No Tour Guide Needed

Getting lost and finding adventures around the world!

Mardi Gras, Carnival, Easter and Lent

by 1 Comment

Mardi Gras

Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday is celebrated around the world by Catholics (and non-Catholics who just like to enjoy themselves).  The day is actually more than just one day as the festivities begin sometimes weeks ahead with glorious cakes and indulgence.  Some parts of the world refer to it as Carnival, and they make a carnival of the time leading up to Fat Tuesday.

So what is this really all about?

Easter.

According to the Bible, Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection occurred around the time of the Jewish Passover, which was celebrated on the first full moon following the vernal equinox.

The Council of Nicaea (A.D. 325) set the date of Easter as the Sunday following the paschal full moon, which is the full moon that falls on or after the vernal (spring) equinox.   But here is the problem with that:  the paschal full moon can fall on different days in different parts of the world, which would mean that the date of Easter would be different depending on where you lived.  So, for the purpose of calculating Easter, the ‘full moon’ is always set on the 14th day of the lunar month (a lunar month begins with the new moon).   The Church also set the date of the vernal equinox at March 21, even though it can occur on March 20.

Okay, so knowing that, in 2018 the first “full moon” by this calculation would be March 31 (March 17 is the new moon, add 14 days, gives you March 31, which is after March 21).  The next Sunday is April 1.

Now that you know when Easter is, you can calculate LENT.

Count backwards 46 days.  What?? You thought Lent was 40 days huh?  Nope.  It is 6 Sundays plus 40 other days.  Technically the Sundays are not part of Lent and there is much controversy on if you can “cheat” on Sunday.  Here is a link that might help you, which basically says to examine your conscience.

So, you count backwards and you get to a Wednesday, aka Ash Wednesday.  This is the beginning of Lent.  And because it is the beginning, you gotta get it all out of your system on Tuesday, aka Fat Tuesday.   As I said above though, different cultures have different ways of expressing Fat Tuesday, some starting weeks ahead.  It can begin as early as Christian feasts of the Epiphany (Three Kings Day).

Carnival

The word carnival derives from Latin caro, carn- ‘flesh’ + levare ‘put away.’  So to put the meat away as Lent is a time of fasting.

Among the places that celebrate Carnival are:

Mardi Gras

While Mardi Gras and Carnival are the same thing, in New Orleans, and most of the American celebrations we refer to as Mardi Gras.  Technically Mardi Gras is just Tuesday but no one is counting.

Some interesting things you may not know about Mardi Gras are here on the History Channel.

 

Music NOLA New Orleans
You will see tons of performances like this. See the guys in the back? Do that – get a drink, stand against the wall and just enjoy! And don’t forget to tip!

 

 

6 Things I Learned by Watching the Eclipse

by Leave a Comment

A total solar eclipse occurred over the United States in August of 2017.  The hubs and I went to Wyoming to see it.  Here is what we learned:

1. What is an Eclipse Really

Let’s quote NASA on this one:

Sometimes when the moon orbits Earth, it moves between the sun and Earth. When this happens, the moon blocks the light of the sun from reaching Earth. This causes an eclipse of the sun, or solar eclipse. During a solar eclipse, the moon casts a shadow onto Earth….A total solar eclipse is only visible from a small area on Earth. The people who see the total eclipse are in the center of the moon’s shadow when it hits Earth. The sky becomes very dark, as if it were night. For a total eclipse to take place, the sun, moon and Earth must be in a direct line.

And while all of North America was in the path of the eclipse, meaning you can see some of it, only a certain part of the country could see the total eclipse.

 

2. Partial vs Total

The Partial Eclipse, what most people saw, is when the sun, moon and Earth are not exactly lined up. The sun appears to have a dark shadow on only a small part of its surface.

In a Total Eclipse, the Moon completely covers the Sun.  You can take your glasses off for a bit.

 

3. No, it doesn’t get dark and crickets chirp

Why do people think this?  I have a video that shows exactly what happens.  For some reason people think it gets midnight black, the cows lay down and the animals freak out.  We were on a farm; cows don’t lay down.  It actually looks more like it is about to storm and it becomes dusk, if that makes sense.  It does get dark but not midnight dark.

 

4. Small Towns are not equipped to handle tons of people

There are Facebook Pages and GoFundme accounts for the towns in Wyoming.  I thought this was a bit ridiculous until I talked to a waitress over in Glendo, WY.  She explained that there are two things that we don’t really realize: Sanitation and Safety.

Most of these small towns have a sheriff or use State Patrol.  There are no people in the area versed in traffic flow or how to handle large groups.  And the state isn’t funded to bring in people to handle a one day event.  So as she said, they use locals, who aren’t really trained, and many who don’t want tourist there at all.  Remember if you live in a little town in WY, you don’t want to live around a ton of people.

If you live in a small town, you generally handle your own waste.  People will take trash to a dump very far away or just burn it.  What will they do with the 3 million people and all their trash.  And the bathroom situation?  Goodness.

 

5. People will Pay Anything for a Hotel

We stayed in Cheyenne at a Marriott and they were the sweetest staff ever.   We had been eyeing the eclipse so we booked our room way far in advance.  Many didn’t and were paying several hundred dollars.  While there a woman came in with tears telling the front desk guy that there are no rooms in town under $1,000 and she didn’t know where to stay.  He suggested she find something out of the path and she would be fine.

6. It is worth every second

My hubs was the real reason we went to see the eclipse.  I didn’t understand that there is a big difference between a full and partial.  I wouldn’t really care about a partial – I have seen a few.  But the total.. well there are no words to describe the total.

I had no idea what to expect.  Yeah yeah, it will be cool, sure.  We rented land from a farmer so we would be away from everyone else.  We got there several hours ahead of time to set up and really get settled.  And then it started.

We had binoculars and glasses to see the eclipse, along with several cameras set up to capture the moment.

At some point my husband says, set your phone time for 2 minutes as that is how much time we can look at the eclipse.  Yeah, sure.

I’m looking through the glasses.  It is cool.  We traveled quite awhile for this but it is cool.

Then he says, “ok, take off the glasses”.

I do, and immediately it is like I am hit with a euphoric drug.  I start shaking.  I am crying.  I cannot believe what I am seeing.  I want to take a photo but I .. just.. can’t.

Eventually I come to my senses and take a few pictures.  Then the alarm goes off.  Now I know why we set the timer as the 2 minutes seemed like 2 seconds.

The hubs wanted to talk about it.  For the first time in my life I said, “can you give me a minute, I need to go sit over there alone for a bit”.  No questions, because he completely understood.

Those 2 minutes changed my life.  Not drastically but I look at the Earth and the Galaxy a little different now.  We are just a small spec in a much bigger picture.

If you have an opportunity to see a full total eclipse, do it.  Spend the money, take the flight, and do it.

Glendo Wyoming Eclipse
The actual eclipse

 

Glendo Wyoming Eclipse
The farm

 

Eclipse, Glendo, Wyoming
Our Camp Ready to Watch the Eclipse

 

Glendo Wyoming Eclipse
It got dark!

 

Glendo Wyoming Eclipse
Cows on the Farm

 

Glendo Wyoming Eclipse
Filtered binoculars to see the sun/moon

 

Benefits of Staying at the Marriott

by Leave a Comment

This past weekend we ventured to Chicago so my husband could run the marathon.  Traveling to a different city for work, play or marathon running can be stressful in an of itself.  You are staying in a strange environment, people talk different, food is different, etc.  This is why we prefer, generally, to stay in main name hotels.  While the outside can be different, we know what the Marriott should smell like.  We know how the SPG property lounges should be.  We can expect a certain level of consistency in the places because they are chains.    This trip had a few reminders of why we love staying in the Marriott.

 

Safety

The biggest consistency that we appreciate is the security.  You can rest assure that the Marriott will always have a process and people to help you if there is an unsafe situation, or even an annoying one.  This past trip, we stayed at the Marriott on Magnificent Mile.  There were many events happening this weekend: the marathon, the Cubs playing, Blackhawks, conferences, etc.  The hotel was definitely hopping.  So as we made it to our room, the ladies next door to us were clearly having a good time.  We could hear them from the elevators.  Sleep before a marathon is super important.  We didn’t want to be “those people” and report them, but what do you do in this situation.  We called the front desk.  We planned to be blown off.  We decided to give them 30 minutes and then we would move, so we sat patiently waiting before unpacking.

Then, less than 10 minutes after calling, we heard someone knocking at our neighbors door.  I looked out the peep hole and security was very nicely asking them to be quiet.  And this was not your average Joe security.  I am pretty sure these guys were former military, make you disappear, not to be screwed with.  I even commented that if that guy told me to keep it down I would not say another word while in his city.  The Marriott handled it quickly and kindly.  I was impressed.   Of course the remainder of the trip, we kept lowering the volume on the tv because we knew they meant business.  To add to this situation, they called us back after handling to make sure the noise was over, and we received a note from the hotel asking if they resolved our issue.  Yes, sir, you did.

 

Bar

The second reason we enjoy staying at the Marriott is the consistency of the bartenders.  I know, weird one right?  We pick the Marriott on Magnificent Mile specifically because of the bar.  We do not stay at certain hotels because they do not have a decent bar.

Now, this has nothing to do with alcohol.  My hubs was running the marathon so there wasn’t much drinking.  If a hotel has a good bartender they will take care of you random things.  One night it was raining and we didn’t feel like going out.  We ordered a pizza and the bartender got us plates and silverware (and I have been places were they will not do this for you).   A good bar in a hotel will give you a place to sit while your partner is finishing getting ready.  The bartenders at the Marriott in Chicago made us laugh and laugh so much that we wanted to be there even if we were not drinking.

 

Door Guys

Finally, there are the door guys.  Listen, you can go wait in line at the concierge and they will give you the best places to go as tourist.  I’m not knocking them, as sometime they have helped us to get tickets and ideas.  However, if they hotel has good door guys, they can tell you where to really get bacon and eggs.  They’ll tell you the easy way to get to a place and who to talk to.  And usually, they will tell you a joke or something interesting to make the day a little better.  Talk to the door guys.  They know the best bars.  They know that Eggs three blocks up and four down is worth the wait.

 

Read more on Trip Advisor

We like to stay in Marriotts and SPGs (who are the same now btw).  I have a ton of reviews on TripAdvisor.  They are consistent, safe, and the ones we pick have a good social scene at a great bar.

The Birth of a Hot Air Balloon

by 10 Comments

Have you ever wondered “how is a hot air balloon inflated?”

At the Albuquerque Balloon Festiva, I had many opportunities to witness the hot air balloons opening up. I filmed this one for you. It is amazing.

It should answer your questions like:

  • How do they get the air in there?
  • How many people does it take?
  • How long does it take?
  • When do they add the fire?

I hope you like it!  They are posted in certain order so you get a sense of how they did it.

The third video is of the balloons at night.  The night balloons was the highlight of my trip!

** One Note:  In the video I called the officials “tigers”.  They are “zebras”.  I was so excited I got confused! 🙂

 

VIDEOS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All opinions are mine.  I was sponsored by the event. 

 

Solo-Travel is good for the soul…

by Leave a Comment

When I was about 20 I decided to go to Italy with a group of people that I really didn’t know well.  One of my professors was hosting the trip.  I met a great group of folks but it was my first taste of independent travel.   They wanted to see a bunch of stuff that I couldn’t care less about.  I think half of the time I did my own thing.   The joys of solo-travel.

The reason I am telling you this is because that was in 1995 (ish) and I haven’t really traveled alone since. How did I let that happen??

Yeah, I have traveled alone for work jobs but does that really count?  I am not counting it.

And yes, I have had the occasional trips with people where we split up for the day/night.  But that isn’t the same either.

In my head, I have traveled alone many times.  Funny how the mind works.

So, today I hopped on a plane alone.  I am going to the Albuquerque balloon festival in the morning.

I get off the plane. I can do whatever I want.  There are no co-workers anywhere.  No sweet hubs to lead the way.  No family or friends.

I sat in the car.  What do I do.  I had a plan.  But now it is real.  What do I really want to do.

After a series of getting lost and not being able to find things in my purse, I decided to take the gal at the Hertz counter’s advice and drive to Santa Fe.  If I get there early then I can drive back via the scenic route and catch the sunset.

And so I drive.

I stop off at some shops in Santa Fe.  The town is lonely but not really my cup of tea.

Then I drive back.  WOW.

To be alone at sunset with the natural wonders of the middle of New Mexico is incredible.

So, this trip will be two things – being alone with myself and killing it at the festival with my photography.

Follow me on Instagram of FB if you want to see my photos.  I’ll post later.

 

 

 

I only recommend products or services I use personally (unless noted) and believe will be good for my readers. I will disclose if compensation was made for the publication. All opinions and photographs are mine (unless noted).

Contact: [email protected]

Categories of Posts