Take a Cruise for Credit

by Jamie Rhein on

Okay, now we’re talking. For anyone needing recertification credits to keep a teaching license, here’s an option other than heading to a traditional classroom, or holing up at home squirreling away time with an on-line class. There are cruises designed for teachers and their families. If you set sail with Teacher Educational Cruises you’ll end up with 12 credit hours by the end. Only two days of the cruise is spent on coursework, the rest is spent having fun–not that taking courses isn’t fun, but still, keeping a teaching license current while sailing the seas seems like a great excuse for taking a cruise. “Honey, I have to cruise to Greece, I need the credit hours.”

The cruise through Italy, Egypt and Greece with the Italian Costa cruise line is next summer. Although the itinerary is in place, there isn’t information about what will be studied for the coursework. Hopefully, it’s connected to the travel experience. For people interested in expanding their trip, there are some suggestions.

There’s also a 5-night Caribbean cruise this Novemember. This one leaves from Galveston, Texas and may be connected to homeschoolers, another specialty Teacher Education Cruises offers. Here’s a link to onboard activities to see just what everyone else might be doing while the teacher in the family is studying. The Web site also mentions that people who are not teachers are welcome to join. Since keeping up certification is an on-going process with teachers, trips like what this company offers are a great idea.

Want more information on cruises?

Nearer My God to Thee: Catholic Pilgrims Get Their Own Airline

by Catherine Bodry on

Does the Pope have to remove his shoes every time he goes through airport security, like the rest of us do? Because that can get old. Especially if you travel a lot, like Catholic pilgrims, who’ve apparently been traveling enough to warrant their own charter airline, “Mistral Air.” (The choice of “mistral” as the airline’s name is an interesting one: although it’s etymologically tied to “magistrate,” its modern definition is “a strong cold dry northerly wind of Southern France.” Puzzling. Let’s hope it means something more Catholic-like in Italian.)

Mistral Air was created solely to transport Catholic pilgrims to holy sites around the world. The company’s motto is “I’m Searching for Your Face, Lord.” I wonder if searching is easier for Benedict and friends at 25,000 feet than it is on terra firma?

[via Fodor’s Travel Wire]

When in Rome, Do As the Baggage Handlers Do. Relax!

by Iva Skoch on

Those flying into Rome Fiumicino airport must have been hating Rome the minute they arrived this past weekend. There is nothing like a warm welcome to a foreign country! Hundreds of thousands bags got delayed as baggage handlers “took their time” getting them from the plane to the passengers. The reason? Low pay.

European workers have had a long tradition of going on strike but this seems more creative than a regular strike. They were apparently slowing down the flow of baggage by using things such as chewing gum to cover up barcode readers that sort the bags and that electric trolleys used to ferry bags to and from aircraft were often found to be lacking power.

Stranded at the airport for hours waiting for one’s bags is a good time to contemplate how accustomed we have become to things working on our own schedule. If you are sitting at terminal A right now, wedged between a couple of sweaty tourists, you probably don’t understand what I mean. All I am saying is, “things going wrong” is a part of travel. One day, this will make a good story.

A Wonder of the World Idea

by Jamie Rhein on

I’ve been thinking about this 7 Wonders of the World list. I read an editorial about it that made a point I also noticed. Happily, the latest wonders list takes in most areas of the world. Perhaps this is due to people’s increasingly global mind set. Also, perhaps with the communication network being so vast, there was more diversity among people who had a say in what they consider wonderful. And perhaps, because of technology, more people could be influenced. According to the two people who left exactly the same comment on the Christ the Redeemer post, this win was due to a large push by the Brazilian government. But, this is also what happens when movies are chosen as award winners. Those with the biggest studio push tend to win. Not always, but often.

My take on what ought to win is the “take your breath away” factor. When something makes you stop talking to whomever you are talking with, hang up your cell phone, take your eyes away from a map, pull you out of your thoughts, or whatever–that’s the winner. The one time I was in such awe of a piece of work created by humanity, that I felt as if my breathing stilled was when I saw the statue of David.

When I first saw David in the Accademia Gallery in Florence, Italy I was a junior in college and traveling after a semester at Copenhagen University in Denmark. (This was a program through DIS, the Danish Institute for Studying Abroad.) I don’t know what it was about that day, but when I saw David, my impulse was to cry and I don’t get that weepy. That statue is glorious. It could not be more perfect. That’s my opinion. I don’t even mind the refrigerator magnets you can buy where you can put various outfits on a David replica. [photo by murky and posted on Flickr. Look at the comments. Even murky took pause.]

The ceiling of the Sistine Chapel also floored me. So did the Pieta. So, my thought is that perhaps there needs to be a 7 Wonders of the World list where the people who created the wonders are the wonders. Michelangelo would be one of those people. Off the top of my head, Leonardo da Vinci could be one as well. Then, instead of traveling to see only one creation, you could go on a little tour of that person’s creations. Authors and musicians might be included so you can go on trips to see their original manuscripts, scores, favorite eateries, their houses, their graves, etc. The places to go could be expanded to include places where those people slept. That would be a real tourism booster.

Where to Savor Wine

by Jamie Rhein on

A friend just sent me a link to A Fine Living Hub. I think it’s where people network about various topics. One topic forum that caught my attention was, “If you could drink a glass of wine anywhere…” Various people have offered up their favorite wine drinking spots. I’ve included their wine recommendations if they offered one.