her.

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Friday Funny Sign — You gotta stop for “The World’s Largest Hand Dug Well”

Posted on November 9, 2012 by sglaser

Greensburg, Kansas. The marketing department of “Big Well” has done their job (do I dare say they’ve done it “well?”) Signs indicating and promoting “The World’s Largest Hand Dug Well” line US Route 54 in Kansas. Of course, there is not much to compete with along that stretch of highway.

In 1993, my dad, Ed, and I were roadtripping to California from Minnesota and kept seeing these signs. Finally, we had to stop. Why not? It’s the World’s Largest Hand Dug Well!! (Actually, there are wells in Egypt and Italy that really vie for that title.) Dug in the 1880’s, “Big Well” is 109 feet deep, and in 2008, was named one of the “Eight Wonders of Kansas” (www.bigwell.org). And, also at the SAME site, you can see a meteorite on display.

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The Travel Oops Interview: Playing baseball “The Midway Globtrotters” style in Spain

Posted on November 9, 2012 by sglaser

photo courtesy of Ray Glaser

The average civilian might think that while being stationed in the Navy on the Midway, the largest air craft carrier in the US fleet during the 1950’s, playing sports would be next to impossible. Not so for Ray Glaser, my father-in-law, who is an athlete at heart. In fact, sports were an integral part of his military career and contributed to some of his fondest memories.

Ray played baseball on a soccer field in Spain, ran the 220 meter dash in Athens’s Olympic stadium, and learned to ski in Switzerland.

A Quarter Master who plotted visual communication and navigation, Ray served four tours in the Mediterranean on the Midway aircraft carrier from 1949-1953. During that time, he played for the Midway basketball, baseball and track teams.

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Gimme Shelter — Colorful Colorado Mountain Community

Posted on November 7, 2012 by sglaser

Crested Butte, CO. Although the silver and coal miners didn’t pick the pretty colors, they built some cute buildings back in the day. (And, surely, they referred to them as “cute.”) Colorado mining towns make me smile. Their historic districts, many of which have been restored, offer nostalgia and postcard ready photos.

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In Australia: Beware of “Rangas” and Bloodless Coups

Posted on November 6, 2012 by sglaser

“Miss, Miss, MISS GLASER!!” I heard from a distance while I patrolled the grounds of Le Fevre High School where I was spending one year as an exchange teacher. Ian, a sweet yet somewhat socially challenged year nine, careened toward me across the asphalt.

His backpack was sliding down his shoulders and his uniform jacket was flapping as he bounded over. Actually, Ian looked a bit deranged. Generally, one never knows what to expect while on yard duty at “Le Feral” (the kids’ affectionate nickname for their school).

“Miss! We have a new prime minister – it’s Julia Gillard, and she’s a ranga!”

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The Travel Ahh….Seeing Soccer in a Fútbol Nation

Posted on November 4, 2012 by sglaser

Seeing a soccer game in Spain in 1995 was definitely the most cultural event I think I’ve experienced. And this was no ordinary game — it was Real Madrid vs. Barcelona (at Nou Camp Stadium in Barcelona.) We’re talking a MASSIVE game.

I’m the one who definitely scored. Maria, a Spanish friend of mine from college, hooked me up with a ticket to this game. It just so happens her father was the head cardiac surgeon at one of the main hospitals in Barcelona. He had just recently performed surgery on a big time soccer official. I guess a soccer ticket for an American fan was a small favor.

My special ticket

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The Friday Funny Sign: South Park is a Real Place and Cartman Doesn’t Live Here

Posted on November 2, 2012 by sglaser

I can’t imagine why Fairplay, Colorado would want to clarify that this area is the REAL South Park. Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the creators of the animated Comedy Central show “South Park,” based the setting of the show on the town of Fairplay and some of the other small communities in Park County, CO.

Despite the success of the show and the cult-like following, it doesn’t seem like some of the Fairplay rresidents are avid fans. It’s not all that surprising since the show features some biting satire about small town mountain living. Consequently, this sign above is prominently displayed at one of the main junctions off of Highway 285.

Swimming with Whale Sharks, a Hammerhead and Everything Else in the Indian Ocean

Posted on October 30, 2012 by sglaser

July 2010, Ningaloo Marine Park, Western Australia. The largest fish in the world is swimming at about three miles per hour, but it’s hard, even with fins, to keep up with the 20-foot-long behemoth. A huge happy looking fish with white polka dots sprinkled over its expansive back, the whale shark lumbers leisurely through the cloudy water.

Occasionally, it opens its mouth to feed on plankton. A large nonthreatening interior with a noticeable absence of razor sharp rows of teeth is revealed. In fact, it almost looks like white cushions line the inside of the whale shark’s billowing jaws.

This is crazy. I can’t believe I’m sauntering along in the Indian Ocean with a whale shark. And we are swimming in some very deep open water — 80 meters (262 feet) — to be exact. In fact, I can’t look down or around. I stare at my new friend, the whale shark, and kick hard.

I fall back as the whale shark slowly shifts. Once behind the massive fish, I see them: the same foreboding, angular tail and dorsal fin that have menaced and terrified people on the big screen and the Discovery Channel for years. The tail looks like a large iron boomerang steadily moving back and forth.

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