Category Archives: Travel

Monoculture and Tribalist Thinking

Posted on Tuesday 30 April 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

Travel perspectives; Is everything a cult now? If so, the word has lost all meaning; Is religion just a tribal marker? Then why do so many Christian zealots want to impose their beliefs on others, to the point of executions? … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics, Psychology, Travel | Comments Off

Our Trip to Austin

Posted on Monday 29 April 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

Notes about our trip to Austin this past weekend, to visit and begin to settle the house and estate of my old friend Larry Kramer, who died last September. We flew to Austin Thursday, from Oakland via LAX; spent all … Continue reading →

Posted in Personal history, Travel | Comments Off

Conceptions of Aging, and of Traveling

Posted on Wednesday 28 June 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

The South Korean tradition of aging is giving way to the tradition of the rest of the world; The many ways traveling is problematic; And the idea of virtual traveling. Here’s a fascinating example of how different cultures think differently … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Travel | Comments Off

2016 European Tour, Days 11-15: Genoa, Florence, Pisa, Rome

Posted on Friday 21 October 2016 by Mark R. Kelly

Day 11, Thu 13Oct16: The original cruise plan called for us to dock next in Portofino, but somewhere along the way plans changed and we landed at Genoa instead. It’s notable for being the birthplace of Christopher Columbus. If Monaco … Continue reading →

Posted in Travel | Comments Off

2016 European Tour, Day 10: Monte-Carlo

Posted on Thursday 13 October 2016 by Mark R. Kelly

Monaco (which a tour-guide recording pronounced accenting the second syllable) is a 2-square-kilometer principality of which Monte-Carlo is just one district (the one with the casino). With the immaculate city and its residential towers backed by a high ridge of … Continue reading →

Posted in Travel | Comments Off

2016 European Tour, Day 9: Marseille

Posted on Thursday 13 October 2016 by Mark R. Kelly

Tuesday was the ninth day of our Europe vacation, and 6th full day on the boat, now at Marseille. This schedule is trying, in that we’re visiting 10 ports in 10 days, with no days at sea, no layovers in … Continue reading →

Posted in Travel | Comments Off

2016 European Tour, Day 8: Barcelona

Posted on Wednesday 12 October 2016 by Mark R. Kelly

Monday, 10 October, on our Oceania cruise: Barcelona The largest of our cruise ports since Lisbon. We did a 4-hour “highlights” bus excursion, part of which was a walking tour, yet saw only a handful of landmarks, beginning with the … Continue reading →

Posted in Travel | Comments Off

2016 European Tour, Day 7: Palma de Mallorca, and Further Sundry Observations

Posted on Tuesday 11 October 2016 by Mark R. Kelly

(Running two days behind.) Sunday, 9 October: Palma de Mallorca. This is the city of Palma on the island of Mallorca, a largish island south of Spain and west of the better known islands of Corsica, Sardinia, and Sicily. Palma, … Continue reading →

Posted in Travel | Comments Off

2016 European Tour, Day 6: Alicante; Sundry Observations

Posted on Sunday 9 October 2016 by Mark R. Kelly

Saturday, 8 October– The Spanish port city of Alicante. Short version: another port city, another castle, another cathedral, more old-town narrow streets filled with cafe tables, another bullfighting ring. We did an excursion here, i.e. a bus tour, and the … Continue reading →

Posted in Travel | Comments Off

2016 European Tour, Day 3: Lisbon: The Tour, the Tower, the Castle, and Dinner

Posted on Wednesday 5 October 2016 by Mark R. Kelly

Tuesday 4 October. We had an extensive breakfast buffet at the hotel to get started. I mentioned last time the cocktail stand at the giant food court– We’ve also seen various cocktail kiosks along the riverfront and the avenue near … Continue reading →

Posted in Travel | Comments Off