The Isle of Champions

Yesterday, one of the greatest tennis matches of all time happened on Centre Court at Wimbledon. It had everything you could ever expect a sport to give you: high drama, extreme skill, natural talent, tenacity, heart and incredible humanity. Both Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer had much glory to be gained by winning...and neither was willing to give it less than their all for nearly five hours. It was hard to cheer for either because choosing a winner would result in also selecting a loser.

In the end, Rafael Nadal walked away with his first ever Wimbledon title - tears of great emotion in the eyes of both the victor and the defeated (mine too, while we're at it.) So this post is dedicated to Rafa's home of Majorca, the beautiful island in the Mediterranean less than 125 miles off the coast of mainland Spain.

I'm certain that the beaches and the bars are great places to start (especially now in sangria-soaked celebration of Rafa's victory.) But one of the nicest ways to see the island is via the Tren de Soller that leaves from the capital of Palma. Originally built in 1912, the open wooden cars roll through the mountainous countryside close enough for those with long arms to pluck lemons & oranges from the trees.

Maybe this kind of idyllic lifestyle would bring out the champion in anybody. Congratulations Rafa!

The Great Blue from Heron

I'm not a big fan of gear. I think most gear gets in the way when you're trying to immerse yourself in nature so I tend to gravitate toward activities where gear is minimal, but essential. The best example, and my favorite, is snorkeling -- a surf shirt, bikini bottoms, a mask & a snorkel. Simple tools that open a whole new world to you.

I've been fortunate enough to hit some good snorkel spots over the years (the Caribbean, Florida and a few Hawaiian islands -- all fantastic even under the threats reefs face.) But I dream of the big kahuna -- The Great Barrier Reef. There are many places to choose from as the reef is, well...Great. But I've always had my eye on Heron Island.

Located 50 miles off the Eastern coast of Australia, Heron Island is a true coral cay so Heron's beauty lies in that you can walk off the beach at any point and be amongst your sea friends. The resort on the island seems serviceable, and to be honest, who really cares how nice it is? It's all about the fish...and the turtles...and the rays...and the sharks. Give me a hammock and a beach towel (and my minimal snorkel gear) and I can't imagine being happier.

Except for the bonus...you can get to and from the island by helicopter. OK...I'm happier.

Liszten to the Music

Last August, I was lucky enough to visit Budapest, a city rich with architecture, history and phenomenal food. But my timing was off. To be able to visit during Budapest's zenith at the turn of the last century would have been grand. I think it's a common desire to be in the "right" city at the "right" time, but I wonder if you only truly know how right it is once it's over? Once it's too late?

Although I had no regrets about my trip, my timing was also off for opera. The Hungarian State Opera House is dark during the month of August so I had to visit this magnificent place as part of a tour group (English-speaking although they also had Italian, German, Hungarian, French and Spanish at the same time.) I found it hard to envision the grandeur of an opening night or appreciate the acoustics of Franz (or Ferenc as he's known here) Liszt's Don Sanche. But the architecture is undeniable and probably benefits from the light of day to appreciate its details.

I hope to return again someday to catch a performance or even a grander daydream would be to attend the annual Budapest Opera Ball. One of the social events of the European season, I'm certain that one night at this event would be a time-traveler's transport back to an era of class and tradition unparalleled today.

Wanna come?

Alesund...My Aim is True

The fjords of Norway are professed to offer some of the most majestic natural scenery in the world. Alesund, the lovely town at the water's edge pictured above, makes a marvelous starting point. With first rate Art Nouveau architecture and right-off-the-boat seafood, a few days here will be a lovely reminder of life a full century ago.

Just a few hours away via express boat is the famous Geirangerfjord, one of the most photographed fjords in the region. It's hard to imagine a more geologically dramatic sight than surrounding yourself with towering cliff faces -- many with tumbling waterfalls plunging downward into the deep blue waters below.



Cruising along these waters certainly seems the best way to truly experience the fjords as well as the famously precarious "shelf farms" -- slivers of farmland carved right into the cliffs. Showpieces of human ingenuity to eek out an existence wherever possible, these farms carry with them persistent rumors of parents roping their children to keep them tethered as they worked the fragile land.

Maybe they tied them to Norwegian Wood?

Slots Jackpot

I was fortunate to take a quick trip to southern Utah last week. While I was able to revisit some old favorites (Zion National Park and Red Canyon)......I also got a quick, albeit impressive introduction to the massive Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. Spanning nearly 1.9 million acres (3% of the state of Utah), the monument is the second largest in the lower 48 states (Death Valley being the largest.)

The half day hike through Lower Calf Creek to the falls was just about everything you could ask for in a hike. Perfect weather, geological wonders, cool wildlife (red-tail hawks, many canyon-country unique lizards & insects), petroglyphs and a big payoff with thundering falls that you can hear for a bit but don't see until the end. But since this blog is about what I dream of doing, I would love to go back & do a hike through Escalante's famous slot canyons (lead photo above.) Because of the dangers of flash floods rolling through (sometimes resulting from storms many, many miles away), those who aren't familiar with the landscape should go with a local guide. With no more than eight people at a time, Utah Canyons seems like a good and reasonably priced choice.

About a six hour drive from Las Vegas, this slots jackpot brings a natural and far more rewarding cha-ching.


photo credits: photo 1 is americansouthwest.net, other two are wen360

In Bruges

I recently caught "In Bruges" at the local multiplex -- not because Colin Farrell has ever done much for me, but because I'm a sucker for the postcard film. Being a born travel daydreamer, I will more often than not go to any movie that showcases a foreign locale on the big screen. I was pleasantly surprised about not only the gorgeous, well-preserved medieval European town of Bruges, but also that the film itself was quite good.

Bruges, located in the northwest corner of Belgium, is thought to be Europe's best remaining example of a medieval town. Complete with canals and stunning architecture, it seems to be a wonderfully interesting cultural stop even without the chocolate (but what a bonus!)

Postcard films are not a new idea. The Bond films (and now also the Bourne films) do a great job of totting you around the globe in a couple of hours -- giving you postcard snapshots of places to add to your daydreaming list. Out of Africa, arguably my favorite film of all time, is a fantastic film for many reasons, but not the least of which is the cinematography of a land I hope to visit one day. And the hope that the landscape still resembles that same breathtaking natural vastness once I arrive.

Mean and Green

I don't know about you, but I am sick to death of seeing the word "green" inserted into nearly every single sentence of company lingo these days. "How to green your home, green your car, green your pets, green your job, green your life." Is Ford Motor Company really going to teach me how to be more green?? Doubtful. Green has become almost completely meaningless as an eco-adjective anymore when the claims made are so disparate, so unregulated.

So with mild trepidation, I read National Geographic's Adventure cover story on "Best Green Adventures on Earth." Many make the argument that travel in and of itself can never be a truly green endeavor. But thanks to carbon offsets (the confessionals of the 21st century) we can pay a small fee to absolve our guilt and go on our merry traveling way. Or for those of us like you and me, dear reader, our guilt absolves itself naturally since our journeys take place solely in our minds.

Thank goodness because there is a winner of trip featured in this story (actually, there are many.) But my favorite is a rafting trip offered up by veteran adventure travel company Mountain Travel Sobek. Starting in Haines, Alaska, travelers raft their way down the Tatshenshini River through Canada amidst a glorious 2.5-million-acre protected area that the rafters themselves poked back at copper mine developers and successfully preserved.

With exciting whitewater (Class II/III so mean fun not mean terror), glacier hiking and nightly campsites fresh with moose, bear and wolf tracks, this trip promises a graceful glimpse at a relatively untouched part of the world. Add a scenic bush plane flight to Yakutat to round out your trip once the river reaches Dry Bay and your dream adventure is complete.

And I think these rafters might have a lot more to teach me about being green than Ford.