Lostman's Star
Not all those who wander are lost, but I certainly am!
Don’t Travel to go Soul Searching
There seems to be a common themes in the media, from movies to advertisements, that your soul searching should be done somewhere exotic, hard to get to, or with a significant spiritual history. Specifically I’m thinking of the people who seem to think that to attain enlightenment or to find themselves they need to travel to places like the Angkor Wat or the remote Canadian wilderness, maybe to the top of a mountain or something.
I don’t know where they’ve gotten this idea, but whoever is perpetuating it needs to stop. They seem to have convinced a great deal of people that they’re going to find their soul hidden under a rock somewhere.
I’m not totally convinced that the people who travel to soul search are actually searching for themselves. They know who they are, but are perhaps unhappy with the conclusion they’ve come to. They want to know what they’re capable of, what direction is their life heading in. They’re not looking for who they are, they’re looking for who they could become, and I think a lot of them are scared that the answer will be ‘not much’.
Don’t get me wrong, personal growth is always a worthwhile goal. You should definitely travel as part of that goal of improvement, go to some amazing places and have amazing experiences while you are looking for those answers.
What you shouldn’t do is have a whole trip to Cambodia to find the meaning of life, the universe, and everything. Don’t go seeking answers.
You will not find them.
What you will find is either disappointment from a fruitless journey, or worse, someone who wants to take advantage of your need for answers and a sense of belonging.
It’s a bit of a downer, I know. I’m afraid I can’t tell you where or when you will begin to feel like you know who you are or what you’re capable of. Only you can answer those questions, and you should run from anyone who tries to answer them for you. Whether they’re someone within your community or someone you met on an exotic spiritual retreat. They don’t have your best interest at heart.
Not to worry though, gentle reader. You can and will find your answers. In the meantime go have your adventures (in a Covid safe way), and take in as much of your world as you can. I believe in you!
Dover Castle
She’s massive, imposing, deeply haunted, and absolutely gorgeous. With the exception of Rochester Castle, Dover is by far my favourite in all the world.
If you’re planning on visiting the town of Dover for just one day I recommend you either get a boat tour so you can see the white cliffs, or view them from inside Dover Castle. The castle cannot be viewed in it’s entirety in one day unless you get there right when it opens and stay right until it closes, so you may have to choose what you do or see for your day.
If modern history is your thing head towards the tunnels. Dover was used as a military base right up until the sixties, and the tunnels were dug between the 1800s and the 1940s. There curators of Dover Castle suspect there are still some which remain undiscovered, but a few of those that have been stabilized are now open for tours. You can a recreation of the military hospital which departs every 20 minutes as I recall, as well as a more museum like tour which departs every 40 minutes, though this may have changed with Covid. There’s also the concrete bunker on the top of the cliffs which gives you a fabulous view of the harbour, and an insight into what the radar workers and Home Guard would have been on the lookout for during WW2.
If Ancient or Medieval history is your thing there’s a Roman lighthouse which was built in the first century AD, an old Saxon church right beside it, quite literally there’s only perhaps four feet between the two, and of course the inner fortress which was built in the Medieval Era. Personally, I love the lighthouse and the keep. There should be people around the keep, sometimes in full costume, who can answer any questions you have, and every so often they hold a mock banquet in the upper hall to teach the guests some medieval table manners!
In the walls of the inner bailey you’ll find various little museums and shops, these are more to do with the wars that Britain has participated in and less to do with the castle itself, though, but if you’re interested in those things they’re definitely worth a peek.
If you’re spending all day at the castle you’ll want something to eat, and if you head over to the barracks, just to the left of the entrance in a large grey building, you’ll find a cafe that has some tasty treats and a nice place to sit. It’s a bit hidden, but if you go to your right instead of the left after you’ve cashed out there’s a wide open area which usually isn’t full, and it offers a view of the ocean!
Depending on the day you go various events might be held in the castle like ghost tours near Halloween, and if you’re very lucky you might catch a jousting tournament!
Bring sunscreen and a windbreaker, it can get quite chilly up on the cliffs, and a good set of walking shoes. Dover isn’t just the most haunted castle in all of Britain, it’s also one of the biggest. You’ll be walking a lot! Get a map when you buy your ticket, prioritize what you want to see, and you’ll be sure to have an excellent day.
5 travel Items that saved my hide
I try to pack as lightly as I possibly can, but other than my wallet and hand sanitizer these items are what I consider super essential for me when I travel. Don’t get me wrong, I can deal without them, but life is better and easier with them around. Let’s get right into it!
#1. Portable USB Charger
I cannot advocate for these things enough. I carry one everywhere I go especially in the winter when the cold saps the phone battery. It’s saved not just me but some friends as well. Atlas and I perpetually had to borrow each other’s for a half hour or so at the pub, and when I travelled abroad it was vital that my phone be powered. Keep a portable charger in your purse or backpack and you’ll travel with peace of mind wherever you go.
#2. A Good Sim Card
I have nothing but praise for Three, a European phone company that I used while I was in England. As long as your phone is unlocked you can just waltz into any Three store, get a sim card, pop it into your phone and have one month’s worry free method of communication. Unlimited talk and text and three gigs of data in 79 countries will cost you less than $30 Canadian. Being able to access the internet on my phone at a moment’s notice allowed Aunt River to see St. Chapelle when she otherwise wouldn’t have been able, and now more than ever with booking times being required for tourist attractions, you’ll need the internet while you roam the world.
#3. A Hooded Windbreaker
I despise umbrellas. They’re cumbersome, heavy, useless, and don’t even get me started on those little ones that ‘you can just slip into the corner of your purse!’ Maybe other purses but not mine. I can fit mostly everything I need in my purse for a day of exploring, but an umbrella does not make the cut. Get a windbreaker with a hood and you’ll be set to weather any storm. Make sure you have a sweater beneath in colder weather, but for wandering around the British Isles and Europe in Spring and Fall a windbreaker and sweater should do you fine.
#4. Sunblock.
No, not sunscreen, sunblock. SPF 100. They sell it in Canada at Shoppers Drug Mart. This will literally save your skin. I don’t tan, I just burn, so I’m always sure that I bring some with me and put on an adequate amount. I mostly try to stick to the shade when I’m in sunny places, but I spent a week in Costa Rica with that stuff and while I saw others peeling from their burns on day 3 and 4, I had maybe a bit of red on my cheeks. It’s good stuff.
#5. Backpack food.
I am known for having constant access to snacks, and this comes in very handy when I’m traveling. My advice is that unless you’re on a city exploration day, bring food. Even then, bring a couple of granola bars and a water bottle. You won’t enjoy your trip if you’re hungry, and if you happen to be served food that you aren’t too sure of or know you’re allergic to then you can always turn to your backpack snacks.
There you have it, five lightweight items that you’ll definitely want to have on all of your excursions and adventures. I’d love to know if there are some things you can’t possibly live without on your trips, let me know in the comments!
The Colosseum
I honestly wish I had seen the Colosseum later in my life, and had spent more time in it when I had visited so here’s my one big piece of advice for visiting the Colosseum: Brush up on your roman history before you go, especially concerning the gladiators. It doesn’t matter if you read a book, fiction or non, or watch a bunch of documentaries, or even the Starz Spartacus series. Whatever you do, make sure you know a bit of the history.
I didn’t, and I wasn’t terribly impressed with it. Now I regret it, and I would love to go back again to correct my ignorance.
I don’t remember much of it, but the two that I have are very vivid. I remember standing outside of it after I had visited, and noting just how big it was compared to what I had thought it would be from seeing pictures of it.
The second was standing, squinting in harsh sunlight, on the very edge of what remained of the arena. I could see pillars that would have supported a wooden floor, and columns that would have supported the seating. I remember wanting to walk out into the arena but being unable to, and wishing that I could have seen it covered in sand. I just couldn’t picture how everything was put together, and I didn’t have an appreciation for what I was seeing. It was like looking at a skeleton without knowing what animal it belonged to.
In ancient Rome the games were so frequent, popular, and important that they once almost bankrupted the empire. The Romans had funerary games, games to celebrate and venerate their deities, and of course politicians held games to increase their popularity. In these theatres they would not only hold gladiatorial games but also Bestiarii where animals and gladiators would fight each other, recreations of the myths which were part of Roman religions, recreation of battles, the execution of criminals, and at one point a naval battle.
To see the skeletal Colosseum without knowing what the games entailed is to miss out on knowing that the base of those pillars are where the animals were kept, that lions, leopards, and bears all paced in their cages while gladiators fought above. You’d miss out on knowing that there was a pully system which would raise the animals up to the arena, and that gladiator battles actually had a referee, and that the point of the flight wasn’t for either fighter to die, but just to surrender. I could go on about the gladiatrix, the politics, the Vulcanalia, the Saturnalia, how it and many other places like the Circus Maximus are connected, but I think it’s important that you discover what you like for yourself. Otherwise you might go and mistake it for a decaying ruin.
There’s also a museum inside the amphitheater but trust me it’s better to know all this in advance because it’s a lot to take in!
There is a €16.00 entry fee, and although the Colosseum is open despite Covid, you do need to book a time to visit. Try to book as early as you can in both senses of the word. It’s a very popular tourist attraction, so you’ll want to make sure you book well in advance, and you will want to go either as soon as they open at 10:30, or later in the evening. Being in the amphitheater in the full heat of the afternoon will not be fun, especially if you plan on visiting Rome in the summer.
Bring sunscreen, several bottles of water, a fan (handheld, no battery works best, you can find them everywhere in Italy), your camera, and maybe a small book of pictures to help you see what the Colosseum would have looked like in it’s full glory. If you can get a guided tour because there’s so much to learn about this wonderful place, you won’t regret getting all of the information you can!
Kittens w/ Scissors Store Launch!
Good morning gentle readers!
I’m taking a bit of time away from travel today to tell you about a very important event.
Some very dear friends of mine have been working very hard these past few months to get ready for the opening of their first Etsy store! It’s called Kittens w/ Scissors, and it launches today (December 1st) at 3pm Eastern Standard Time. Click here to give them a visit when the shop goes live!
For the launch they’ve chosen to focus on polyhedral dice. If you know anything about tabletop games like Dungeons and Dragons or Warhammer you’ll know the kind I mean, but if you don’t here are some examples that are going to be on sale later today!
They have plenty more on offer, and I’m told that while the launch focuses on dice, they have plenty of other products in the works.
Here are all of the links to their Etsy store, their website, their Instagram account, and to their Tiktok!
Please feel free to follow them on social media, and of course to purchase any products you love!
Tea in the UK, where and where not to go
If you go to England, it is a MUST that you have high tea, or at least stop to have some tea and scones. I warn you, if during one of your High Tea culinary adventures you try clotted cream, you will want it for the rest of your life. Proceed with caution! Pardon my lack of pictures gentle readers, they will be added later today when my computer decides it wishes to function as a proper member of society.
Don’t go to … Holyrood Castle
This is a castle in Edinburgh where the Queen spends two weeks every year. Other than that time it’s open to the public, and they have a little café which caters to the visitors. The café is just not what I expected. We had a few little sandwiches there, a pot of tea, and some scones, but to be honest they were lackluster and the outdoor seating was in a courtyard which blustered rather badly the day we went. The palace itself is well worth the visit, there just happens to be better places in Edinburgh to get a pot of tea.
Instead go to … Buckingham Palace.
The reason I expected more is because I’ve had tea in Buckingham Palace. While the Queen was at Holyrood we took the opportunity to do the tour of Buckingham. We had our tea, éclairs, and a few tortes as I recall. They’re served on what is essentially the back porch of the palace, which faces the lawns and gardens. It’s sheltered, the servers are quick, and it’s kept very neat and clean. Yes, the prices are high and you are absolutely paying for the experience, but in my opinion it’s worth it.
Don’t go to … Costas.
How to describe Costas. Imagine if Starbucks met Tim Hortons. That’s Costas. High prices with good hot chocolate but everything else isn’t really to my taste. It’s a large chain, though, so you’ll find them everywhere. In a pinch, go ahead, but there are other, cuter, and more unique places which you might want to frequent.
Instead go to … The Deaf Cat.
If you’re in Rochester, England, pop into the Deaf Cat. Their hot chocolate is lovely, and although the shop is small it’s warm, cozy, has a bit of outdoor seating, and best of all is just down the road from Baggins, one of the largest second hand book stores in England. Here’s their website!
Bonus!
I know that Ireland isn’t in the UK but if you happen to be in Dublin I highly recommend visiting the Wooden Whisk. The cake there is to die for, the food is delicious, and the atmosphere is adorable. It’s the perfect place to stop for brunch before you explore Dublin, or for dessert after a long day on the road. If I ever find myself in Dublin again I will make deliberate plans to go to the Wooden Whisk both when I arrive and right before I depart. It’s worth it! Here’s their website!
5 Britishisms you should know about
Having lived in England for two years I can definitely say that British slang is regional. I lived down in Kent, so there was probably a fair few Northumbrian Britishisms that I didn’t get to hear for having not visited. These are a few of the ones I heard, and that earned either a look of confusion or a touch of horror on my part. Learn from my confusion and listen for these when you visit England next!
#1. You a’right?
This is the English equivalent of a a casual “How are you?” You’ll hear it a lot when you enter shops. The first time I was asked I happened to be furniture shopping and, now feeling more than a little self conscious, answered “Yes, I’m fine thank you,” before stealing a look in a nearby mirror just to make sure I wasn’t pale or sickly looking. I was fine, and after comparing notes with Atlas, a dear friend who had also recently moved to England, we figured out that this was just a casual greeting.
#2. Fine.
In Canada, we don’t say just “fine,” to anything, unless we’re upset. We’ll say “That’s fine,” or “Yeah that’s fine,” but just “fine” is reserved for those moments when a Canadian couldn’t be less ‘fine’ and wants you to know as much, but doesn’t want to kick up a fuss because then they’ll be the least polite person in the conversation. It took me a while to adjust, but ‘fine’ in England just means ‘fine’. It’s all good, it really is truly fine.
#3. Ta!
It’s a mix of thank you and goodbye. If you’ve just bought yourself a pint, you won’t be using ta. You’ll be using cheers. If you’ve just made a purchase at a store and want to thank the cashier, you’ll be using either cheers or ta. The only difference is in the leaving. If someone says “Ta!” to you, they’re about to depart from your presence! It took Atlas and I quite a while to figure that one out.
#4. I’m really chuffed.
They’re pleased. If you watch the Great British Bake Off you’ll know this one, but to anyone else ‘chuffed’ really isn’t an obvious choice of words for being happy. I have no idea where this came from but I suspect it’s deeply rooted in some sort of Victorian terminology.
#5. Knackered or Shattered.
If you’re knackered, you’re super tired. You could really use a nap, a hug, and maybe something sweet or salty depending on your preference du jour. If you’re shattered you’ve gone beyond the need for any sort of dignity, and would be willing to crawl under your desk for just a minute or two of sleep.
Give me a like if you’d like to see more, because I have plenty of phrases and slang words that caught me off guard!
The Shell Grotto
I don’t know about anyone else but I often leave projects half done. It’s a problem. I’ll go all out in the first moments with every expectation that it will turn out beautifully and then I tire of it and move on to the next project.
I feel like that’s what happened with the Shell Grotto.
They call it a Grotto, I suspect, only because they don’t know what else to call it. It’s a small cave with a few tunnels and rooms which are intricately decorated with shells, fashioned after flowers and leaves. There is also one room that isn’t as highly decorated and in fact is is half blank, as though it were finished in haste or deliberately left. There’s also a skylight in one of the rooms that looks deliberate, though whether or not it is I couldn’t say.
Is it a house? An ancient Roman temple? A meeting place for a secret sect to perform seances? Everyone who visits has their own theory, but the truth is that nobody knows. It was found in 1835 when a little boy fell through it’s roof during construction, although there are many other versions of how the grotto was discovered. No one’s quite sure how that happened either.
What everyone is sure of is that the Shell Grotto is quite the puzzle. The once colourful shells were gathered from various beaches in Kent, likely from as far north as the Isle of Sheppe and as far south west as Southampton. The Shell Grotto itself is in Margate, so if you’re at all familiar with the area you know that’s quite the walk. If not, have a look at a map, you’ll see what I mean. To go all the way to Southampton for a particular type of shell, or to wait years and years until you found the ones you needed, that takes a certain amount of determination!
Can you have a good time in there? Absolutely. It’s really fun to speculate on who built it and why, I suspect a more modern hand. Can you be there for a long time? No. The cave is small, and I suspect that even before Covid they only allowed a certain number of people in at a time. We happened to go on a day that wasn’t too busy. There’s also a small entry fee which I consider well worth it as the money helps to conserve the Shell Grotto and keep it open to the public.
I recommend going to the grotto if you’re already planning on visiting Margate or the surrounding costal towns. You can spend a solid twenty minutes to half an hour looking around the cave and the small museum just before it, and then spend the rest of your day by the sea. If you’re looking for a good place to stop for food I recommend either the Old Kent Market which is right by the shore and which also has several local craft shops within it, or the Old Town T Stall just down Market Street. There are all sorts of other shops along Market Street including a very cute book store just across the Old Town T Stall.
Don’t forget to check out the beach and have a walk along the pier, but bring a jacket as the wind can get quite nippy, and of course, sunscreen!
Top 6 Language Learning Apps: Do They Work?
I’ve always been an avid language learner, and as a world traveler my linguistic obsession has served me well. When I go to a country whose official language isn’t English or French I always try to learn at least a few basic words. Please, thank you, help, hospital, and toilet are the very least anyone can learn when out exploring the world.
To do this I usually enlist the services of a few language learning apps on my phone a few months prior to my trip. I have several that I prefer, but recently I’ve noticed a few more creeping up the iTunes recommended list. I’ve tested them out so you don’t have to!
I chose to learn Arabic and Polish because neither of those languages are closely related to the ones I already know, and because Polish doesn’t seem to translate well to language apps. I don’t know why. Every Polish learning app seems to skip “Hello” and jump directly into “Hi how are you I’m from Warsaw where are you from?”
So here are iTunes’ top ranked language learning apps, and my opinion of them as a language learner and world traveler.
Duolingo
Pros: This app is free with an option to go premium, but the free version is all I’ve ever needed. It makes sure that you associate all parts of the words you’re learning; how it’s spelled, how it sounds, and a visual representation of the word if it’s a noun. It will ensure that you have a good understanding of the word or word set which you are studying before allowing you to move on, though you can test yourself to unlock more categories.
Cons: If you get too many answers wrong, it will stop you, though I would argue that this is designed so that you don’t get stressed out and you don’t study too hard. The maximum you should study any language is half an hour a day. Any more than that, and you won’t retain what you’ve already learned as well. There is also one other con for travelers, which is that because Duolingo is focused on fluency you won’t learn any sentences that are useful for your trip until well into your linguistic journey.
Babbel
Pros: This app can be deleted.
Cons: I chose Polish for this one, because I have no Polish spoken to me in my every day life, and I am an absolute beginner when it comes to learning it. The rate at which I was expected to learn the words was far too fast. Babbel did provide visual, auditory, and literary reinforcement just like Duo does, but by the third question I was already being asked to spell, letter by letter, a word that had accents that were unfamiliar to me, and had a word and sound structure that is also unfamiliar to me. I can only imagine how this would have gone had I chosen Arabic, which has a totally different alphabet. The lesson was also very short, and I don’t know if I’m able to unlock the next lesson by waiting or if I have to pay for it. I’ll never find out. I’ve deleted it.
Drops
Pros: It’s a super cute app which has a wide variety of languages to learn, and is super intuitive to use. It also asks you what you’re learning the language for. I chose travel, and it immediately gave me food words, which is an excellent start. I chose Arabic for this app, and found that it had an option for Romanization. I could see the words written in both the Latin and Arabic alphabet while I was learning, and the spelling questions were in Romanized syllables. Perfect for a beginner!
Cons: You can only use it for five minutes at a time, which as I said, the optimum time is 15 to 30 minutes, and for the amount of words I learned in that five minute span, I would have preferred a ten minute time interval. I don’t know if you can switch languages either.
Busuu
Pros: This is the one app that has done a decent job of introducing the Polish language at an actual beginners pace. I think there might have been two daunting sentences, but they were very different and so were easy to tell apart.
Cons: It’s a shame, but with that first lesson comes the end of my usage, because much like Babbel the lessons are short I don’t know if I will be able to unlock the next few sets of Polish by waiting or if I’ll have to pay. I don’t see it as a productive use of my time or the memory on my phone so I’ll be deleting this app as well.
Rosetta Stone
Pros: Rosetta Stone does everything that Duolingo can, and from experience the Rosetta Stone oral communication portion is a bit harder to fool than Duo’s. Duo will allow you to just say “aahh” instead of “Pain”, the French for bread. It has multiple languages to choose from, and with the exception of learning a language as an infant, Rosetta Stone is probably the best language learning system in the western world.
Cons: It’s also the most expensive at several hundred dollars a pop. If I was about to move abroad I would invest in whichever version I needed, but a two week trip isn’t worth that kind of dough.
Memrise
Pros: I’ve used Memrise for years now and this is by far my favourite. There are a wide variety of languages to choose from, the lessons aren’t locked by progress for the most part, and those that are can be unlocked by completing previous lessons at your own pace. There is a paid version with a few helpful features, but the free version is all you’ll ever need. The beginner sentences are usually pretty useful for travel.
Cons: Some of the ‘fictional’ languages (spoiler alert, all languages are made up) have been removed which I really wanted to learn, languages like Dothraki, Trigedasleng, and Klingon. I don’t know if they’ve been brought back yet. I believe they’ve also taken away the other categories of things you could memorise, like national flags, countries, world history, trivia, and all the other fun and good stuff.
I definitely recommend a combination of Duolingo, Memrise, and Drops. These three will give you everything you need to learn any language that they collectively have available. If you want to become fluent and don’t have anyone to practice with I would suggest these apps for 10 minutes a day, some writing practice for 10 minutes a day, and reading some childrens’ books for 10 minutes a day. You can also enhance your learning by watching movies and tv shows in the language you’re trying to learn. This is how I taught myself Korean! For a vacation or a trip, Duolingo, Memrise, and Drops will be more than enough to get you on your way. Bring a pocketbook of phrases just in case, and have fun!
5 Post Covid Trips I Wish I could Take Right Now
Guys I want to take a trip so badly. The pandemic is getting to me. It took a year but it’s really, really getting to me. It’s to the point where my friends and I have planned not one, but at least five post Covid trips, and are looking into planning more. We won’t take them all at once, of course, but Lord knows that once it’s safe to go country hopping again we’ll end up in at least one of these places!
#1. New York
Seriously if this wasn’t such a hotspot I would be on a train or plain or automobile my soul is pulling me towards New York like a magnet! Whether or not Forest comes with me this will be one of my first post Covid destinations. While I haven’t planned this one out yet I have a distinct feeling that Comic-Con and Ellis Island will be involved. I also want to check out the local theater productions and of course get some amazing cuisine!
#2. O’ahu
I daren’t mention when but Forest and I are planning a relaxing beach vacation and I would love to go to Hawai’i for it. I just want to swim in placid waters, and chill out for a solid hour, maybe I would finally have some time to finish reading the first book of Game of Thrones! Although let’s face it if I do end up in Hawai’i I’ll be dragging Forest around to look at all the World War 2 museums and probably learning to surf.
#3. Ulaanbaatar
Since the minute we arrived in England, Atlas and I have been planning to meet in Mongolia. She’s deathly allergic to shellfish but wants to experience Asian culture so the landlocked Mongolia offers the perfect solution! As far as I know Ulaanbaatar is the capitol and the largest city so we’d like to start our journey there before heading further out into the steppe.
#4. Disney World
I was nearing the end of this article, thinking of all of the places I wanted to go, and as I was doing this I was facetiming Forest and said “Hey … do you want to go to Disney when this is all over?” She, knowing that I have been to Disney before, and knowing that of the two of us she is the bigger Disney fan, and knowing about all of our fights about whether or not Nala is a Disney princess (she is), she gave me a look of utter loathing and said “YES!” Later she had to refocus me on writing this article as I had drifted into planning our trip. So that’s that, after Covid we’re going to Disney.
#5. The Maritimes
Before Covid hit, Forest, Dragon, and I had been planning a trip out east to see New Brunswick, Oak Island, Prince Edward Island, St. John’s, and L’Anse Aux Meadows. Our plans were halted but our ambitions are not! When Covid dies our plans shall rise like a phoenix! We’re going to see all of those things and more!
I would love to hear about your post Covid travel plans, whether they be to the next town or to the next continent, let me know!
Lostman's Star 