FUN-travel: New 7 Wonders of the World Runner Up – Neuschwanstein Castle
January 13, 2014 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on FUN-travel: New 7 Wonders of the World Runner Up – Neuschwanstein Castle
Neuschwanstein Castle FUN-facts
- It was built from 1869 to 1886 by King Ludwig II.
- He died mysteriously and building ceased.
- He only lived there for 172 days.
- It was only 1/3 complete.
- It was designed by a stage painter – not an architect.
- It had gravity fed fresh water & sewer systems.
- It is built over the ruins of 2 medieval castles.
More FF – Rumor has it he was spending way too much money & was declared insane. The next day he and his psychiatrist were found drowned in a Munich lake
– It was the inspiration for Sleeping Beauty & Disneyland castles.
– It’s a New 7 Wonders of the World runner up and #17 on our list of the 21 vying for it.
- In the summer of 2007, more than 90 million people cast their votes to determine which architectural marvels in the world deserved to be one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. There were a total of twenty-one landmarks vying for that title.
- Of the Seven Ancient Wonders of the World, only the Great Pyramids in Giza, Egypt still stand. The pyramids were given an automatic spot after infuriated Egyptian officials said it was a disgrace to have to compete for something that had belonged to their country for so long. I agree! We saw them in 2007.
- It is our goal to see all twenty-one landmarks. Also, Chris and I have collectively seen a lot of the twenty-one, however, not together. So the rule is, “If you’ve been there but not together, it doesn’t count.”
New 7 Wonders of the World we’ve been to:
#1 Chichen Itza, Mexico – 2005
#2 Great Wall of China – 2010
#3 Machu Picchu, Peru – February, 2012
#4 Christ the Redeemer, Rio de Janeiro – February, 2012
#5 The Coliseum – Rome, Italy – August, 2012
#6 Petra, Jordan – March, 2013
#7 The Taj Mahal – Agra, India – TBA
New 7 Wonders of the World Runner Ups we’ve been to:
# 9 Statue of Liberty, New York – 2005
#10 Sydney Opera House, Australia – 2005
#11 Hagia Sophia, Istanbul – 2007
#12 Acropolis, Athens – 2007
#13 Angkor Wat, Cambodia – 2010
#14 Eiffel Tower, Paris – 2010
#15 Stonehenge, England – 2011
#16 Alhambra, Spain – August, 2012
#17 Easter Island, Chile – February, 2013
#18 Neuschwanstein Castle – Füssen, Germany – September, 2013
#19 The Kremlin, Moscow – TBA
#20 Kiyomizu Temple – Kyoto, Japan – TBA
#21 Timbuktu – Mali, Africa – TBA (may never happen due to current civil war)
FUN-travel: Prague to Palermo – Trip Recap
January 13, 2014 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on FUN-travel: Prague to Palermo – Trip Recap
Kotor, Montenegro
Trip Recap – Prague to Palermo
- Travel is very personal! Our perfect vacation is a mix of land touring and cruising. We did more driving than we than would have preferred. We like the freedom of having a car but don’t like the stress of driving on teeny, tiny & unmarked streets. Spain had better road markings and signage for sure!
- We drove a total of 777 kilometers on the first part from Munich to Vienna. Then we drove another 1949 kilometers in Italy going from Rimini to Palermo.
- Food in Italy was not as good as I remember 15 years ago. Cappuccino/espresso not as good as Chris remembers. Best pizza by far was Pizzeria Franco in Sorrento followed by the auto/truck stops and in Terrasini at Arabesque. Best caprese by far was Spazi in Rimini.
- I was sorry I finally figured out the last two days that if you want to stop in a town, find out where to eat on TA (TripAdvisor) and then program the GPS. Common sense would assume the Piazza would have restaurants (WRONG!) which was not the case in Siracusa, Sicily. Wasted time and too much frustration! Not to mention a crappy lunch.
Rovinj, Croatia
- I like to stay 3 nights in the same city at the same hotel, which gives us 2 full days. The only time that changes is if the city is small like Salzburg or Füssen. We had 6 days total in Sicily and chose to spend 2 nights in 3 cities so we weren’t schlepping bags. In retrospect, I would have liked to stay in Agrigento and Siracusa. And more time in cute little Noto!
Favorite Places – Croatia and Montenegro were wonderful surprises. Loved the small, quaint charm of Füssen, Germany and going anywhere in Italy! It will always be at the top of my list. Taormina was off the charts!
Taormina, Italy
WOW Word-Of-the-Week #492: Punctuality
January 9, 2014 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on WOW Word-Of-the-Week #492: Punctuality
Punctuality – showing up on time.
Do you show up on time for work? Do you show up on time for family events? On a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being the best) how would you rate yourself on punctuality?
This week’s WOW comes from long time friend and subscriber Joe. He writes, “Punctuality has been a strong suit of mine during my lifetime. Like anything else, it is based on building good habits. My father has always been a big proponent of leaving five minutes early, just in case something happened on the way.
A number of years ago I had an interview scheduled in Oakbrook Terrace, IL, which was a good 45 minutes on the toll way from where we lived. Thinking about the possibility of traffic backups, which are notorious on that stretch of road, I allowed an hour and a half. As I was getting closer to Oakbrook Terrace, I did not see a metal object in the road and I ran over it. I knew I had a flat and pulled off to the side of the road. I took off my coat and tie, rolled up my shirtsleeves and began the process of changing the tire. I arrived at the interview site about 15 minutes early.
That gave me the opportunity to wash my hands thoroughly, roll down my sleeves, put on my coat and tie and compose myself before I went in for the interview. I was relaxed when I entered, but did not tell the interviewer what happened on my way there. I just conducted myself as if nothing had happened. Now, while I did not get the job, I was happy that I left myself more than enough time to get there. We never know when these types of emergency situations are going to strike.
Like your husband, I am also a big proponent of doing things NOW, especially when they are top of mind. I don’t like to put off anything until later or the next day because I will probably not get to it. And then it never gets done. My wife is the procrastinator. There is something else always more important to do, so whatever she needs to do does not get completed.
However, my wife is very good about being on time, which is something that both of our daughters are learning. Thanks for the word, Susan. It is amazing what we can get done if we leave enough time.
P.S. A lot of people complain about not having enough time; that just means they did not want to make the time.”
Thank you Joe for another great WOW contribution! This week’s focus is on punctuality. How did you rate yourself? If punctuality is a problem what can you do different? Do you put your clocks ahead? Have you ever thought of padding 15 minutes into your schedule?
FUN-travel: Heathrow to Home!
January 6, 2014 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on FUN-travel: Heathrow to Home!
Day 44 – Wednesday, October 30 – Heathrow, London to HOME!
Agrigento
What I LIKE
- *6:45 – get up – Chris is making noise
- 7:00 – hot good macchiato
- sunny & warm (missed all weather delays from storm on 27th)
- 9:45 – fresh nice fruit
- 10:06 – ready to go – get major bonus points!
- 10:15 – shuttle to airport (plan was 10:45)
- 10:30 – arrive terminal
- no check in lines
- breeze through security
Monreale
- plenty of shopping but pounds make it more expensive
- BA lounge – more food & drinks
- **1:10 – head to gate
- 1:15 – board
- 2:10 – push back
- 2:33 – lift off
- 6:35 – arrive on time & breeze through customs
What I DON’T LIKE
*5:30 – wake up
** 1:50 departure delayed
FUN-fact – God Bless America! This is the best place in the world to live!
Mt. Etna, October 26, 2013
WOW Word-Of-the-Week #491: Ambition
January 2, 2014 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on WOW Word-Of-the-Week #491: Ambition
Ambition – a strong desire for success, achievement or distinction.
Do you think of yourself as having ambition? Do you have a fire in your belly to accomplish something? Do you have a plan on how you are going to achieve what you want?
The beginning of the New Year felt like the right time to revisit this WOW that I wrote back in 2006. Time Magazine featured an article on early signs of ambition that included several well-known celebrities. “Oprah Winfrey could read at age 2 and skipped second grade. At age 6, Tiger Woods listened to motivational tapes – I will make my own destiny – while practicing his swing in the mirror. In grade school, Martha Stewart organized and catered neighborhood birthday parties because, she says, ‘The rate of 50 cents an hour for babysitting wasn’t quite enough money.'”
“Not only do we struggle to understand why some people seem to have more ambition than others, but we can’t even agree on just what ambition is.” Anthropologist Edward Lowe, 
says, “Ambition is an evolutionary product. No matter how social status is defined, there are certain people in every community who aggressively pursue it and others who aren’t so aggressive.”
Dean Simonton, UC Davis says, “Ambition is energy and determination, but it calls for goals too. People with goals but no energy are the ones who wind up sitting on the couch saying ‘One day I’m going to…’ People with energy but no clear goals just dissipate themselves in one desultory project after the next.”
This week’s focus is on ambition. Do you have a strong desire for success, achievement or distinction? Do you think that ambition is learned or genetic? Is it okay to want fame or power? Do you have energy and determination when it comes to creating and achieving your goals?