TravelswithCharie

Week 10 into this pandemic and we’re nowhere close to seeing the end of it. While some countries have reopened, they have stringent requirements for entry. It won’t be easy to travel again. But we can still plan with the help of these travel blogs and websites. 
Here are some of the blogs I’ve perused to help me prepare for my trips.

Matador Network Matador Network’s mission is to inspire you to travel and find your #travelstoke. https://matadornetwork.com/
Solo travelers Solo Sophie A Francophile and a resident of Paris, Sophie Nadeau knows the ins and outs of Paris. https://www.solosophie.com/about-sophie-nadeau/
Solo Traveler World This website has plenty of valuable travel tips from a community of solo travelers. https://solotravelerworld.com/
Budget travelers The Poor Traveler These “poor travelers” know how to travel well on a tight budget. I like their straightforward expense sheets for the places they visit. https://www.thepoortraveler.net/blog/
Tokyo Cheapo/Japan Cheapo Tokyo Cheapo has a com…

While most states in the United States have relaxed the restrictions for the gradual reopening of businesses, we’re still not safe without a vaccine against Covid19 nor medication to alleviate the symptoms. We don’t have the “all clear” yet and normal travel is still a few months away. For now, let’s watch travel videos while we plan our next adventure. It’s is the next best thing to being there.
I’ve compiled a list of travel videos to take you to places from the comfort of your couch. Some are classics like No Reservations with Anthony Bourdain or Lonely Planet’s Globe Trekker. Others like Amazing Places on Our Planet and Jacob and Katie Schwartz’s YouTube videos offer spectacular views of some of the most desired destinations in the world. Lastly, Khan Academy, Google Arts and Culture and Take Walks give us inside information about the art, architecture, history and cuisine of the places you’ve dreamed about.
Iceland by TravelswithCharie
Amazing Places on our Planet Here’s one of many …

Though most states are reopening after the months long quarantine period, it looks like we may have to shelter-in-place a few more weeks if we are to keep the number of Covid19 cases at bay. With five million infections worldwide and no vaccine available, normal travel will not resume in the near future. In the meantime, we can travel vicariously through movies, travel videos and books. On week 8 of my armchair travel series, let’s check out some books that will transport us to the places we’ve dreamed of visiting.

The Great Railway Bazaar by Paul Theroux Dark Star Safari, Happy Isles of Oceania, The Old Patagonia Express Paul Theroux doesn’t just travel. He immerses himself in the culture of the places he visits. He lives like a local and with locals, tells things as they are and makes no attempt to gloss over the bad and ugly experiences.
“The trains in any country contain the essential paraphernalia of the culture: Thai trains have the shower car with the glazed dragon on its side, Sin…

Reading poetry is one of many things I’ve enjoyed during this period of isolation. So on Week 7 of this series, I would like to share with you some poems/excerpts from poems that remind me of the places I’ve visited over the years.
Please check the links to find the full verse for some of the poems I’ve included here.
Kamakura On Meditation by Milarepa Rest in a natural way like a small child Rest like an ocean without waves Rest within clarity like a candle flame Rest without self concerns like a human corpse Rest unmoving like a mountain.
https://www.travelswithcharie.com/2009/07/wooded-hills-of-kamakura.html
House of Federico Garcia Lorca in Granada, Spain Sonnet of Sweet Complaint by Federico Garcia Lorca Never let me lose the marvel of your statue-like eyes, or the accent the solitary rose of your breath  places on my breath at night.
I am afraid of being on this shore A branchless trunk, and what I most regret Is having no flower, pulp, or clay For the worm of my despair……
https://www.travelswithch…

For Week 6 of shelter-in-place, I wanted to revisit some museums around the world and reminisce about the good old travel days through images of my favorite paintings. Travel is a deep well of learning experiences and visits to museums add color to these experiences. Photographs, videos or postcards are beautiful keepsakes we can browse over whenever we please. This time spent in isolation has given me the pause I needed to appreciate the places I’ve been and the masterpieces I had the pleasure to behold.
Las Meninas, Diego Velasquez, 1656, Museo del Prado, Madrid The French Impressionist painter, Édouard Manet, called Velasquez a “painter of painters”. It isn’t hard to imagine why. Velasquez challenges and provokes the viewer to dig deeper than what the eye perceives at first glance, to never judge a book by its cover.
Liberty Leading the People, Eugène Delacroix, 1830, Louvre Museum, Paris “I have undertaken a modern subject, a barricade, and although I may not have fought for my countr…

As the stay-at-home directive wearies on, I’m adjusting well to this new lifestyle. For one thing, it’s a delight to no longer have to go to the supermarket. I tried to avoid food shopping pre-quarantine days and only went once a week. Having discovered Instacart recently, it is a relief to have a personal shopper who can go grocery shopping for me and deliver the goodies to my door. 
I’ve also learned so much these last three months (I have sheltered-in-place since late January) which I wouldn’t have had the time to attend to were I traveling instead. There’s a reason for everything. And this time spent in isolation has made me appreciative of the place I call home.
Prague, Czech Republic

The Ecumenical Art Chapel, Hirvensalo, Finland

Tai O, HongKong

Grand Canyon, Arizona 

Puerto Rico

Grand Place or Grote Markt, Brussels, Belgium

California, USA

“Every sunset brings the promise of a new dawn.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson

*****

Images by TravelswithCharie

Four weeks after Governor Newsom announced the stay-at-home order for California, the corona virus is still taking a toll on Californians and the rest of the world. Physical distancing may have played a big role in capping the number of cases but we are not out of the woods yet. It looks like we’re home bound for a few more weeks. I don’t mind this at all because I know that it will help flatten the curve and set us free to live a “normal” life again.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned during this period of self isolation, it is that I should never take anything for granted, especially traveling. 
Champs Elysées, Paris, France

Singapore

Lauterbrunnen Valley, Switzerland

Tlaquepaque, Guadalajara, Mexico

Malmö, Sweden

Lake Tahoe, Nevada

The Sphinx, Giza, Egypt

*****

Images by TravelswithCharie