TravelswithCharie

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 ma

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,

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

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 f

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 Travelswi

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 

As the clock ticks and the corona virus rages unabated, my travel plans taunt me. I’m kept wondering when I can safely walk again in unfamiliar places and listen to a cacophony of foreign tongues. Unearthing these images from previous trips instills in me a strong resolve to travel again when the all clear is sounded. I am hopeful this will be soon. “It may be that the satisfaction I need depends on my going away, so that when I’ve gone and come back, I’ll find it at home.” Rumi Half Dome, Yosemite National Park, California Ta Prohm, Siem Reap, Cambodia Reynisfjara Beach, South Iceland  West India Warehouse on Tolbodgade, Copenhagen, Denmark (houses Royal Cast Collection) Wat Pho, Bangkok, Thailand El Ateneo Bookstore, Buenos Aires, Argentina Irreverent Amsterdam, The Netherlands  ***** Images by TravelswithCharie