August 26, 2015 |
Wednesday, July 31, 2024
07-31-24 THE WILD WILD WEST WITH 9,400 MUSIC LOVIN' NOMADS - ROCK & ROLL @ RED ROCKS
Wednesday, July 24, 2024
07-24-24 LET'S HEAD NORTH IN GRANDIOSA NORD ITALIA - COOL PLACES FOR COOL PRICES
After a nine-hour flight from Tampa to Milan, needless to say we were a tad tired. Flying overseas takes an open mind and the ability to nap without ceasing. LOL! We used the internet for all of our reservations, and we read every Rick Steves book on Italy and listened to an Italian language CD without ceasing. Rick Steves advised his readers to store their luggage in the lockers at the Cadorna train station in Milan. Problem - the lockers were closed for repairs! Then we got lost until we found a very nice cabbie who took us directly to the Museum Cenacolo Vinciano / Museum of The Last Supper to see one of the most famous paintings in the world - Leonardo DaVinci's' Last Supper, with our luggage in tow. As we entered the room with about fifteen other people, the painting was not just beautiful - it was utterly mesmerizing. This painting was painted between 1495 - 1498. It was completely restored over a twenty year period that was completed in 1999.
TRAIN TRAVEL IS SIMPLY THE BEST IN ITALY
Wednesday, July 17, 2024
07-17-2024 HOW ABOUT SOME ADVICE ON HOW TO GO WHERE YOU WANNA' GO AND NOT TAKE OUT A SECOND MORTGAGE!
The "Experts" tell us current inflation is "holding steady" at 3.4%. Obviously, those experts never buy groceries or try to purchase a new home! The Nomad Architect is here to help all Wanderers travel for prices that will not drain your bank account. Today's post includes some places to reserve that cost less than the typical $500 - $1500 a night that I see everywhere - even in Italy, Spain, France, Greece, and the UK. And the good old USA, the greatest country on earth, is the most expensive place to travel. Hopefully, this post will help all Vagabonds find some cool places to lay your heads at prices that won't make your head hurt.
This Week - All Italia
Italy is the most romantic country we have ever traveled in. It is a place that will actually change your perception of the world. It has it all - great buildings, history, incredible food, and amazing people. The culture of the Cradle of Western Civilization is all-encompassing.
Places Smart Nomads Can Stay
Castello di Tornano - This utterly unique small former fort in Chianti, the heart of Tuscany, is about thirty minutes from the capital city of Italy, Florence/Firenze. With three-foot thick stone walls, showers large enough for a small army, friendly and helpful owners, and amazing food served on-site. You can wander in nature or take a swim in their swimming pool. The views from all the rooms are beautiful. We arrived at this "castle" mid-afternoon on a Sunday. I asked the concierge if we could get something to eat since we had not had lunch. He sat us at a table on a beautiful terrace with views of vineyards as far as the eye could see. Then the food appeared - Prosciutto, freshly baked bread, cheese, olives, fruit, and a nice bottle of local wine. We enjoyed our mid-afternoon meal in one of the most romantic places we have ever experienced. And the price today? $150 - $175 depending on when you go.
Tu VuĆ² FĆ l'Americano
Song by
Na cuppulella cu 'a visor aizata
Passa scampanianno pe' Tuledo
Like a guappo, to make you look
'Mericano, 'mericano
Who does it do?
You want to live fashionably
But if you drink "whiskey and soda"
Po' te siente 'e disturba'
You play baseball
But Camel is deaf
Who gives them to you
Mom's handbag
'Mericano, mericano
But yes he was born in Italy
Sient' a mme, nun ce sta niente 'a fa'
You want to be an American
You want to be an American
If you speak to her, my American?
Quanno se fa l'ammore sotto 'a luna
How do you come to the end and say "I love you"?
'Mericano, mericano
Who does you do?
You want to live fashionably
But if you drink "whiskey and soda"
Po' te siente 'e disturba'
You play baseball
But Camel is deaf
Who gives them to you
Mommy's Handbag
'Mericano, mericano
But yes he was born in Italy
Sient' a mme, nun ce sta niente 'a fa'
Ok, napulitan
You want to be an American
You want to be an American
'Mericano, 'mericano
But yes he was born in Italy
Sient' a mme, nun ce sta niente 'a fa'
Ok, napulitan
You want to be an American
You want to be an American
Whiskey and soda and rock'n'roll
Whiskey and soda and rock'n'roll
Wednesday, July 10, 2024
07-10-2024 RANDOM VAGABON ALERT - IF YOU FEEL THE NEED FOR SOUL FOOD WITH A TWIST - THIS IS THE PLACE
Thursday, July 4, 2024
7-4-24 THE DAY ALL AMERICANS - NORTH, SOUTH, EAST & WEST CELEBRATE THE GREATEST COUNTRY ON EARTH!
USA - The Official Place of Refuge for Nomads With Dreams
As we Boomers lament the latest crop of children who are now beginning to run the place, we discuss all the faults of the forty-somethings we have raised. And I must admit - it is somewhat disconcerting when one of those young Gen X'ers was asked, a few years back, by talk show host Jay Leno - Where is the Gaza Strip? They answered West Hollywood! Really? But we Boomers conveniently forget that we invented the basest of human traits - narcissism. You do remember Stephen Stills' mantra to self-indulgence - If you can't be with the one you love, love the one you're with - don't you? That one line and its impact on our culture is worth at least three credit hours of directed study on human behavior gone awry. As the most privileged, upwardly mobile generation, we grew up with TV, hot cars, and a vision of America that fit us like a glove. So, spare me the judgment of the "kids" that are working through their lives day by day in a world very different than the post-war world of optimism we seventy-somethings enjoyed. Numerous studies point out that this new generation is optimistic, hard-working, and more open to change than any generation before it.