Many here have traveled a lot.
Some are from different countries, parts of countries, etc. I think it would be cool to talk about all the places we’ve been; why we like them, or don’t like them.
Personally, I’ve never left the US, or the mid atlantic region of the US, so this will be eye opening for me.
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime."
― Mark Twain]
Truer words were rarely spoken.
Gladly. Well, I’m 50 years old and have traveled to other countries since I was 10 or so. I was born and raised in Germany and got my Master’s degree in the United States. Over the years I’ve traveled to more than 40 US states (Hawaii, Alaska and parts of New England still missing) and briefly to Canada and Mexico. I’ve also traveled to about 25 European countries and a little bit of Africa (Egypt) and Asia (Turkey, India, Singapore) as well as Australia. I’ve encountered the most friendly people in Italy, Spain, United States and Egypt and the least friendly people in Greece and Hungary. Parts of India and Egypt were an eye-opener reminding me of how fortunate we are in rich Western countries. One of the coolest places I’ve ever been is the Greek island of Santorini. The most memorable experience was 2 1/2 years ago when my wife and I hiked down the Grand Canyon (and up the next day) end of August and spent the night there without a tent because none was needed. I never felt high temperatures of 110 F in the shade. In Germany we are lucky if we get 85.
Many here have traveled a lot.The Navy is funny that way. You travel whether you want to or not. I've been to the Phillipines, Hong Kong, Mombasa Kenya, Pohang Korea, Pattaya Beach Thailand, Mazatlan, Acapulco, and Cancun in Mexico, The Cayman Islands, Perth/Fremmantal, Sydney and Townsville in Australia, been stationed in Iceland, have been all over the Continental United States and Hawaii, and both Vancouver and Esquimalt in Canada. It was quite the eye opener.
Traveling is fun, but the educational impact it’s said to leave on one is, IMO, overrated. If you live in a multicultural country such as the U.S. and have an access to books and the internet, you are fine. Kant was said to never have left his town, Königsberg, and he turned out okay.
I have been to places about which I have read prior to visiting them, say, the Chichen Itza in Yucatan, and since I already knew everything about it before getting there, I can’t say the visit itself really added to my knowledge on the Mayan culture. Was it fun? Yes.
I've encountered the most friendly people in Italy, Spain, United States and Egypt and the least friendly people in Greece and Hungary.That's funny I spent a week in Budapest in 1977, being 1/4 Hungarian it was nice touching my mom's home base and my relatives were fantastic, but I sure did run into some surly waitstaff and store keepers. But what a fantastic city to walk around, specially back then, because it's like all over was the architectural grandeur that reminded one of the Hungary... and the promise before the wars. I spotted WarII damage all over the city. I got my first visceral shock of the depth of destruction those wars caused. Not just immediate damage, but it destroyed the promise of the new century... society's dreams and aspirations were dashed and science was harnessed for destruction and domination. And now we get to watch as the final chapters of humanities may follies unfold. sorry, didn't mean that to turn into a bummer... what can I say :down:
Traveling is fun, but the educational impact it's said to leave on one is, IMO, overrated. If you live in a multicultural country such as the U.S. and have an access to books and the internet, you are fine. Kant was said to never have left his town, Königsberg, and he turned out okay. I have been to places about which I have read prior to visiting them, say, the Chichen Itza in Yucatan, and since I already knew everything about it before getting there, I can't say the visit itself really added to my knowledge on the Mayan culture. Was it fun? Yes.Hmmm, maybe a three year stay no longer counts as traveling - but I found my time ('76-'79) incredibly eye opening. I discovered how insular and oblivious to the multi-cultural reality of the world we Americans are. I also gained an appreciation for world history and the development of travel and trade I don't think I would have ever gained had I stayed in the US. Also, I've always found the contrast between one's expectation and imaginings and actually being there and submersed in a place or culture, amazing. I'm sure it helped that I had a decent fluency in German - the greatest passport (language that is) there is, I came to appreciate - so I really was immersed in the day to day as opposed to being a tourist spectator walking through. Here's a cute aside, I've alway been a museum buff and felt compelled to read everything and all that. Well during my week in Budapest, as a tourist, I discovered an unexpected pleasure in walking through a museum where nothing was legible to me - so I could relax and simply gaze around as I walked through - weirdly liberating it was. ;-P
From my experience, Hungary and its people are fine. What is absolutely amazing is their food! Their Szeged goulash (minus the pork) is my favourite meal. And nobody can make pickled, roasted, red peppers like the Hungarians. And their Pick salami is probably the only thing I miss since becoming a vegetarian.
Szeged goulash (you have to have it with a strong lager, like the Pilsner Urquell):
Traveling is fun, but the educational impact it's said to leave on one is, IMO, overrated. If you live in a multicultural country such as the U.S. and have an access to books and the internet, you are fine. Kant was said to never have left his town, Königsberg, and he turned out okay. I have been to places about which I have read prior to visiting them, say, the Chichen Itza in Yucatan, and since I already knew everything about it before getting there, I can't say the visit itself really added to my knowledge on the Mayan culture. Was it fun? Yes.Fun is what it's all about! What are your favorite and least favorites places, George?
Traveling is fun, but the educational impact it's said to leave on one is, IMO, overrated. If you live in a multicultural country such as the U.S. and have an access to books and the internet, you are fine. Kant was said to never have left his town, Königsberg, and he turned out okay. I have been to places about which I have read prior to visiting them, say, the Chichen Itza in Yucatan, and since I already knew everything about it before getting there, I can't say the visit itself really added to my knowledge on the Mayan culture. Was it fun? Yes.Having spent my childhood moving around from country to country, I found I had a completely different perspective of our place in the world--a place most American natives I met, growing up in one small area of the country usually didn't understand, and didn't care about.
What are your favorite and least favorites places, George?I am not sure, Mike. Every place and its people I have visited has its magic and things I didn't like. The nicest people I find are the English, including Americans and Canadians. But Canada and the US have one of the ugliest cities and towns I have ever seen. Most of Europe, OTOH, is a living museum. But its people can be nasty. I love the Alps, but was never crazy about Europe's sea shores. There are many cities, towns and villages in Europe I think are just beautiful, but it would be a long list to name them all. Lately, I am the happiest when visiting the Caribbean. Anywhere in the Caribbean. Some of the places I would like to visit are Norway's fjords, Russia's Saint Petersburg, Kenya, Buenos Aires, Patagonia, and Darwin's Down House. The one place I never want to visit is India.
Forgot one more place I never wanna see: Las Vegas.
And if you’re thinking about traveling, Mike, here is a map to help you decide where you may want to go 
:
Sorry double post
CC and group here is an economist article on soot and global warming. http://www.economist.com/news/science-and-technology/21569686-soot-even-worse-climate-was-previously-thought-new-blackinteresting, thanks
{...} On January 15th, the fifth day that smog-darkened Beijing’s air-quality index was registering “hazardous" (see article), the most comprehensive study of black carbon yet conducted was published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres. It concluded that the stuff was the second-most-damaging greenhouse agent after CO2 and about twice as bad for the climate as had been thought until now. The implications are profound. This study, a four-year affair conducted under the auspices of the International Global Atmospheric Chemistry Project, an umbrella group for research into such matters, is based on a lot more information about soot than was previously available, and a better understanding of how it affects the climate. It found that the black carbon around at the moment has a warming effect of about 1.1 watts per square metre of the Earth’s surface (W/m2). This is greater than that of methane and second only to the 1.7W/m2 of carbon dioxide. An earlier estimate by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) put the black-carbon effect at only 0.3-0.6W/m2. The higher the figure, the worse the warming. {...}That's quite the map George, "Arkansas with a beach"... :lol:
Although mention of Arkansas reminds me. About a year and a half ago my life underwent a profound change - one part of that has been that last year I was shipped out to Florida near Miami and Seattle Washington for some work.
Well on the Friday before Sandy hit the coast we flew back to Colorado from Ft. Lauderdale AP, the cloud formations were impressive, down low was a blanket of cloud cover that amazingly stopped at the Mississippi River… how the heck that happens I can’t imagine, solid carpet of low clouds as far as you could see until we came to that line - West of the river sky’s were clear.
Well, {put me in a plane and I’m still that 10 year old with nose plastered to the window from take off to landing - skies permitting} as we flew over Arkansas I found the landscape was utterly fascinating. Rumpled and ridged and you could just feel the tectonic stresses in action. I tell you some of those old pioneer and civil war era stories took on a new vitality in my imagination. I’ll never think of Arkansas as a cipher again.
CC and group here is an economist article on soot and global warming. http://www.economist.com/news/science-and-technology/21569686-soot-even-worse-climate-was-previously-thought-new-blackWhy are you posting it here?
Lately, I am the happiest when visiting the Caribbean. Anywhere in the Caribbean.Have you been to the Southern Caribbean yet George? I've only been out of the country once and that was the Dutch west indies. We flew into Aruba and took a schooner trip to the other islands. The place was a paradise. We went snorkeling off a German freighter sunk during the War and took two tours of the island. The people were very friendly and thankfully spoke English. I don't know Dutch and my German is too broken to understand, besides their native language is Papiamento, a combo of Spanish, Portuguese, African and Native Am. I do hope to visit inbreed either this Summer or next for sure! Besides, if you want international, stay in NYC. Cap't Jack
BTW , lazy fucks and asshoes are also on my agenda to visit. And I live right next door to Jesus and meth. Really. They now have mobile labs in their trunk next to the reb flag and the huntin’ rifle.
Cap’t Jack
CC and group here is an economist article on soot and global warming. http://www.economist.com/news/science-and-technology/21569686-soot-even-worse-climate-was-previously-thought-new-blackWhy are you posting it here? That's an excellent question. I think I was lost, but at least I did have a travel story or two to share sorry 8-/