One Hundred & Seventy Four Days of Dreaming and Scheming

I haven't written in a while. One hundred and seventy-four days to be exact. I have a string of excuses - writers block, a bad case of ADD, Thanksgiving, Christmas, football season, life - all of the above and then some. I think winter time is a very unproductive time for creative thinking, and  writing  passionately about travel does require creative thinking. Frank Lloyd Wright said the idea was often easy, but the working out of the thing was very hard.  That sentiment certainly applies to writing as well as architecture. Anyway - after numerous encouraging comments from friends and compliments from some unexpected places about The Nomad Architect Travel Blog, I am back in the saddle. I plan to bring you many new posts about off the beaten path travel to hotels,country inns and out of the way bistros unique in character. From the south of France to the Big Apple - From  the deserts of the Southwest to the verdant woods of the Northwest - I will be sharing experiences about places near and far. There will be contributions by guest writers and photographers as well. It is my fervent hope that you will gain some insight into the world of amazing travel experiences and cultures.

 

Some updating is in order here. You may notice the "look" of the blog has been completely changed. Several new items have been added and others expanded. Feel free to click through the various pages and links of the blog, as well as the page tabs at the top to learn more about where to Sleep and Eat. The Design tab has informative links to travel books and other planning information. The About tab details the reasons behind this venture into the virtual ether. The new blog header features the Hotel Marques de Riscal in Elciego, Spain . To learn more about this and other unique hotels and places along paths less traveled read This Week's Featured Place To Sleep Before You Die summary at the top of the right margin of the blog. The header will be changed frequently and will feature other unique sleeping quarters and interesting places for the Nomad to experience.

Finally, to ensure that you get all future posts, please sign up. Just go to the "FOLLOW THE NOMAD ARCHITECT VIA EMAIL" box in the right margin, enter your email address, click Submit and follow the instructions. You can also subscribe to the various feeds under the "SUBSCRIBE" button. And yes, you can even follow the blog on Twitter. This is a new thing for me, but I am all in!! I have been pleasantly surprised to discover the number of page views of the blog and interest from other travel blogs and web sites since it was launched in March of 2011. It is my desire to expand it and bring a unique perspective to more fellow travelers.  And, as always, feel free to comment on posts and other travel experiences you may have had.

So it is LEAP DAY!! Spring is just around the corner. We have recovered from the over indulgence of the holidays and wanderlust is beginning to set in. This blog is all about helping you find that one in a million place that you can only dream of - so welcome one and all to The Nomad Architect....the blog for travelers who refuse to settle.

Back by popular demand - This Week's Video Artist - Adele - My kids gave me her album "21" for Christmas and I am hooked. This girl has the big hair, the big attitude and the big voice. The future of pop and R&B is in good hands with this 24 year old from the UK.  Put on the head phones, click and enjoy.

Travel Quote of The Week - “Traveling is a brutality. It forces you to trust strangers and to lose sight of all that familiar comfort of home and friends. You are constantly off balance. Nothing is yours except the essential things – air, sleep, dreams, the sea, the sky – all things tending towards the eternal or what we imagine of it.” – Cesare Pavese

See You On The Flip Side

thenomadARCHITECT

D.L. Stafford

P.S. If you would like to get a little insight on the pleasure and  pain of traveling with an architect, check out this article by a long suffering wife of an architect - Traveling With An Architect - Check Out The Doorknob . All of it has been verified by my better half.

Somewhere Over The Rainbow

Stop the World, I do NOT want to get off. Well, I 

guess this is the official "launch" of  this blog THE
NOMAD ARCHITECT. I am not exactly a techno-geek, so I am sure I have made many technical mistakes putting this thing out there. But, I am boldy going where I have never gone before - the blogosphere. The real idea behind this blog is actually twofold: 1) We have done a fair amount of traveling and will be sharing our experiences past, present and future and 2) Here's what makes this blog different - Some people think that where they stay when they travel isn't important, as long as it's clean, has a good bed and good water pressure. Well, if you subscribe to that philosophy, then this blog is probably not for you. I believe that where you stay, the uniqueness of a place and the quality of the environment can actually change your mindset, even your reality of a country, its people and its culture. And I am not just talking about 300 count Egyptian cotton bedsheets! I am talking about places that have a unique architectural and even artistic quality that make traveling transcend the idea of a vacation.

In the interest of full disclosure and in deference to my wife and best friend who has been married to this architect for thirty-eight years, I invite you to think about and consider that travel with any architect can be enlightening, interesting and even weird. I have obsessive interest in how things are designed and built. Those obsessions can create raised eyebrows and wrinkle forehead questions from my bride - What are you talking about? when I comment on the uniqueness of a doorknob or some other detail that is really not that interesting to others. 

Please sign up for E-Mail Updates and feel free to comment and offer suggestions for the blog or places you have found in your travels. Also, check out the Links we already have posted for various places and travel info. Finally, I have included a Video of The Week with either a favorite artist that I never go anywhere without or a video relevant to this blog. Here is a cool tune about the greatest architect of the twentieth Century - So Long Frank Lloyd Wright by Simon & Garfunkel - Just click the link to listen!

https://youtu.be/K5lsdHQiNxE

Travel Quote of the Day:

To travel is to discover that everyone is wrong about other countries - Aldous Huxley

Ciao    DLS