Sheron Long's Blog, page 11
January 28, 2019
Memorable Moments: Literary Excursions
Let a good book take you away.
© iStock
Who doesn’t love a good read? That’s why we figured some good reads about some great reads would be something our readers might really enjoy reading! So while our bloggers take a moment to gather their words, we invite you on a literary adventure with these popular literature-based posts from the past.
A Wanderlust for Words
Books that evoke a sense of place make travelers of us all. This post also includes a free download of wanderlust-worthy book recommendations! Go to the post.
Wordplay and Watercolor: Edward Lear in Gozo
Edward Lear’s wanderlust led the British poet to Gozo, Malta, a place he celebrated in wordplay and watercolor paintings. Go to the post.
Cannery Row Catalysts: John Steinbeck and Ed Ricketts
John Steinbeck and Ed Ricketts, provided creative inspiration for each other on Cannery Row,...
January 21, 2019
Everyday Aha Moments in Italy
Santa Croce inspires. So do the delivery-truck drivers on their daily predawn rounds.
© Joyce McGreevy
Discovering Beauty in Life’s Little Rituals
It’s no revelation to say that icons of awe-inspiring beauty are everywhere in Florence. For some visitors, the rarified aha moments induced by a surfeit of grandeur can even become physically overwhelming.
But as Italian psychologist Piero Ferrucci writes, we can also “discover [beauty] in everyday life: a song heard on the street, a crumbling old wall, the reflections in a puddle.”
A walk along the Arno at sunset is glorious, but . . .
© Joyce McGreevy
. . . a walk home from the local grocery can also be good for the soul.
© Joyce McGreevy
These are the piaceri piccoli, small pleasures, the everyday aha moments that balance “the exasperating vicissitudes of daily life.” My piaceri piccoli include...
January 7, 2019
In Florence, a Feast of Festivals
Winter in the city of Dante: Florence invites reflection and revelry in equal measure.
© Victoria Lyons
Savoring the First Week of the Year
Is an Italian Cultural Tradition
Are “the holidays” a faint memory? In some countries, all trace of yuletide is tidied away with alarming efficiency. Trees that inspire ho-ho-ho’s one day, get the heave-ho the next.
Here in Florence, Italy, January’s air is still redolent with balsam. Fairy lights arch over streets, and by Italian cultural tradition, a feast of festivals continues. Long past December, much remains to be savored, so my friend Victoria and I go with the Florentine flow.
On the Via Pietrapiana, Victoria admires edible art at Pasticceria Nencioni.
© Joyce McGreevy
Il festivo is January 1. That’s Capodanno, “the head of the year.” But first comes la Festa di San Silvestro, ...
January 2, 2019
What’s in the Art of New Year’s Resolutions?
Here’s to a year of glitter and the worn beauty of wabi sabi.
© Kameleon007/iStock
Cultural Tradition with a Dash of Wabi Sabi
Eat healthier.
Get more exercise.
Lose weight.
Learn a language.
Save more money.
(Make more money!)
Master a new skill.
Read more.
Spend quality time with friends and family.
Sound familiar?
Yes, it’s that time of year again. A transition to a new annual chapter. A time to turn the page. Start fresh. And make a New Year’s resolution or two . . . or three—rising to the challenge of self-improvement and accomplishing new goals.
These days, the percentage of people making New Year’s resolutions seems to be steadily declining. And the percentage of those keeping their resolutions dives even lower.
I admit to being in this latter category. Resolutions made. Resolutions broken (usually by sometime in January).
...
December 24, 2018
Memorable Moments: Holiday Happenings
Our gift to you. © Kemal Bas/iStock
As you enjoy your own holiday celebrations, we’d like to share with you this look back at traditions and treats from around the world.
The Season Sparkle of Cultural Differences
Whether you’re celebrating Christmas, Hanukkah, or Epiphany. Whether you’re commemorating Père Noêl, Santa Claus, Saint Nicholas, the Three Wisemen, Sinterklaas, Befana, or the miracle of light. ‘Tis the season to be festive. Go to the post.
Ten Christmas Traditions Stuffed in Stockings ‘n Shoes
Though the concept of giving is common across cultures, timing and traditions differ. Take a look at how variations of holiday stocking and shoe traditions abound worldwide. Go to the post.
And let’s not forget the desserts!
Happy Holidays from OIC Moments
For more interesting takes on holidays and celebrations, check out our...
December 17, 2018
Holiday Foods Around the World
‘Tis the season
© iStock
‘Tis the Season for Cultural Traditions
The holiday season is here, and thoughts turn to twinkling lights, frenetic shopping, food traditions, celebrations with family and friends, decorated trees, wreaths and menorahs, holiday songs, festive food, stockings hung by the chimney with care, animated store windows, seasonal food treats, red-nosed reindeer, roasted chestnuts, peace on earth, and . . . did I mention food?
There are many cultural traditions associated with the holidays around the world, and, in many cases, holiday food traditions play a major role. From roasted turkey to mince pies to babka and bibingka, every country is different.
OIC Moments takes you on a whirlwind tour of some of the most interesting customs.
A holiday sign: roasted chestnuts
© Meredith Mullins
Iceland: Naughty or Nice
Christmas is called ...
December 12, 2018
Two Travelers, One Journey
The sight of another’s wonder sharpens our own observations.
© Joyce McGreevy
Sends Siblings Packing
With wanderlust comes surprise—the weather is spectacularly sunny. Can this really be Ireland in winter? The air is crisp as a Kerry Pippin apple, but sunlight warms the flagstones of Galway’s pedestrian-only streets.
As sunlight washes over my sister and me, so does a fresh wave of surprise. It’s the ebb and flow of discovery so many travelers experience: Are we really here? We really are!
A daytime glimmer of moon hovers over 18th-century houses along Galway’s Long Walk.
© Carolyn McGreevy
Coincidence inspired this surprise holiday travel:
One day, old friends from Galway dropped by Carolyn’s home in Oregon. It was a welcome surprise, but all too brief. That same day...
December 3, 2018
Paris Hidden Treasures
The spirit of wanderlust on the towpath at Lagny sur Marne
© Annabel Simms
Feed Your Wanderlust Close to Home
Hidden travel treasures are everywhere—sometimes just around that corner where you’ve never been before and sometimes just a short adventure away.
You don’t always have to make plans months in advance— to grab the best transportation fares or lodgings—nor do you necessarily have to spend days reading TripAdvisor reviews to make your plans for far-flung corners of the world.
You can often feed your wanderlust close to home.
Looking toward a distant Paris from the Chemin de la Machine in Louveciennes
© Annabel Simms
Close Adventures of the Third Kind
When you’re in a new city, especially a city like Paris, each day offers hundreds of choices. It’s rewarding to spend the days exploring the layers of life, history, and culture that the city...
November 28, 2018
Raising Global Citizens
At home-from-home in Edinburgh, Scotland: Joram, August, Baron, and Maria.
© Maria Surma Manka
When Mom and Dad Are Digital Nomads
Not all who wander as digital nomads are twentysomething, unmarried, and mortgage-free. Some digital nomads live in rural Minnesota with lively kids and full-time jobs.
Just ask author and public-relations strategist Maria Surma Manka. She teaches parents across the U.S. how to live and work abroad as digital nomads while enriching—not uprooting—family life. No selling the house, homeschooling the kids, or ditching their day jobs.
It’s about expanding cultural awareness and creating wonderful family experiences while meeting everyday responsibilities.
The key to this family-style cultural immersion? “Workations”—work + vacations.
London-bound: Maria’s book has numerous resources on how to talk with
your employer about...
November 20, 2018
Emoji Mojo
Some of the 2018 new emojis
Courtesy of Apple
Are Emojis the World’s First Universal Language?
Imagine archaeologists finding a set of emojis 1000 years from now in a buried time capsule. Or, picture visitors from faraway galaxies stumbling on Earth’s emoji language.
What would they think of us as they looked over this strange range of pictorial symbols?
What kind of culture does this pictorial language represent?
Emojipedia
These time travelers would surely gain some interesting clues to culture and language in the digital age of the early 2000s.
They would know that we humans have a range of emotions
