The Re-Launch

Well, to be honest, I started this website five years ago, and did one introductory blog post and never came back.  Life got full, and I honestly didn't feel as if I had anything to share.  I'm inspired by others who have the ability and dedicate the time to posting regularly.  I know my work life schedule and myself well enough to know that I'm not that person, so I let the whole idea of a blog fall by the wayside.

I am preparing for another of my journeys abroad and always think it is fun to take my friends and colleagues with me via social media.  With that in mind - I am relaunching my blog, primarily as a Travel Log.  Those who are interested in the details of my trip can follow along and I can record my thoughts and impressions while they are fresh in my mind.

I have always enjoyed the adventure of travel, although I will admit to not being a very adventurous traveler.  I don't travel to undeveloped, third-world countries and sleep in huts or tents without electricity or running water.  If the truth be told, I consider "roughing it" to be flying trans-Atlantic in coach these days.  But I do love the exploration that comes from travel to new locations.

I am blessed with a good ear for languages and a keen interest in them.  While I don't really speak anything besides English in any functional form, I try to learn a few polite phrases in whatever language in order to show respect and appreciation to those who assist me as a foreign traveler in their homeland.  It has never failed to provide me with a smile and hospitable assistance, wherever I've been.

Traveling to any new region can be fascinating, if one is willing to set aside those things that are comfortable and everyday to you, in order to experience the new place in full.  Even traveling in the US can feel foreign if the dialect, customs or tastes are significantly different from your own.  While I love traveling to new areas of my own country, I especially love traveling to other countries.  Particularly in Europe, one gets a sense of just how young the United State of American is as a country when you visit locations that have existed for nearly 1,000 years.

Those who know me personally, know I adore food (and drink).  For me, it is the cuisine that truly reveals a place.  Whether it is the most delicious bananas I ever eat in Hawaii, fresh sushi at the Port in Tokyo, Chicken Paprika in Budapest or Hagas in a Pup in Scotland - I'm willing to try almost anything once and often go back for more.  Food tells you about the soil the people have leaved on for generations.  What grows, and what doesn't, at a particular time of the year and the various staples of life in a place.  You won't find me in a McDonalds or KFC overseas, but I'll happily sample the street food in any city.

As for beverages, again, I am open to trying to local specialty.  At home I'm pretty much a Red Wine sort of gal, with the occasional cocktail at special events.  Away from home, I'll try the local wine and beer, and whatever else the people ferment for drinking.  Again, this tells you a lot about what was historically available in a place.  I'm not a heavy drinker, but one sample is a must for me.

So, on Friday, I will join a group of nine other music educators for a trip to Bavaria, the home of composer Carl Orff and his colleague Guinuld Keetman.  We will fly to historic Munch to begin our pilgrimage where we will visit the Orff Zentrum where the Orff Archives reside, then travel into the Alps to visit a couple of schools, Orff's farm and his grave at a local monastery, then continue on to beautiful Salzburg for lessons at the Orff Institute.

The hills are alive with the sound of music here, and we shall be contributing our own songs to the atmosphere.  I'll be posting here, as I have reliable internet, with commentary on our daily adventures and pictures along the way.  I hope you'll follow along.