Prisoner of Hopes

Tag: connection

  • Chasing the Northern Lights: Travel Goals

    One of the best reasons to come to Norway in winter is to see the Northern Lights. We brave the cold and the snow. We take a boat up the coast far beyond the arctic circle. We encounter six nights with low clouds and wind and snow. With only one night left, we sign up…

  • Accidental Tromsø: Travel Goals

    Some days you just stumble onto fun. We are walking to the polar museum, but run across a house that says restaurant and museum. So, of course, in we go. There are no people. None. A self pay machine let us in. The building has been a warehouse on the dock. It houses a fun…

  • The Struggle: Travel Goals

    Excitement is high as we land in Tromso. It is beautiful. Mountains and fjords merge together under a cloudy sky. Dramatic is the only word to describe the landscape. Here we disembark. We wait impatiently for others to leave the ship. Many only have a few hours to experience Tromso and we will stay a…

  • Travel Goals: Watching the World Go By

    I love to be at sea. Early in the morning, I am often the only one on deck. As morning breaks over the water, at first only shadows appear. Slowly the landscape takes shape amid an orange glow. The waves are shadowy and alive. The air smells clean and the wind is brisk. It is…

  • Trondheim Pilgrimage to Nidaros: Travel Goals

    We dock in the cold, cold rain. Coming down the gangway, the wind blows water into our faces. My husband struggles into his rain suit while I wrestle with my umbrella. We try to follow directions to exit the docks into the town. In the blowing rain, it is unclear which way to go, so…

  • Travel Goals: No Particular Place To Go

    I like days where I wake up in a new place with absolutely no expectations and nowhere to be. There is freedom in letting the day unfold without hurry or pressure. So after a leisurely cup of coffee, we walk down the mountain to Sandvika, a small fishing community that used to be the site…

  • Travel Goals: Museum Hopping

    The day has not started well. After walking across town, the museum we want to visit isn’t open (even though it should have been). But, there is a lovely chocolate cafe next door. My husband enjoys a large cup of hot chocolate as we regroup. I have a surprise brown cheese cheesecake that makes the…

  • Travel Goals: Forest Bathing

    We hike down the hill this morning to catch the Floibanen funicular to Floyen. The cars are modern and clean. It is a rare and sunny day in Bergen and the locals are flocking to the mountain. We go along. At the top, we enjoy the views of Bergen and the surrounding fjords. Smaller towns…

  • Travel Goals: Arrival

    Travel day is stressful, at least if you are me. Unable to control even a little bit of the day’s schedule, we arrive at the airport earlier than expected. Yay! Our flight is delayed… sigh. The crew shows up. Yay! The leave to sit out the delay elsewhere… sigh. Once aboard, we settle in for…

  • Educating for Sanity: Civility

    Civility: a concept that seems to be waning in the United States. From the Latin, the literal meaning is “as befitting a good citizen”. It carries connotations of professional, ethical, respectful and courteous behavior. Incivility, thus translates as behavior unbecoming of a citizen. It is behavior of the barbarians. Incivility runs the gamut of behaviors…