No Tour Guide Needed

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Reflection – Put down your phones

February 21, 2018 by Notourguideneeded Leave a Comment

Last night I went to see Rob Bell (with Peter Rollins) perform the “Holy Shift” tour.  It was fabulous.  I think I beamed joy the entire time.  Was I star struck?  No.  (well maybe a little).  But it was more than that.  It was being able to hear the stories live.  Seeing him and not listening to a podcast, while doing other things really.  Immersed in the experience.  No phones, no conversations, no distractions.  Just sitting there listening to him talk.

So, it is  Lent and one of the things that our priest suggested was to put down our phones and have a conversation.  Become more engaging is how I took it.  I started to reflect on this as I realized that I was totally in awe of listening to Rob Bell talk.  This is what it is to be mindful, to be ‘in the moment’.

It was beautiful.   To have an experience where you don’t care if someone is texting you or what your email says.  And then it dawned on me that THIS is what our priest has been suggesting.  Not to put down our phones, but to be in the moment.  To live just a little bit more.  To connect and engage.  The guy in front of me was having a blast and every time he laughed it made me want to laugh more.

We have become a society obsessed by false connections.  (Do you really know the people you are friends with on social media?)  But to sit down with people without your phone or ipad or whatever and really ask them how their day was and sit back and listen, has become such a unique situation.  What was once fundamental, many of us have lost.

So if you went to see Rob Bell last night, whatever your experience was, I hope you also had the awesome experience of being complete and whole in a room full of strangers.

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Most Popular Posts

December 29, 2016 by Notourguideneeded Leave a Comment

Here is a listing of the most popular posts.  Check back often as the list changes regularly.  Or better yet.. Like my Facebook Page and get notified when new posts are up!

 

Beer at Oktoberfest munich, Germany

The reason we drink beer in September and call it October (Oktober)

Bluff Cove Lagoon Gentoo Penguin Tour

Things to Know about the South American Cruise Ports

Sunset at the top of Mauna Kea

You can see the rings of Saturn from Mauna Kea

Philadelphia Mural Tour

Murals are not graffiti…

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Books

August 12, 2016 by Notourguideneeded Leave a Comment

Photo of my travel books

I read.  A LOT.  Several books a month.  Fiction, non-fiction.  I just like a good story.

Here are the books that I recommend by category.  I have read all of them and also provided reviews on amazon as to what I thought.   If you aren’t sure about a book, I’d be happy to help.

I am hoping to keep this list up to date, so if there is a book that you feel should be added, tell me via comments.  Did I list a book you like (or even don’t like)?  Leave a comment and let me know.

 

Travel Books

  1. Lonely Planet Pocket Guide – Paris
  2. The Little Black Book of New York
  3. Lonely Planet Pocket Guide – London
  4. Lonely Planet Pocket – Madrid
  5. Frommer’s EasyGuide to New York City 2016
  6. Lonely Planet Pocket – Copenhagen
  7. Moon Machu Picchu: Including Cusco & the Inca Trail
  8. Top 10 Los Angeles

 

Leisure Books

  1. What the Dog Saw
  2. Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore: A Novel
  3. Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls
  4. The House of Silk: A Sherlock Holmes Novel
  5. Yes Please
  6. Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald
  7. Lovers at the Chameleon Club, Paris 1932: A Novel
  8. On Looking: A Walker’s Guide to the Art of Observation
  9. The Chaperone
  10. The Accidental Empress: A Novel
  11. The Mysterious Bakery On Rue De Paris
  12. The Girl on the Train: A Novel

 

Improvement Books

  1. 168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think
  2. Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear
  3. The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom
  4. The Alchemist
  5. Siddhartha
  6. Better Than Before: What I Learned About Making and Breaking Habits–to Sleep More, Quit Sugar, Procrastinate Less, and Generally Build a Happier Life
  7. The Happiness Project: Or, Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun

 

Many of these books are are affiliate links.  I get a little commission so please click on the links if you are going to get the book.  You are not charged more and are helping me out.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: books, travel

A little wine goes a long way…

May 27, 2016 by Notourguideneeded 2 Comments

Wine from Wine Museum in Paris

I have a problem.

Every trip my hubs and I take usually involves some sort of having wine.  And this wine usually is at the beginning of the day or the trip.  Never at the end of an evening where I can blame the prior glass (um, bottle).

Never fails.  We will be sitting there having a nice time.  For some reason my hand lifts up and throws the wine his way.  No reason.  I just knock it over.  Right on top of him.

A few years ago I almost ruined his brand new shirt.  This trip it went all over his pants, hoodie, everything.

Am I nervous?  Surely not. I have been with him for 8 years now.  There is nothing to be nervous about.

It always happens when we are in secluded places too.  Never really in a crowded restaurant or somewhere that I can blame others.

Yesterday was the same.  Quite place.  People watching.  Hey, what’s that, oh haven’t spilled wine lately. Bam!  Wine everywhere.

Perhaps the universe is telling me to start drinking white rather than red. 🙂

 

On a completely unrelated topic, we did visit the wine museum in Paris.  If you haven’t been I suggest you add this little token to your list.  It only take about 30 minutes and is quite good.  I have been to vineyards and still learned a bit about making wine.    Here is the link: Wine Museum

 

Peace and love.

 

Filed Under: Paris, Uncategorized

Other Travel Blogs and Sites that I recommend…

May 15, 2016 by Notourguideneeded


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Here are some travel blogs that I have found helpful from other bloggers and websites.

Enjoy reading these sites (not in any particular order):

  • Everything-Everywhere
  • Matadornetwork
  • iamaileen
  • Jungles in Paris
  • Travel Massive
  • Roads and Kingdoms
  • Two Monkeys Travel Group
  • Backpacking Britts
  • The Travel Camel
  • Travel Boldly
  • Nomadic Matt
  • The Blonde Abroad
  • Travel with Bender
  • Wandering Earl
  • The Points Guy
  • Will Travel for Vegan Food
  • Misadventures with Andi
  • Girl on the Go
  • Once Upon a Saga 
  • That Backpacker 
  • Hippie in Heels

 

If you want to be added to this list, please send me an email: NoTourGuideNeeded@gmail.com

 

 

Filed Under: Uncategorized

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