Feb

There’s Something About Santa Fe

by Joyce McGreevy on February 19, 2018

A trompe l'oeil mural at Big Adventure Comics shows why Santa Fe, New Mexico inspires wanderlust. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Santa Fe strips away its own layers to reveal greater surprises. (Big Adventure Comics, Montezuma Ave.)
© Joyce McGreevy

When Wanderlust Leads Southwest

There’s something about New Mexico. Its magnetism can activate wanderlust from thousands of miles away. Like the time a friend and I stood speechless in London’s Tate Modern, gaping at a painting by Georgia O’Keeffe.

“Black Cross with Stars and Blue” is one of O’Keeffe’s earliest depictions of the land that became her obsession.

Feeling Transported

The image transported me to a place where stars are more defined, shadows blacker, and blues more astonishing than anywhere else on earth.

Oh, I see: I had to return to New Mexico.

Turquoise gates at the School for American Research show why Santa Fe, New Mexico inspires wanderlust. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

In Santa Fe, an unpaved road may lead to rare art collections.
© Joyce McGreevy

There’s something about wanderlust for the Southwest. New Mexico’s history is one of convergence: diverse cultures summoned across centuries from as far as the Bering Land Bridge, the kingdoms of Spain, and Mexico’s Sinaloan coast.

From the American East came wagon trails and railroads, Highway 66 and the Interstate. Today, airline contrails trace the sky with arrivals from every corner of the Earth.

An antique caboose shows why Santa Fe, New Mexico inspires wanderlust. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe was once the nation’s number one railway.
© Joyce McGreevy

Feeling the Itch

“If you ever go to New Mexico, it will itch you for the rest of your life,” O’Keeffe said. You don’t get New Mexico out of your system. It becomes part of your system, the way a seed becomes a network of hidden roots. There’s a reason it’s called The Land of Enchantment.

The open door of an adobe shows why Santa Fe, New Mexico inspires wanderlust. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Santa Fe draws travelers home to the unfamiliar.
© Joyce McGreevy

There’s something about returning to a place you thought you knew.

Years earlier, I’d traveled around New Mexico, riveted by the landscape: Ribbons of green obsidian, red rhyolite, and silvery tuff flowing across rock. Washboard roads so rutted a spider’s legs traveled faster than truck wheels.

Colorful rocks in soil show why Santa Fe, New Mexico inspires wanderlust. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

The tiniest details of New Mexico fascinated me.
© Joyce McGreevy

Cliff dwellings protected by glittering curtains of sudden rain. Blood-red mountains sheltering forests of chrome-yellow cottonwoods. Unlit byways where one’s eyes slowly distinguished black mesas from indigo sky.

I thought I had New Mexico figured out. But like land sculpted by the elements, New Mexico is always changing, and whenever you return, New Mexico changes you.

The window of an art gallery shows why Santa Fe, New Mexico inspires wanderlust. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Art galleries in Santa Fe may cater to—or gleefully confound—expectations.
© Joyce McGreevy

Feeling Curious

I arrived during the slow season—too early for the open-air Santa Fe Opera, too late for group tours that had gone on winter hiatus. Would there be more to Santa Fe than upscale boutiques clustered around the Plaza? Would Santa Fe be just a pleasant interlude, “New Mexico Lite”?

Santa Fe's Plaza at shows why New Mexico inspires wanderlust. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Skip the camera filter. Purple sunsets are a common occurrence in Santa Fe.
© Joyce McGreevy

Feeling the Unfamiliar

There’s something about life at 7,000 feet above sea level. As I trekked to the hilltop adobe that would be my home, my heart drummed. The feeling was unsettling, as my lungs whispered Guess who’s mortal?

Soon, however, hiking at high altitude became natural. The more I walked, the more I hankered to walk.

I picked up Elaine Pinkerton’s Santa Fe on Foot: Exploring the City Different. On every walk, I met people who encouraged conversation. New Mexico is neighborly, and Santa Fe is downright friendly.

Travel and history books at Collected Works show why Santa Fe, New Mexico inspires wanderlust. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Independent bookstores like Collected Works (shown), Travel Bug,
and Op. Cit. thrive here. Their events draw crowds.
© Joyce McGreevy

Feeling Welcome

I never did make it to the Visitors Center. I just visited with Santa Feans, who scribbled lists of favorites: pueblos and palaces, bird walks and dharma talks, trail hikes and town halls, farmers’ markets and folk art, research centers and shopping centers, coffee shops and workshops.

Green chile cheese crossiants at the Farmers' Market show why Santa Fe, New Mexico inspires wanderlust. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

At Santa Fe Farmers’ Market, Cloud Cliff croissants feature green chile and cheese.
© Joyce McGreevy

Feeling Inspired

Thanks to locals, I saw the annual Nuestra Musica at the Lensic. Where four-generation families sang canciones and conjured armonía from saws and cigar-box guitars.

Where a former lieutenant governor turned musician led the house in a rousing recitation of popular sayings known as dichos. (My favorite: Buscando trabajo y rogando a Dios no hallar. “Looking for work and praying to God not to find any.”)

Where 94-year-old Antonia Apodaca proved that every age is the right age to sing of love, blow kisses, and dance for joy.

Renowned musician Antonia Apodaca performing at Nuesta Musica inspires audiences in Santa Fe, New Mexico. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

As a child, Apodaca practiced on a broken accordion rescued from the trash.
© Joyce McGreevy

My days became threads that wise hands wove into the pattern of Santa Fe culture. At every museum, a docent took me under his or her wing, sharing knowledge they’d spent a lifetime acquiring.

The more I discovered, the more I wanted to learn. Books accumulated on my bedside table. I stayed up late perusing Santa Fe histories, novels, maps, and photos. I went to readings and lectures. The mysteries multiplied.

The exterior of SITE Santa Fe Colorful shows why Santa Fe, New Mexico inspires wanderlust. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

At contemporary art space SITE Santa FE, a concert may include a celebration of silence.
© Joyce McGreevy

Feeling Enchanted

There’s something about Santa Fe that surprises. Things I’d considered clichés commanded new respect: Once, I was woken by the howl of a coyote, a sound so sharp it cut a gash in the thick, dark stillness of the night. I could feel the reverberation long after that singular sound had ended.

A sunny, high-desert landscape shows why Santa Fe, New Mexico inspires wanderlust. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Santa Fe’s dry, high-desert climate is no stranger to sudden thunderstorms and snow.
© Joyce McGreevy

A snowy, high-desert landscape shows why Santa Fe, New Mexico inspires wanderlust. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Because there’s something about Santa Fe. “When you take a flower in your hand and really look at it,” said O’Keeffe, “it’s your world for the moment.”

When wanderlust led me to Santa Fe, I expected a pleasant interlude. But it flowered into a fascinating world.

Comment on this post below, or inspire insight with your own OIC Moment here.

Joyce McGreevy 4 Comments

Art of Travel/Cultural Encounters/USA

Jan

6 Bright Ideas for Traveling Light

by Joyce McGreevy on January 3, 2018

Light in a mosque in Istanbul, Turkey becomes a source of travel inspiration about traveling light. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

A moon-like circle of light illuminates a mosque in Istanbul.
© Joyce McGreevy

Travel Inspiration for 2018

With last night’s super moon, Earth’s annual journey around the sun has started on a light note. This January we get two full moons for the price of one. As the second moon of the month, January 31 is a blue moon. As moon glow lights up the skies, let’s reflect on lighthearted travel inspiration for 2018:

A sunset in Senglea, Malta becomes a source of travel inspiration about traveling light. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

When it’s sunset in Malta, will you really care which pair of shoes you packed?
© Joyce McGreevy

1: PACK LIGHTER THAN EVER.

This doesn’t mean alternating between two monochrome outfits crammed into a backpack. Just make sure you can easily carry your own bag. You’ll feel the benefit as you navigate subway staircases, hill towns, or that charming suite—on the top floor of the B&B without an elevator.

A staircase in Chicago presents a visual argument for traveling light, with a small suitcase. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

A Chicago staircase shows why it’s good to carry a small suitcase.
© Joyce McGreevy

How to start? Question the psychology of your packing. Are you bringing what you need or trying to anticipate every eventuality? Take only what you know you’ll need. If new needs arise, deal with them there just as you would here.

Next, rethink your approach to “What to Wear” checklists. Need a woolen sweater for Ireland? A swimsuit for Hawaii? A fashionable scarf for Paris? Guess which places have an abundance of such items?

Colorful fabrics in Plovdiv, Bulgaria remind a travel writer why traveling light takes restraint. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Fabrics in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. Variety’s nice, but don’t try to pack your closet.
© Joyce McGreevy

Pack for a purpose. As a teenager, I once tried to cram the contents of my closet into multiple suitcases. That’s when my dad, an airline pilot, asked me a life-altering question: “Are you traveling mainly to see or to be seen?”

2: LIGHTEN YOUR LOAD TO HELP OTHERS.

Before you return, donate what you no longer need: Clothing and outdoor gear whose practicality doesn’t extend to your home environment. Books, maps, and magazines. Unopened toiletries you never got around to using.

A charity shop in Elephant and Castle, London becomes a source of travel inspiration about traveling light. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

At a thrift store in London, donated goods generate funds for a local nonprofit.
© Joyce McGreevy

Another change worth making: Stop lugging home foreign coins. Instead, donate them at the airport or onboard your flight. Change for Good, a partnership between UNICEF and several airlines, has generated $150 million this way to improve children’s lives around the world.

3: LIGHTEN UP ABOUT TRAVEL GLITCHES.

We think of savvy travelers as good planners. But it’s more important to be good adapters. When you love something that involves changes of scene, modes of transportation, and new experiences, you’re saying yes to the unexpected.

At some point, a suitcase will go to Iceland instead of Ireland. You’ll choose the aisle seat and end up in the middle. You’ll order fish and get something that resembles sea-monster intestines.

eattle-Tacoma International Airport becomes a source of travel inspiration about traveling light. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

At airports like this one in Seattle, the beauty–and the blahs–of travel go hand-in-hand.
© Joyce McGreevy

So? Try something new or eat more salad. Be nice to the harried mom and lively toddler in the next seat. Buy a T-shirt and toothbrush at the airport. What you do matters less than how you do it. If you can be gracious not grouchy, humorous not hassled, patient not put upon, your journey will “magically” improve.

4: FOLLOW THE LIGHT.

Ever watch a movie and wonder how it captured that famous travel destination minus crowds? Sure, money played a supporting role. But film crews also rely on the day’s first “golden hour.” That’s the period shortly after sunrise when daylight is redder and softer than when the sun appears higher up in the sky.

Most visitors sleep through this. But take at least one early-morning walk. It’s revelatory. Hey, you can always nap later.

A quiet street in Bruges, Belgium becomes a source of travel inspiration about traveling light. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

At sunrise, the picturesque streets of Bruges, Belgium, are crowd-free.
© Joyce McGreevy

Can’t face the dawn? Ask a friendly guide the best times to visit certain sights. In Bruges, for instance, places that are mobbed throughout the day become islands of solitude at 6:30 pm—when tour buses leave town, bars fill, and restaurants open for dinner.

Shadows on a house in Bergen, Norway become a source of travel inspiration about traveling light. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

In Bergen, Norway, traveling light includes appreciating life’s shadows.
© Joyce McGreevy

5: TAKE AN ENLIGHTENED PERSPECTIVE.

Take several—they’re free! Two essential travel tools are the ability to ask questions and a willingness to listen attentively to divergent answers.

Sound obvious? In practice, it’s not always easy. As outsiders in communities, we travelers often jump in with answers—even when we’re the one asking the questions.

Is it about a human need to prove competency? A wish to connect by offering information? Culturally different views about the purpose of conversation?

I don’t know. But every so often I experience places where people value asking questions and listening to multiple perspectives. When that happens, it reminds me to chill the chatter and be a better listener.

A mural in Budapest, Hungary becomes a source of travel inspiration. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Does this Budapest mural highlight an ideal or an irony? It depends on your perspective.
© Joyce McGreevy

6: KEEP SPOTLIGHTING TRAVEL INSPIRATION.

Travel beyond “bright lights, big cities.” Shed light on cultural matters by reading local novels and histories. Challenge stereotypes that frame cultures as lightyears apart. Make people’s faces light up with simple acts of kindness—as if you lived there. Because for a time, you do.

Oh, I see: You may just end up seeing the world in a whole new light.

Comment on this post below, or inspire insight with your own OIC Moment here.

Joyce McGreevy 3 Comments

Art of Travel/Clever Ideas/Life Lessons/Worldwide Sites

Oct

Budapest, Fast and Slow

by Joyce McGreevy on October 2, 2017

You can race through Budapest at a gallop, but you’ll notice more at a gentle pace.
© Joyce McGreevy

Hungarian Travel Tips in Two Tempos

I’m lingering at a bisztro in Budapest’s Jewish Quarter, savoring every bite of cholent. It’s an Ashkenazi slow-and-low cooked casserole. Guests keep arriving in waves. So, when the waiter approaches, I assume it’s to drop the bill and hasten me on my way.

Instead, he recommends flodni, a 20-ingredient stuffed wonder he airily summarizes as a “light pastry.” Or perhaps another glass of rozé?

“Jaj! Most kell dolgoznum,” I sigh. “Alas, I must work now.” Back in Chicago, the workday’s in high gear. As a digital nomad, I’ve got a manuscript to deliver.

A patron and pianist at Spinoza Café, where the best travel tip is to savor the Budapest experience. Image © Joyce McGreevy

Meanwhile, the piano man asks, “Szeretsz énekelni?” “Would you like to sing?” As a newbie to Hungarian, what I hear is, “Would you like to hear music?”

In English I request, “Anything by Liszt, please.” Which apparently sounds like, “Anything by Elvis Presley.” Soon, the piano man and I are harmonizing—bilingually—on “Fools Rush In.”

Welcome to Budapest, fast and slow.

Savoring Budapest

Like flodni, Budapest comprises layers. The name alone combines three places, Buda, Obuda, and Pest—oh, my! For travelers on tight schedules, it’s tempting to gobble up Budapest in quick bites.

But like Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2, exploring Budapest ranges between two tempos, fast and slow. “Budafast” can be fun, but slow down occasionally to experience “Budabest.” Here are my travel tips for experiencing “Oh, I see” moments.

A boat on the Danube inspires a travel tip: savor every moment of Budapest "fast and slow." Image © Joyce McGreevy

Researching Budapest

Fast: Top 10 lists promise to make travel easy. But “sticking to the list” can make travel exhausting and rob it of context.

Slow: Wade into Hungarian history and literature, from Antal Szerb’s enchanting A Martian’s Guide to Budapest, to Kati Marton’s harrowing Enemies of the People. Afterward, details will shimmer with significance: a plaque on a doorway, an architectural flourish, a name on a street sign.

You’ll imagine, as if remembering, events that impacted this magnificent survivor of a city. You’ll recall, though you never met them, people who lived and breathed in Budapest as you do now. You’ll feel your heart, blossoming and breaking, as your mind engages with this extraordinary place.

Books at Magvető Kiadó inspire a travel tip: Discover the best of Hungarian literature in Budapest. Image © Joyce McGreevy

Walking around

Fast: Many visitors keep to the thronged main boulevards. But the day-to-day magic of Budapest unfolds along its side streets.

Slow: Wandering is safe and will reveal hidden gardens, architectural gems, historic landmarks, and quiet cafés.

A mosaic on a primary school at 85 Dob utca, Budapest, Hungary inspires a travel tip: notice the details. Image © Joyce McGreevy

Getting Coffee

Fast: Grab your usual “to go,” if clutching a paper bucket of hot liquid while racing from place to place is what suits you.

Slow: While away the hours in cafés. Power down your laptop, retrieve that handwritten novel-in-progress, and live the tradition. In the 1900s, the most palatial cafés nurtured poets with steeply discounted “writers’ menus” and free paper and ink.

What WWII didn’t destroy, harsh regimes shut down. As gathering places, kávéházak were considered threats to rigid social control. Today, many Budapest classics have been gloriously restored, and recent additions pulse with new literary life.

A woman writing at Zsivago Café inspires a travel tip: savor the café culture in Budapest, Hungary. Image © Joyce McGreevy

Budapest’s New York Café is spectacular, but don’t miss quieter venues like Zsivago (above)
and Urania Nemzeti Filmszínház (bottom).
© Joyce McGreevy

Urania Nemzeti Filmszínház inspires a travel tip: savor the café culture in Budapest. Image © Joyce McGreevy

Picturing Budapest

Fast: Camera phones make it easy to capture beautiful images, but they’ve popularized a curious practice:

Notice something interesting.
Stop n’ click. “Got it!”
Walk on without a second glance.

Ornate architecture in Budapest, Hungary inspires a travel tip: take time to notice the details. Image © Joyce McGreevy

Slow: Treat yourself to a sketchbook . What’s that, you say—you can’t draw? This isn’t about skill. It’s about slowing down and noticing, because Budapest is in the details.

An annotated sketchbook inspires a travel tip in Budapest, Hungary: put down the camera and pick up a drawing pencil. Image © Joyce McGreevy

Synch or swim?

Fast: From hopping onto roofless tour buses to hitting the clubs, many visitors here pursue fast-tempo fun. Escape games are popular. Teams solve riddles to sleuth their way out of locked rooms in under 60 minutes.

I’m stressed just thinking about it.

Slow: Spend an entire day unwinding at one of Budapest’s thermal spas. All are affordable and feature multiple soaking and swimming pools.

My favorite is Veli Bej, which is hidden under a utilitarian building. Just when you think you’ve misread the address, you emerge into splendor. Recently renovated, Veli Bej was built by the Ottoman Turks in the late 1500s, making it the ideal place to soak up some history.

Bathers at Gellert Spa inspire a travel tip: discover the thermal baths of Budapest. Image © Joyce McGreevy

Bathers at Szechenyi Spa inspire a travel tip: discover the thermal baths of Budapest. Image © Joyce McGreevy

My number one travel tip

Ancient and innovative, bitter and sweet, Budapest is all you can imagine and more. Whether you’re on a long visit, or—gasp!—just passing through, allow yourself moments to breathe and just be here.

Oh, I see: There’s no reason to rush, only endless reasons to return. To paraphrase an old song: Like the Danube flows surely to the sea, some things are meant to be.

Visit WeLoveBudapest, here. Find pre-travel reading at BudapestLocal here.

Rediscover Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 interpreted by Budapesti virtuoso Adam Gyorgy, here.

Comment on this post below, or inspire insight with your own OIC Moment here.

Joyce McGreevy 1 Comment

Art of Travel/Cultural Encounters/Hungary

World Views:

Topics

Category Archives: Art of Travel

There’s Something About Santa Fe

When Wanderlust Leads Southwest

Feeling Transported

Feeling the Itch

Feeling Curious

Feeling the Unfamiliar

Feeling Welcome

Feeling Inspired

Feeling Enchanted

6 Bright Ideas for Traveling Light

Travel Inspiration for 2018

1: PACK LIGHTER THAN EVER.

2: LIGHTEN YOUR LOAD TO HELP OTHERS.

3: LIGHTEN UP ABOUT TRAVEL GLITCHES.

4: FOLLOW THE LIGHT.

5: TAKE AN ENLIGHTENED PERSPECTIVE.

6: KEEP SPOTLIGHTING TRAVEL INSPIRATION.

Budapest, Fast and Slow

Hungarian Travel Tips in Two Tempos

Savoring Budapest

Researching Budapest

Walking around

Getting Coffee

Picturing Budapest

Synch or swim?

My number one travel tip