Month: July 2023

California Dreaming (mostly California…)

#stjosephandthepenguin #globetrotterwoman

Greetings all. I hope those of you in the Southern US and Southern Europe are keeping cool. Here in Antwerp we are enjoying temps in the 20s (low 70s F). Not that I want to rub it in.

Getting back to the travel part of this blog…

In March of this year I did a whirlwind trip to see family in the US. The passing of an uncle in 2021 reminded me of the people I care about in the US (both blood and chosen family) and being overseas means I had to be purposeful about seeing them. It was such a wonderful trip! Exhausting, but really, really wonderful.

I arrived at SFO where I spent the night and then boarded another flight the next day to LAX. Yes, I know I should have flown into LAX to begin with, but I purchased the transatlantic part of the ticket months earlier before other plans had been finalized.

From LAX, I rented a car and drove to San Diego where I spent one night with my cousin Kevin and his wonderful wife Pat. I had such great time hanging out with them and getting to know their kids a bit better. After Kev’s house, I went to stay with my mother’s friend Susan and her husband Mike. Sue is like an aunt to me as she and my mom were as close as sisters.

Sue and Mike live in Coronado, a wonderful small island just off San Diego. We also went to their house in the Anza Borrego desert. This was such a treat. I have always loved the desert but this year, after all the rains in California, it was just incredible. The flowers created a carpet of color and, since the storms were still brewing, the skies added an additional layer of drama into the landscape and the photos. I also finally saw a roadrunner and made a new friend: Jack.

After San Diego and Anza Borrego I went back up to LA to visit with more family. I stayed with my Aunt Anne and her husband Steve. My cousin Gen also lives in LA and my cousin Lisa flew down from Washington State. We had one big family dinner to celebrate my uncle Kevin’s birthday. It was such an nice mini-reunion. I want to give a shout-out again to Auntie Anne for putting it all together. I hope we can do it again soon. I miss you guys!!!

Before leaving Southern California I went out to Joshua Tree National Park for a night. For European U2 fans, yes, there really are Joshua Trees and they look just like the ones on the album. Fun fact: Joshua Trees are not actually trees. They are succulents and part of the yucca family. The park was just as interesting and beautiful as I remembered and the snow capped mountains were like icing on a desert cake. It’s a lot more built up now but when I was going there in the 1990’s, it was just a mere “national monument.”

I finished up my trip to the USA with a too-short stay in Missouri with my friend Barb and a couple of days in SF before flying back to Belgium. It was great to see friends in SF, and the City by the Bay will always hold a special place in my heart.

TRIP TIPS

I did rent a car on this trip. If you have a foreign license, as I now do, SIXT rental car is probably your best bet. It was super easy and the car comes with the mandatory liability insurance all non-US drivers must purchase. They also have a lot of fun cars if you want something a bit more zippy than your standard sedan.

If you are flying in to SFO or leaving super early, the Grand Hyatt at the airport is a great option. Yes, they are more expensive than the ones off terminal, but here you are but a few air-train stops from your airline departure counter. If you want a hotel that’s a bit more economical, there are myriad choices within a few miles and most have free shuttles.

If you don’t have Global Entry yet, it is well worth the money and is open to some non-citizens/permanent residents as well as all US citizens. Depending on your credit card, the fee may actually be covered. Global Entry includes TSA Precheck (not vice-versa) and will have you through passport control in mere minutes. Once you are approved and your photo has been registered, facial recognition technology scans you and nobody even asks to see your passport. And before any of you conspiracy theorists say something about the facial recognition being an invasion of your privacy, do you really think they aren’t already photographing everyone that comes in through passport control? For more information and to check eligibility, click here. One note, while filling out your application, have your old passports for reference. I think I had to list EVERY country I have been to.

I’m Still Standing, and walking and snapping…

Aurora in The Lofoten Islands

Hello Everyone,

I am not really even sure where to begin after so much time. But, If I put off getting back on the blog-bus, I may never re-board. So, here goes.

The last few months of 2022 were pretty much a blur. I went to southern Spain in November and had a wonderful time. When I got back I messed up the editing of all my photos. Essentially, I exported all of them in the wrong format. Still haven’t gone back to fix this but hopefully the raw files (digital equivalent of a negative) are all still okay. I’ll circle back to Spain later.

After an exhausting 2022, I started 2023 like a horse out of the gate. I spent New Years in Paris with my good friend Deirdre who came to visit from the US. A couple of weeks after that I headed to the Lofoten Islands and then a return trip to Norway a few weeks later to experience Oslo. The Oslo trip really wasn’t planned in advance. I had miles on Norwegian Airlines (left over from when they still flew across the Atlantic) that were going to expire. Yes, those loyalty programs really do work.

The Lofoten Islands are magical. Unfortunately, the photographer leading the group was extremely unprofessional and pretty much a jerk, so the trip was not as great as it could have been. We also had pretty sucky weather; lots of rain with strong winds and unfortunately, very little snow. There weren’t a lot of opportunities to be outside with our cameras. On the upside, I got enough of a taste of this incredible outpost that I am already trying to figure out how to get back.

Oslo is just an amazing city. World Class. If you remember, I was there briefly before the Greenland trip with my friend Emily, so when I had a free ticket, no arm twisting was required. I loved the center of the city with Oslofjord, the harbor and the opera house. Everything in this stunning capital begs to be photographed. I think I could have spent three more days just wandering the streets and taking pictures.

The city also has this amazing park called Frognerparken. It has wonderful walking paths, sculptures, fountains and even a waterfall. Since I was there in winter, I was treated to snow and a bit of ice. In the summer I have no doubt the gardens are incredible. It’s about 30 minutes from the center on the city’s excellent public transportation and definitely worth a visit.

Norway is always wonderful and stunningly beautiful. Most people visit in summer but I actually think summer is the least interesting season here. I loved winter in both Lofoten and Oslo and several years ago I visited with my mother in spring. The light outside of the summer months puts everything in a glow that is difficult to experience at lower lattitudes. It’s like a perpetual golden hour. Move this country to the top of your bucket list now.

TRIP TIPS

The Lofoten Islands are located just inside the arctic circle in Norway. You can either fly from Bodo or take the ferry. I flew, but I think next time I would take the ferry, for no other reason than I like boats. If you are at all apprehensive about flying, this might not be the best mode for you. Small plane + high winds = bumpy ride. That said, these pilots are probably the best in the world at flying in bad weather.

When traveling in the more challenging parts of our planet, I recommend scheduling buffer days. This way, if weather or some other force majeure delays your chosen mode of transport, you have a day to figure it out.

The roads in Lofoten are very well groomed and all rental vehicles are outfitted with studded tires in the winter. That said, it is still the Arctic in winter. If you are not comfortable driving in snow, best to book a tour.

Oslo is expensive. Let’s just acknowledge that and move on. Still, it is worth staying downtown so you can walk around easily and enjoy the city. I booked a single room at the City Box. City Box hotels are one step above a youth hostel. The rooms themselves are clean and extremely basic. The common areas not so clean. I booked a single room which had barely enough room to swing a cat. Book a double if you plan to stay here more than one night. You will thank me later.

Getting to the city center from the airport is super easy. Use the Flytoget train from inside the airport terminal to the main station. Fast, clean, and plenty of space for luggage. Click here for more details: https://flytoget.no/en/