Prisoner of Hopes

Category: Perspectives

  • Country Roads: Travel Goals Ireland

    Country Roads: Travel Goals Ireland

    Detours are what you make of them. My husband has a no back track rule. He doesn’t like out and back journeys. I don’t know why. In his view, we can go out of our way as long as it leads to somewhere we haven’t already been. I, on the other hand, am paradoxical. I…

  • Echos of the Past: Travel Goals Ireland

    Echos of the Past: Travel Goals Ireland

    As a person completely fascinated with history, Ireland is a treasure chest waiting to be opened. Every town and field has a story to tell. People care about their past and work to preserve the historical record. Nowhere is this more evident than in the town of Ballina, where we experienced the Jackie Clarke collection.…

  • Ennis on Adrenaline: Travel Goals Ireland

    Ennis on Adrenaline: Travel Goals Ireland

    Landing in Ireland is always a little magical. I always know there is a fine misty morning awaiting. The first shiver of cool air and a breath of soil and sea welcome me home. Ireland is in my dna. I have never lived here, but if memory can be passed down through generations then something…

  • Zoological Meandering: Rural Road Trip Wisconsin

    Zoological Meandering: Rural Road Trip Wisconsin

    I love zoos. Where else can you go to see animals frolic, listen to children laugh, learn science, and also help conservation efforts world wide? I especially love zoos that take wildlife management and animal quality of life seriously. Today’s zoo have come a long way and are continuing to evolve. We like to visit…

  • Peonies Make Me Think Of You

    Peonies Make Me Think Of You

    In the Spring the peonies pop up from the ground in vibrant greens. As their big leafy stalks appear, I think of you. Memories come unbidden of sitting on your front porch in the Spring rain. I would rock slowly in the old iron chair that used to sit in your Dad’s lawn. Generational history…

  • When the Culture Gap Seems Wide: Travel Goals Norway

    When the Culture Gap Seems Wide: Travel Goals Norway

    We have been home for almost a month and Norway seems a distant memory. I finally have the photos digitally organized and labeled. My photo book has been ordered. I have even created a dvd slide show of our adventures. But what I have really done is stored memories that help us bridge a culture.…

  • Leaving in a Jet Plane: Travel Goals

    Leaving in a Jet Plane: Travel Goals

    I used to love air travel. It seemed glamorous and uncomplicated. Over the last two decades, while prices have gone up, the experience has definitely lost its luster. Perhaps I am jaded or turning into an old curmudgeon. Or perhaps profit motive and misguided security measures have ruined the experience. I used to call a…

  • We Haven’t Got Munch Time: Travel Goals Norway

    We Haven’t Got Munch Time: Travel Goals Norway

    We have only a few hours before we leave Oslo for the airport. We have said goodbye to our apartment and turned in the keys. The hotel that we stayed at on our first nights in Norway graciously agrees to hold our luggage so we can zip across town to the Munch Museum. Munch is…

  • Final Impressions: Travel Goals Norway

    Final Impressions: Travel Goals Norway

    Last days in a place are always a little bitter sweet. I spend a little time either trying to figure out if there are places we need to see before we go or places we need to revisit. Today feels random. I want to return to Frogner park to get a picture of the “angry…

  • Ships Ahoy: Travel Goals Norway

    Ships Ahoy: Travel Goals Norway

    The Bygdoy maritime museum complex is an all day adventure. We opt to visit all three museums in the complex. We start with the Norwegian Maritime Museum where we get to see a man building a Viking ship using ancient methods (and a few power tools). It is fascinating to see the overlapping construction and…