THOUGHT PATTERNS

Ticket To Ride

In his book,"The Bone Man of Benares" (St. Martin's Press), my husband Terry wrote about his experiences traveling on (or trying to get on) the trains in India.

 

I always suspected he exaggerated at least a little bit in his description. :)

 

Here's a short excerpt from his book:

 

 

"Standing along Track 32, I heard a whistle blow and the click-clacking of metal against metal. Then, appearing through great bursts of white steam, a train roared straight out of the annals of railroad history. The engine was a big, black monster of moving parts--the turbines were pumping, the furnace was belching, the wheels were screeching, the headlight was shaking, and the hulking steel body was pulsating like an overworked heart. As the engine crawled into the terminal, the steam cleared and I saw dozens of passenger cars, each with enough people to fill a small town. There were people in the seats and in the aisles, in the luggage compartments and in the bathrooms, hanging out the windows and jammed between the doors. Outside, there were whole contingents on the roof, as well as a few brave souls who rode the couplings between the cars or squeezed into little crawl spaces beneath the carriage.

 

When the train came to a halt, there was an absolutely mad rush of humanity. It was unclear to me who was getting on and who was getting off, but before I knew what happened, the car in front of me had been emptied, filled, and sealed tight. I hurried down to the next car, the next, and the next one still, but each of them, all the way down the track, was bursting at the seams. By the time I reached the end of the train, the engine was blowing its whistle, and, in a great cloud of steam, it began to pull away. Thousands of people were crammed into every possible square inch, and a few inches that weren't possible. Not only had I missed my train, I hadn't even come close to getting on. I was left standing there, holding a puff of steam in my hands."

 

 

But then, a couple of days ago our friend Brian (a long time friend of Terry's from his travels in India and Nepal) sent us an email with some photos, saying - remember these...

 

 

... crowded trains in India...

 

................

 

.....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

... and Pakistan...

......

 

:D

Unbelievable!

The most amazing thing is that they are smiling, waving and holding peace signs!

I hereby apologize to my husband Terry for ever questioning his veracity...

xoxoxo

{photos via Brian}
  

Of Highland Cows, Haunted Castles and English Sheedpdogs

Today, I want to share with you my affection for Highland Cows (or Coos, as Scottish would say) and I'll throw in a haunted castle, too. It's going to be a long post, so be warned!

The Highland cows came up in our conversation for some reason yesterday, and as my husband (who, btw, loves cows) has never seen one, I googled them and, boy, was he impressed!

 

Aren't you?                   

   

They look like mammoths!

 

The babies are so cute!

(He also likes English Sheepdogs, and somehow Highland cows and English Sheepdogs have something in common, which I guess is that goofy cute fringe covering their eyes.

    

Some might say that I also have a goofy fringe covering my eyes, but let's not get into that!).

I remember the first time I saw Highland cows was when I visited Glamis Castle, during my travels in Scotland. On the approach to the castle, after passing through the gates, you drive down a long treelined avenue, along which there are some fields with Highland Cows grazing. I was just blown away by the sight. Their color, the fringe, the way they looked with the green pasture in the background... Beautiful. Terry was inquiring if we can buy one, and it turns out we can. :) They go for $2500. I guess we can keep it on our porch.

                

And Glamis castle, well, this is one of the most beautiful and impressive castles I've ever visited.

 

The drive to the castle... just spectacular! (btw, that's not me in the car!)

                

Gosh, how I love that castle!

  

And, it's said to be one of the most haunted castles in Scotland. It's also the fictional setting of Shakespeare's Macbeth, and is the childhood home of Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother. There are many interesting ghost stories about the castle: the Gray Lady, the ghost of Macbeth, a tongueless woman (although, how do they know she's tongueless is hard to say...), but the best one in my opinion is the one involving The Crypt.

The Crypt is one of the oldest rooms in the castle and was the lower hall of the original 15th century tower house, where the Lord's retainers would dine. It can be found just inside the main entrance to the castle, and is literally like stepping into the middle ages. So, the story I was told about the Crypt is the legend of the Secret Chamber. 

If you take a look at the picture below...

 

... the chamber is thought to be behind the wall on the left.

As the legend goes, in the 15th century the 2nd Lord of Glamis (known as Earl Beardie) was an avid card player. Earl Beardie and the Earl of Crawford were playing cards late on a Saturday night. According to the story about this event, a servant came to remind Earl Beardie that it was nearing midnight. The servant urged them to stop playing. It was sacrilege to play cards on the Sabbath. Lord Glamis shouted for all to hear they would play until Dooms Day if they wanted and ordered the servant out of the room.

The game continued and at five minutes to midnight the servant again warned his Lord of the time. Earl Beardie said he would play with the Devil himself and ordered the servant out. At the stroke of midnight there was a knock on the door and a tall stranger dressed in black entered asking to join the game. The stranger sat down and placed a handful of rubies on the table. Earl Beardie and Earl Crawford did not object to his company.

Soon after, an argument was heard to erupt between the two Earls. When the servant peered into the room he saw the two men engulfed in flames. It is said that Earl Beardie had played cards with the Devil and for playing on the Sabbath he was condemned to play until Dooms Day.

Apparently, the resulting problems were so great, that eventually, some 300 years later, the room was built up and permanently sealed. As if in proof of this, there is a window that can be seen from the outside, with a wall behind it, and no room can be found that would correspond with inside the castle...

Earl Beardie's ghost still roams the halls trapped for eternity doomed to return to the room to play cards with the Devil. 

Did you like the story? I sure did. 

          

Today, the Castle is still owned and lived in by the current Earl of Stratmore and Kinghorne.

Have a good night!

xoxoxo

{via angus ahead,  holiday m, come to scotland, glenister 1036, locks park farm, transport cafe, barking hills} 

Dreamy Paris

I feel like taking a little trip to Paris today. Do you want to come? Let's forget about our obligations and errands for just a moment and dive into these beautiful, romantic and dreamy scenes of Paris...

 

View from an apartment in Paris

 

Flowers in Marais

  

Lady in the window

 

Treats

  

Upstairs at Blanccassis

 

Sparkles on the Seine

 

Paris Carousel

 

Roses at Pere Lachaise

 

At Chopin's grave

 

The Louvre     

 

Beautiful Entrance

 

Babette

 

Cafe Onile St Louis

 

Fromage

 

Amelie market in Montmartre :)

I love the atmosphere in these Polaroids. So serene. All photos are by Jen Gotch from My Polaroid Blog. See more on her Flickr page Danske.

Have a great day everybody!

xoxoxo

A Night at the Ritz

Wouldn't it be wonderful to spend a night at the Ritz in Paris. Stay in one of their prestige suites named after the famous people that often stayed or lived in them. Pretend for a night that you are Coco, or Duke and Duchess of Windsor, who moved to the Ritz after the Duke abdicated, or Ernest Hemingway, who is reputed to have said: "When I dream of afterlife in heaven, the action always takes place at the Ritz Paris."

Coco Chanel Suite

 

            

 

                   

Oh, yes, absolutely, I can see myself there!

                  

              

Duke and Duchess of Windsor Suite

  

Hey, who let the pugs in! :D

       

They are so thrilled to be staying at the Ritz, they are jumping up and down. I would be too.

Ernest Hemingway Suite

 

"I slip into one of those immense beds that you find at the Ritz, and my head rests on a bolster the size of a Zeppelin." Sounds good, Ernest.

     

       

Ah, the luxury. For a day, at least!

xoxoxo

{via ana-lee}

American Girl in Italy

I love Ruth Orkin's photographs. She was a celebrated American Photo-journalist, best known for her 1951 photograph An American Girl in Italy. She is also well known for a series of photos she took from her New York City apartment with a view of Central Park (A World Through My Window, 1978 and More Pictures From My Window, 1983).

She was a regular contributor of photos to top journals and magazines. But, my favorite series of photographs will always be the ones she took in Italy.

In 1951, Life sent her on assignment to Israel. From where she went to Italy, and it was in Florence that she met Jinx Allen (now known as Ninalee Craig), a painter and fellow American.

The two were talking about their shared experiences traveling alone as young single women, when Ruth had an idea. "Come on," she said, "lets go out and shoot pictures of what it's really like." In the morning, while the Italian women were inside preparing lunch, Jinx gawked at statues, asked Military officials for directions, fumbled with lire and flirted in cafes while Ruth photographed her. They had a lot of fun, as the photograph, "Staring at the Statue", demonstrates. Ruth Orkins best known image, "American Girl in Italy" was also created as part of this series. 

Florence, Italy, 1951

 

"American Girl in Italy"

I simply cannot believe how the men are so obviously staring at her, look at their poses and faces! So hilarious!

 

"Asking Directions"

 

"Flirting at the Cafe"

 

"At the American Express Office"

 

"Jinx Throough the Beads"

Doesn't Jinx look absolutely lovely and so fashionable? I simply adore her skirt...  

"Sitting at Statue"

...and those sandals are so now. I really want a pair!

 

"Staring at the Statue"

 

"Couple in MG"

They had such fun!

I simply love these photos, they are so alive, jolly and vibrant. 

xoxoxo

{photos Ruth Orkin, info from Ruth Orkin Photo Archive}

Life's vivid and wondrous palette

It was a curry night tonight which is always a good night.

 

It reminded me to look at Steve McCurry's photographs of India again, which is always a good thing to do,

 

 

because it reminds me what a beautiful world we live in.

 

 

"It's curry night", my love said with a sparkle in his eye and a smile on his lips.

 

 

Not even after spending years in India, eating mostly curry, did he ever get tired of eating curry.

 

 

Which reminds me to urge you to read The Bone Man of Benares, a book he (my brilliant husband) wrote.

 

 

A book that changed my life, a book that changed people's worlds, a book that might convince you to leave your job, your everyday life and go travel the world, in search of yourself.

 

 

The book that opened the eyes of my soul and made it possible for me to really see this wondrous world we live in.

 

 

 

I love you, my darling!

 

xoxoxo

 

{photos by Steve McCurry via Town & Country Travel, Asian Window, Soulcatcher Studio, wuwm)

Lady in the Rainforest

Around ten years ago I worked in a gift shop aboard a cruise ship. I know that sounds cheesy and brings immediately to mind that "Love Boat" TV show, together with that damned theme song that I can't get out of my mind now. But our little ship Stella Solaris

 

 

 

(owned by Royal Olympic Cruises and, sad to found out, sold for scrap to India in 2003) and our staff/crew was nothing at all like the "Love Boat" people. We were cool, or so we innocently believed. Anyway, apart from cruising the Mediterranean, and Aegean sea, once a year our ship did a month long, across the Atlantic to South America and down the Amazon river cruise. 

 

 

And, I think our ship was the only one at that time that did these Amazon cruises. Partly because they were quite costly and partly because our ship was small enough to be able to sail down the Amazon.

 

 

 

And even though I did not experience that journey as a famous anthropologist leading one of my legendary excursions (as I would have liked to), I still find that experience to be one of the bigger and more memorable ones of my life. Crossing the equator, the humidity, the Amazon river, the Piranha's, the pink dolphins, the alligators, the rainforest, the native people... the animal sounds, the green, all around...

 

 

The ship's itinerary was to sail all the way to Manaus, the capital of Amazonas state, situated at the confluence of the Negro and Solimoes rivers, surrounded by the Amazon jungle. The city stayed in my mind as something very unreal and fantastical. I had a constant feeling like I was observing the world through a heavy muslin sheet, the air was so heavy, the calm so unnerving, and the sense of being engulfed in the rainforest very real and present. Extreme poverty, wood frame buildings and shanty-towns mixed with the grandiose older buildings that were built when the city leaders were intent on making Manaus the tropical version of Paris. And amongst all of it - a copy of the Grand Opera de Paris - the Theatro Amazonas.

 

 

The opera house was built during the Belle Époque at a time when fortunes were made in the rubber boom. The idea being to construct a jewel in the heart of the Amazonian forest and to make Manaus one of the great centers of civilization.

 

 

 

It was constructed with bricks brought over from Europe, French glass and Italian marble. Roofing tiles came from Alsace while, from Paris, came furniture and furnishings in the style of Louix XV, much from the Koch Fréres company. From Italy came Carrarra marble for the stairs, statues, and columns. Steel walls were ordered from England. The theatre has 198 chandeliers, including 32 of Murano glass. The curtain, with its painting the "Meeting of the Waters" was originally created in Paris by Crispim do Amaral, depicts the junction of the Rio Negro and the Solimoes to form the Amazon.

 

 

On the outside of the building, the dome is covered with 36,000 decorated ceramic tiles painted in the colors of the national flag. The building took 17 years to finish. When the rubber business came into decline due to synthetic alternatives, the city fell into decline. Seeing it there in the heart of the Amazon, this grandiose building seemed so unreal and strikingly beautiful.  At that time I believe there had been no opera performed there for over 90 years (the theatre was inaugurated in 1896) and the building looked decrepit and sad, sweating in the heat, like everybody else. But still majestic. I just read recently that as of 2001, opera is once again flourishing at the theatre, and according to the photos, the building has had a deserved makeover too.

 

 

I would definitely like to revisit Manaus one day, and this time hear the Kirov orchestra performed there. What an experience that would be.

 

xoxoxo

 

(photos via Maritime Matters, The Dutch Cruise Site, Zing Beauty, Save the Earth's Future, Wikipedia, Destination 360, Tropical Manaus, Tripadvisor)