Category: Travel

Moving through the world, TravelLeave a comment

Traveling goes wrong!!

rbspecht

We want to trust and believe in the competence of our travel service providers when we leave home. We embark on journeys for many reasons, not the the least of which is to expand our world view and to learn something. No one expects traveling to go so wrong because of our travel service providers. Traveling goes wrong. The one thing I’ve learned from this latest trip is not to trust WestJet schedules at face value when booking.  I no longer trust WestJet to get it right the first time. This trip was our first trip since the beginning of … Continue reading Traveling goes wrong!!

Moving through the world, TravelLeave a comment

Traveling again–a change in venue!

rbspecht

as the Covid restrictions seem to ease in certain places in the world we’ve decided to be brave and begin travelling again. Travelling again means preparing for a change in venue, something we haven’t done in three years. We’ve had all the vaccinations, all FOUR shots, plus the flu vaccination. We’re very careful about masking. We are confident that we can travel again. Thumbs up to traveling again! SIR5R is traveling again! Certain things do demand travel despite the Covid-19 Pandemic.  For my partner, and I, it’s been limited, short-range travel for her work, where I have the excuse to … Continue reading Traveling again–a change in venue!

Moving through the world, TravelLeave a comment

Mazatlan magic

rbspecht

We are out in the world, experiencing the magic of Mazatlan during an uncharacteristic early spring break. Heck, I don’t normally take a break from the Alberta winters at all, so this little 10 day trip is quite special. We arrived in Mazatlan at the end of ‘Truck week’ and left as ‘MotorCycle Week’, AKA ‘Bike Week’ drew to a close. The flight with Swoop Airlines was relaxed, uneventful and relatively inexpensive. I’m impressed by the staff, their attitudes and the quality of service. You’d never know it is supposed to be a ‘no-frills’ airline. They retained their poise and … Continue reading Mazatlan magic

Moving through the world, Retirement, Travel, Watching The WorldLeave a comment

Allow yourself to be seduced by the distractions of holiday travel

rbspecht

Allow yourself to be seduced by the distractions of holiday travel. We often pretend that traveling, taking a holiday or being on vacation will be an opportunity to ‘get stuff done’ while hanging out in the airport transit lounge, enjoying the sun drenched balconies of rented accommodations and lounging on crusty sand beaches, however it rarely works according to plan.  As my own adventure draws to a close I can say that I’ve made a lot of notes, scribbling nearly indecipherable entries in my idea book, but to be truthful my productivity has been pretty much non-existent. I haven’t read … Continue reading Allow yourself to be seduced by the distractions of holiday travel

Move With Purpose, Moving through the world, participate in your own life!, Retirement, Travel, Watching The WorldLeave a comment

The Adventure continues, and we really start to get some traction

rbspecht

We had a fitful sleep going into the Wednesday of our journey, the day we moved out of London and headed north to the Lake District.  Our host’s live-in girlfriend had worked late the night before, arriving back at the mews at 1 AM, and the two of them churned for a time trying to debrief on the day, organize for the next day, quietly padding around the flat like two dogs circling and circling before settling in for the night. We had spent a lovely day the previous day doing our own bit of a churn, setting off mid-morning … Continue reading The Adventure continues, and we really start to get some traction

Moving through the world, participate in your own life!, Retirement, short list, Travel, Watching The World2 Comments

Day One departures

rbspecht

Leaving home can be a stressful affair, fraught with the oh-mi-gawds, and did-I-remembers.  This leaving was no different, especially the part where I stressed out over the weight of our suitcases, thinking forward to the number of times we’d be hauling them through strange airports.  But as a ‘day one‘ goes our journey and adventure was somewhat uneventful and quite comfortable. When we got off the tiny commuter plane from Edmonton to Calgary, we were quite relieved.  Things were going well, just a bit cramped. I, in my usual way, was worried that our big bags wouldn’t make it onto … Continue reading Day One departures

Moving through the world, Retirement, TravelLeave a comment

Sir5R prepares to go travelling

rbspecht

On balance, Sir5R is a ‘home body’, not straying far beyond the easy range of his motorcycle’s fuel capacity.  This isn’t entirely true.  I have been known to get on a plane occasionally, and did it quite a bit for the benefit of previous employers, which isn’t to say that I didn’t love taking the occasional road trip.  But as a couple we don’t make a habit out of traveling the world as much as moving through it together.  Our travels to exotic locales  have mostly been in our imagination.  But that is starting to change.  A new ‘sense of … Continue reading Sir5R prepares to go travelling

Observations, Travel, Watching The WorldLeave a comment

The shift in space and reality because of a shift in Geography

rbspecht

 These photos don’t actually reflect the time and place when I’m writing this, but were taken several days earlier in the English city of Bath.  At the time of writing, I am sitting just outside a café in Merseyside, also in the United Kingdom, reflecting on the differences between the culture I live in, and the cultures here.  It is odd that there are so many differences, on one level, because my family is a Canadian reflection of the culture here, being offshoots of families that still live in England, Wales and Ireland.  Yet the way we approach life in … Continue reading The shift in space and reality because of a shift in Geography