two very different takes on traveling

I watched two very different movies that have travel as a theme, lately, The Darjeeling Limited and Non-Stop. Both were entertaining, engaging, and very, very different from one another.

Always an impressive and imposing film presence, Liam Neeson has taken over the action movie genre in recent years, with his successful Taken franchise, and movies as diverse as The Grey and The Lego Movie. In Non-Stop he plays an alcoholic air marshal with major personal issues, who is targeted on a flight by a potential terrorist who threatens to start killing passengers unless the airline transfers $150 million into an off-shore bank account. The story, if one tries to think too hard about it, is wildly improbable, but the movie is so edge-of-your-seat-fast-paced that you are unlikely to worry about plot holes until the credits have stopped rolling, and by then you've had too much fun to care. Julianne Moore is very appealing as one of the only passengers on the plane who may not think that Neeson has gone completely bonkers, and Michelle Dockery and Lupita Nyong'o play flight attendants.

Moore and Neeson try to determine who is texting all those nasty messages

Sometimes you need to change your surroundings to help get rid of your excess baggage

For a real change of pace I then watched the über laid-back The Darjeeling Limited, Wes Anderson's beautifully shot film about three brothers, Francis (Owen Wilson), Jack (Jason Schwartzman), and Peter Whitman (Adrien Brody), on a spiritual journey across India. The trio haven't spent time together for a year, since their father's funeral, and try to work out their many comminication issues during the trip — with each other as well as their mother (Anjelica Houston). The movie is melancholy, but ultimately hopeful, and although as quirky as other Anderson films, also gives one a more peaceful, wistful feeling. It also features a killer soundtrack, with songs by The Kinks, The Rolling Stones, Joe Dassin, Peter Sarstedt, and Satyajit Ray. If you can't take a trip and travel across India, The Darjeeling Limited is a nice alternative.

take a tour with joanna lumley

Isn't that Patsy from Absolutely Fabulous? Yes, it is. Joannna Lumley has calmed down her signature beehive and put aside the endless glasses of bubbly and taken on the role of travel guide for two very watchable documentaries from Athena, Joanna Lumley's Nile and Joanna Lumley's Greek Odyssey. Both two-disc DVD sets feature four episodes and Lumley's delightful observations on the local sights and history. In Joanna Lumley's Nile the host lays out her plan of attack, to travel the entire length of the north-flowing Nile, considered the longest river in the world, with a length of 4,132 miles (6,650 km). Like most travelers, she intends to take the trip "backwards," starting in Egypt, where the river's mouth spills into the Mediterranean, and ending at its source, at the Rwanda-Tanzania border.
...

When Lumley finally reaches the source of the Nile she is visibly moved, and viewers may regret that their journey and hers has come to an end. But not to worry, Lumley is on the move again, in Joanna Lumley's Greek Odyssey. This trip seems a bit more personal, as Lumley has traveled to Greece many times before, since her first visit at the age of 20, and has a real love and rapport with the country. Once again she tours some of the most-visited and familiar sites, like the Acropolis in Athens, the Oracle at Delphi, the almost inaccessible monasteries of Meteora, and even climbs a bit of Mount Olympus, but there are always surprises in store. Some of the more offbeat destinations include the fabled the Gates of Hades, the site of a former leper colony, and a remote village where the remaining inhabitant speak in their own strange language of whistles.

Joanna Lumley, with friend

At the Parthenon

You can read my complete review on Cinema Sentries.

the moaning of life

British television personality Karl Pilkington is back with a new travel/adventure series, The Moaning of Life. Karl, who has just turned 40, has decided that he needs to investigate the true meaning of life as he enters middle age, or as he refers to it, "We've had the Iron Age, the Stone Age — this the pissing-about age." Karl recently explored the subject of "Marriage" in the series, which airs on Science Channel on Saturdays at 10 p.m. Now a seasoned world traveler, thanks to his previous series An Idiot Abroad, Karl traveled to India to learn about arranged marriages, and to the U.S., to Los Angeles and Las Vegas, to try out a scientific way to meet some one at a pheromone party, as well as witness some unusual weddings in Las Vegas.

Karl meets the parents

In India, after consulting with a marriage broker, Karl selected and then met a young lady and potential bride whose parents quizzed him, asking him a series of practical, yet, in Karl's view, intrusive questions. After an hour and a half of meeting the girl and her family wedding plans were even discussed (unbeknownst to Karl's longtime girlfriend of 20 years). Karl also learned that the other side of the arranged wedding/interview is the marriage detective, who he joined one afternoon on the trail, investigating if what was said by a potential groom to his potential mate and her family meeting was true.

The series, which began airing in the U.K. last October, has a total of five episodes. Besides "Marriage," Karl looks into "Happiness" in Mexico and Los Angeles; "Kids" in Japan, Bali, and Indonesia; "Vocation and Money" in Japan, South Africa and Los Angeles; and "Death" in Ghana, Taiwan, the Philippines, and finally, back home in England.

Karl is as entertaining in his observances as ever, but not quite as reluctant to sample local cultures as he appeared to be in An Idiot Abroad (and its two spin-offs, The Bucket List and An Idiot Abroad: The Short Way Round) — probably because this time out he is choosing these adventures, as opposed to what comedians and show producers Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant decided they should subject him to, constantly jerking him out of his tiny comfort zone. But that doesn't mean that Karl has lost his critical abilities, as the show is full of his funny and exasperated observances and creative expressions of disbelief.

  The Moaning of Life - "Marriage" Clip from ScienceChannelPR on Vimeo.
For instance, he can't believe the Indian wedding he has been invited to observe and attend has a guest list of five thousand. "There's five thousand people. How many people do they know?" As always his mind races towards the most practical of matters, "... How many toilets? Two." He's a little more open to the pheromone party in Los Angeles, where guests sniff baggies of attendees' tee shirts to select the perfect person, but thinks his nose may have "too high standards" compared to the rest of him.

Karl Pilkington definitely seems more at ease without Gervais and Merchant hovering over his shoulder, but The Moaning of Life is no less funny than his previous efforts. He may believe that a job in television is ultimately "the most unworthy job," but hopefully that won't stop him from continuing to produce such entertaining and funny documents of his travels in future.

Originally published on Blogcritics: TV Review: ‘The Moaning of Life – Marriage’

come fly with me

I haven't been on a plane in a long time — mom's dementia kept us closer to home, and before that the kid was small, so most of the time people came to me for a visit. I figured I better brush up on what I could or couldn't take on a plane, as rules have changed since the last time I was in the air. As I was perusing the TSA website this paragraph in the prohibited items section jumped out at me.

I have to admit that I am as befuddled by the imposed threat of snow globes as I would be by the frequency of travelers needing to fly with them. Anybody able to explain this to me?

"Snow globes that appear to contain less than 3.4 ounces (approximately tennis ball size) will be permitted if the entire snow globe, including the base, is able to fit in the same one clear, plastic, quart-sized, re-sealable bag, as the passenger’s other liquids, such as shampoo, toothpaste and cosmetics."

I have been warned, and will ensure that any snow globe I choose to travel with in future meets these rigorous standards.

no more "i love you's"

It's funny how hearing a song can take you right back to a specific moment in time. Today Annie Lennox's No More "I Love You's" came on the radio and I was suddenly driving through some lush and green scenery on my way to Kentucky with my cousin Ann. I lived in Washington, D.C. It was a holiday weekend and I decided that I wanted to go to Lexington, Kentucky to se my dad's grave and headstone — when I had been there last for his funeral at Camp Nelson the headstone wasn't ready or in place. 



Who better to go on a road trip with me but my best buddy and ever-loving cousin Ann? We headed westward, not sure exactly where we would stop on the way, but with a sense of adventure and my car full of CDs. We made some touristy stops at Dinosaurland and the Natural Bridge of Virginia, where she wore her trusty pith helmet as we hiked. West Virginia seemed to go on forever, but we eventually reached Kentucky and checked into the Campbell House, the same hotel where I had stayed during my dad's illness and later, for his funeral. 

At Camp Nelson

Ann in her trusty pith helmet

As we were driving through the area we also had a scary moment when the gravel at the side of a not-very-paved road caused the car to swerve. I was driving, and luckily, instinctively turned the wheel into the spin and was able to get us straightened out fairly quickly so we didn't go see-sawing all over the road. As it was happening Ann grabbed my arm, which was also instinct. She apologized later, "That was the worst thing I could do!" But she hadn't grabbed me hard — it didn't impede my driving. It just showed how we were in this together.

With Ann along for the ride the road trip never took on a sad aspect. It was just a loving and fun experience. We went out for dinner in downtown Lexington, which was a cute, small American city. On the way back we stopped to look at a beautiful old Victorian house which Ann fantasized about buying, but we couldn't really figure out a way she could live so far away from her current life and eke out a living. She was able to satisfy herself instead at a garden center where she purchased a stone statue for her back yard, which we christened "Our Lady of the Back Yard." My little golden Acura Integra hatchback managed to haul it all the way back to Springfield, VA.

Ann mulls an important purchase

Our Lady of the Backyard

Ann and her littlest cousin visit Our Lady

Ann is gone now. She died after battling ovarian cancer, a few years ago. I live in Florida, so Lexington is no longer in driving distance. But I love how Annie Lennox's voice brought me right back to a score of moments that I hadn't exactly forgotten, but were maybe hidden in a corner of my mind. Music is like that.

secret florence

Article first published as Book Review: Secret Florence by Niccolo Rinaldi on Blogcritics.

I love Florence. It is my favorite and one of the most accessible of Italian cities. I have been there a few times and was lucky enough to stay for almost a week once and really feel a part of the city.
I walked everywhere, seeking out frescoes by the Fras — Angelica and Filippo Lippi. I crossed the Ponte Vecchio in search of Masaccio and Florentine steak. I found Della Robbia ceramic details on buildings while laundering my clothes at the convenient laundromats. I searched out the little devils painted into so many frescoes in churches — it’s not just about angels in Florence. I tried to find a pair of red shoes, which seemed the right sort of Florentine footwear.


I knew that Florence was more than just the tick-it-off-your-list city with the Uffizi and Duomo, but after reading Secret Florence, I realize that I have only just scratched the surface of this enchanting city. I would imagine that even long-time residents might also find many spots in its pages that they have yet to explore. I’m not quite the insider I hoped I was, but this very different sort of guidebook might help me become one. And it definitely makes me want to start planning my next trip.
Secret Florence is very cleverly organized by city section, adding additional guidance to places where travelers will already be headed: Piazza Della Signoria, Duomo/San Lorenzo, Santa Maria Novella, SS Annunziata, Santa Croce, Oltrarno, and the Outskirts of Florence. But in each section the emphasis is on little details that might easily be missed, while you were preoccupied by the bigger, more-travelled sites.

For example, The Palazzo Vecchio at the Piazza Della Signoria is a frequent tourist spot. Its tall clock tower is not only visually impressive, but it makes it a terrific meeting place. It also is still functioning as the city’s town Hall and has a replica of Michelangelo’s famous "David" sculpture outside (for the real one you need to visit the Accademia). But there is also art inside the Palazzo Vecchio, and Secret Florence doesn’t guide you through the masterpieces by Michelangelo and Ghirlandaio as other guide books might, but instead poses an interesting question regarding a “missing” fresco by Leonardo da Vinci.


Other highlights, suggested points of interest, include:

Artist’s clever and hidden self portraits — Benevenuto Cellini’s face on the back of his famous "Perseus" sculpture, Lorenzo Ghiberti’s head on the bronze doors of the Baptistery

A Florentine fast food delicacy made from a cow’s fourth stomach, lampredotto, if you dare

The astronomical qualities of the Duomo, and how to watch the sun transit the building on the summer solstice to land on a perfect circle of marble on the floor.

A fresco depicting the family of Amerigo Vespucci, from whom America gets its name — with Amerigo, who was only a child when it was painted, shown as a cherub

An equestrian statue of Ferdinando I which features a concentric circle of bees (as a symbol of power, but mostly used as a counting game for children)

Traces of Florentia, Roman Florence

The love nest of English poets Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Casa Guidi

A Japanese garden in the center of anItalian rose garden, in Oltrarno

The book includes an alphabetic index and an even more helpful thematic index, which helps you pinpoint areas of interest such as architecture, gardens, history, painting, religion, science, etc.
Secret Florence is chock-full of anecdotes, so makes for interesting reading about the city and its art and history. It’s definitely a fresh look at the city and would make for a great resource for some quirky walking tours once you’ve tired of standing in line to get into the Uffizi.