I’m back in Baltimore for a few days,
visiting my former hometown for the last time before I head out on my European adventure. I thought I’d mention the
wonderful work of A. Aubrey Bodine, who’s photography so
beautifully captures this region of the country. Bodine’s Chesapeake Bay Country features stunning black and white photos
of the entire Chesapeake region. This volume, containing 286 digitally restored pictures, is divided into five
distinct areas of Maryland: Baltimore and surrounds, Chesapeake Bay, Eastern Shore, Southern Maryland and
Annapolis, and Western Maryland. The book was edited by Bodine’s daughter, Jennifer and released in 2005. On a related
note, the largest collection of Bodine’s work, over 100 prints, is on display through the end of this month at the Bertaux Gallery and Framing Place in Lutherville, MD. I might not make it to this
exhibit (located north of Baltimore city) while I’m in town, but I think I’ll stop by the BMA and buy a Bodine picture
postcard to bring with me on my travels.
Ten Things to Do in Tokyo
Boing Boing mentions a pretty cool site offering ten rather quirky things to do in Tokyo. Rather
than spend your time wanering aimlessly or (god forbid) in a sake-induced stupor, they urge you to check out the artsy
side of the bustling city. From thcking out manhole covers to marvelling at the dizzying array of taxicab designs, it’s
not a bad couple of recs. For the bureaucrat in you, the Stamp Tour might be of interest (number 4), and if
you’re all about plain old rebel art, the you should follow the Graffiti and Streetart trail (number 6).
And what trip to cyber-heaven Tokyo would be complete without a video game marathon (number 8)?
London Times Hot Spots for 2006
The good folks at the London Times want to help you
figure out your travel plans for the new year…now that we have slipped easily, with alacrity and wit, into 2006. They
dish up some fine places to go in order
to make this the most adventuresome and interesting year to date. At the top of their suggestion list, a small fishing
village in Bahia, Brazil called Trancoso where you can hang by the sea and sip cachaca-laden cocktails.
Then, they remind you, in case you forgot, or didn’t even know they were still around, that the Commonwealth Games
are being held in Melbourne this year from March 15 to 26. What better reason to head down under…and get some fine
diving in at the Great Barrier Reef. (It is law, NEVER go to Australia without diving the reef).
And, of
course, you’ve heard much about it, but probably have little patience for football…or, as well call it soccer. But
the World Cup culminates this year in Berlin, Germany, and if you are a fan of large crowds with many accents,
why you couldn’t put yourself in a better place. The World Cup, the biggest sports even on the globe that Americans
could care less about starts on June 9 and ends on July 9 in Berlin. You can get tickets to the event on the International Football Federation website.
So that’s just a start. We will,
of course, be offering our own suggestions as we go along, so stay tuned. But in the meantime, this is a fine little
piece to check out.
JohnnyJet
There are many many travel sites out there that
profess to help you with your travel planning and travel ideas. But few I’ve seen are as chock full of useful links as
Johnnyjet.com. It’s a simple design, crude almost, but there is so much here that you can spend a good deal of time
just exploring the myriad places that Johnnyjet sends you.
From links
air travel that send you to the best flight deal sites as well as to round the world ticket sites and last-minute deal
sites, to links for auto rental sites and listings of public transit sites by state, to visa help, travel
warnings and language schools…well, this is just the
tip of the iceberg. One of the nice things about johnnyjet is that they don’t profess to have the information
themselves, they are all about helping direct you to the best places to go. Want to find a great cooking class in France? Easy, just go to the cooking
classes link. Again, the design leaves a bit to be desired. It’s simple, mostly text driven, but you can easily while
away an hour just exploring the links at this endlessly useful site.
Roatan, Honduras
Here’s a piece of the Caribbean we don’t hear about too often, but with new once a week flights out of Miami and
Houston, the tiny island off the coast of Honduras should be attracting more visitors in no time. Charter planes bring
in the European tourists and a lot is being done around the island to make it more comfortable for travelers. The
Miami Herald runs an article on Roatan,
Honduras a place people go for the ocean. The island is only 40-miles long and the waters surrounding it are perfect,
welcoming divers. Most beachfront hotels on the West Bay have scuba diving shops, offer lessons and an asosrtment of
other water activities. For culture seekers Roatan is the home of the Garifuna and their own dying language. The
Garifuna are made up of Arawak Indians from the Amazon Caribes from the Caribbean and escaped slaves. In the photo
natives of Punta Gorda re-enact their arrival on the island. Further information on culture and annual events can be
found at Roatan Online in addition anything else you’d want to know about
getting there.