Rip the Head Off a Goose

by Erik Olsen on

Forgive me for any culturally-insensitive indiscretion, but I just came across this photo and thought to myself, “Now that’s rather sick” (but also kind of fun in a sickish way).

What am I talking about? Well, the photo shown here comes from the Seattle Times and depicts a man leaping through the air, his body contorted in a sort of half flip as he reaches out and attempts to tear the head off a dead goose. The photo is from a Basque festival called San Antolín. I tried to Wikipedia the festival to learn more, but couldn’t find anything. I did, however, find this piece that discusses the festival, also known as Goose Day. Anyone know anything more?

Catalonia – Too Cool For Spain

by Iva Skoch on

Blogging from Blanes, Catalonia: A sun-drenched, beautiful, Mediterranean coastal area of Spain, Catalonia still thinks it is too cool for Spain. A friend who has lived here for 8 years says that the Catalans consider themselves the hard-working ones, whereas the Southerners are supposed to be the slackers. (Californians – sounds familiar?) He says they are all equally relaxed about getting anything done.

An area of 6.5 million (16% of Spain as a whole), rich in its own history and a language distinct from Spanish, Catalonia now pines for independence from the rest of Spain (in part because they are angry they send more in tax revenue than they get back), apparently willing to forgo the substantial (150B+ Euros) monetary support from the EU, even though its GDP is less than the support the country gets. A recent vote showed this willingness to secede. And, not too surprisingly, this wouldn´t be the first time.

Maybe it is the food. Catalonia boasts one of the world´s most heart-healthy diets. Rich in fish, bountiful vegetables and the freshest fruit sold daily at bustling local markets, it sets the standard for the “Mediterranean diet,” whose birthplace, arguably, is the famous La Boqueria market in Barcelona.

Yet, it´s also home to a sometimes strangely liberal lifestyle, as evidenced by the fact that it´s one of the few places in the world where cannabis-derived drugs are available over the counter at the many farmacia. It´s also bucking age-old Spanish tradition, by moving to banish bull-fighting. Better get here fast.

23 Years Old and on the Road

by Erik Olsen on

Oh, to be 23, free and on the road. To be able to travel around the world…AND, get this…to have a newspaper pay for it? Or at least, have them publish regular articles while you travel. Such is the life right now of 23-year old Haley Edwards, a world-weary gal, apparently fresh (or near so) from college and sharing her thoughts about the world with others.

Now, I could make all sorts of nasty quips here about how youth is wasted on the young, but that would certainly be an expression of envy. Those of us who also traveled in our youth for long periods know that being on the road is about as healthy an experience as exists for mind body and spirit. So good for young Haley.

Let’s see where young Haley went:

Haley’s stated purpose is to go to places that scare her. That places her first and foremost in Egypt with a camel named Michael Jackson <insert poor-taste hump joke here>, and then on to Israel, Jordan Kashmir andIndia.

And so it goes. The pieces here (though I confess I didn’t read them all, are thoughtful enough for a 23-year old. Needless to say, for most of us the joy of reading them comes from the vicarious remembrance of our own past travels. We are glad for Haley, but we read and hope and wonder if we, too, will be able to set out upon the world again someday so free and innocent and hopeful.

Naw, I doubt it.

Third World Expectations in the ´First World´

by Iva Skoch on

As I was waiting at the Barcelona airport for three hours yesterday trying to make a lost baggage claim, I realized I was angrier than I usually get when the airline loses my bags. After all, this is certainly not the first time my luggage didn´t make it to the same destination as I did, or made it late or damaged. Last year alone, airlines worldwide misplaced 3.7 million bags, according to USA Today.

It was also not the first time service people in charge were rude, slow and not helpful. Yesterday was the first time, however, that the sole baggage claim service woman closed the window and announced she was taking an hour-long lunch. The line of some 45 customers did not faze her.

In India, Egypt or China I would have been bummed, but would have probably laughed it off and considered it a cultural experience. However, in Barcelona, this simply was not acceptable. Last time I checked, Spain was considered a developed country?

When one travels throughout the Western world, one assumes a certain level of service. That is, after all, why a lot of people split their vacation time between the hard, cheap, adventurous trips to underdeveloped countries and those relaxing, civilized, but expensive, trips to Western Europe or North America.

However, when you pay First World prices and get Third World service, you feel cheated. It´s all about expectations. Next time I am at the Barcelona airport, I will remember to put on my ready-for-anything hat.

This certainly puts Barcelona on my list of nightmare baggage claim cities, together with Munich and Paris Charles de Gaulle. Any additional airports to avoid in the so-called developed world?

Perceptive Travel New Issue

by Erik Olsen on

We’ve checked in a few times on Mr. Tim Leffel and his relatively new online magazine Perceptive Travel and we always come away satisfied. Well, the more things change, the more they stay the same. Leffel is out with a new edition of the magazine and, once again, we express our satisfaction in it.

This time around, he’d corralled a stable of writers (oh, the metaphor abuse!) to opine on the travel life and to write about their own experiences on the road. This issue features some known names, too, including Jeff Greenwald, whose article Searching for Rare Primates in the Valley of the Langurs is about…well, I suppose the title says it all. Greenwald, you may know, is the author of Shopping for Buddhas and The Size of the World.

Also, there’s a giggle-inducing piece by guidebook writer Edward Readicker-Henderson who heads to New Zealand where is is supposed to write about places that cater to travelers who might spend $50,000 on a trip (yes, you read that correctly) but becomes rather entranced by both the water swirling down the drain (he like to report that it swirls down a different direction, but alas, he can’t remember which direction it swirls here), and expensive bras hanging in the wind.

Anyway, good stuff all.