alaina browne lives here

Meeting an Elephant

Meeting an Elephant, originally uploaded by Alaina B..

Last month, we traveled to India to visit family in Orissa. It was my first trip to India, and Anil's first in 25 years. I think this photo captures most of my feelings about the experience: surprise, a smidgen of apprenhension, but most of all, pure joy. I can't wait to go back.

I've shared my favorite photos on Flickr.

Not New York

I knew for sure I had arrived in San Francisco when I saw the green and white "GoVeg.com" sticker on the door of the bathroom stall in the airport women's restroom.

Contrast

Monday afternoon, sunny and warm in Austin, Texas:

Tuesday evening, cold and snowing in New York City:

Antarctica

I've really enjoyed following Antarctic Mike's blog, documenting his deployment in Antarctica. The adventurer in me definitely appreciates the appeal of a place like Antarctica, however the extreme cold and endless days/nights are not to be underestimated. I love this series of photos of Mike suiting up (start here, then click "next"to continue) -- layers upon layers upon layers of protection against the cold. Mike writes:

I've made it. I am at the South Pole. I knew this place was cold. I just never imagined just what this sort of cold feels. The temperature is -45.4F, -43C, with windchill, it goes down to -61F, -51C.

And that's a balmy, sunny spring day! We spent 2 hours outside checking the astrophysical experiments down here. Anything exposed first starts to burn within minutes, then it goes numb. That's when you're in trouble. Frostbite. After that it freezes hard.

Barcelona Observations

Some observations about Barcelona, mostly about food:

The Aeroport Bus is a cheap and easy way to get into the city from the airport. It's 3.45 euro for the approximately 30 minute ride to Placa Catalunya. My flight arrived in Barcelona early Friday morning and despite my fatigue, I was able to find my way onto the bus and into the city without any problem. Once there, it was a little more difficult to orient myself thanks to the absence of conspicuous street signs. They're there, just up a story on corner buildings.

"North" should always be at the top of the map.

The popular lunch time Menu del Dia is a great way to eat well and cheap. It typically includes a first and second course and a glass of wine or dessert for around 10 euros.

The Spanish late lunch and late dinner way of life suits us.

La Boqueria, the famous market off of Las Ramblas, is not to be missed. There you can find every variety of fruit, vegetable, meat, seafood, and dairy product imaginable and all fresh and affordable.

Cafe con leche or as they call it in Catalan "Cafe amb llet" is the perfect coffee beverage.

Any attempt to find some place to eat after 4 in the morning is futile.

I've finally posted some of my photos from our trip to Barcelona. There are more, but due to technical difficulties I have not been able to retrieve them from the memory card.

Barcelona

Today I'm taking off for a weekend in Barcelona. I was feeling a bit stressed about my lack of preparation for the trip yesterday, but now that feeling has been replaced by excitement. Photos and words when I return...

Chinatown Bus Services

I'm thinking of using one of the NYC Chinatown bus services to go to Boston for a few days. For $10 each way, it seems like a no-brainer. There are quite a few to choose from, including FungWah and Lucky Star. Has anyone used any of the Chinatown buses? If so, any advice or recommendations for a first-timer like me? Thanks!

I-85 and big things

I've traveled many miles on I-85, my spirits always brightened by the sight of the Peachoid. I'd never heard it referred to as the Peachoid until this story; we always referred to as the giant Peach Butt.

In many ways, I-85 offers a textbook study in what J. B. Jackson, founder of Landscape magazine, called odology -- the study of roads and their cultural, economic and spiritual meanings. One of the few established principles of this infant discipline is that roads take their character from a few landmarks or vistas. And what travelers on I-85 probably remember most is not the freeways, traffic tie-ups or glass towers of Charlotte or Atlanta but a strange structure located near the interstate's midpoint: the Peachoid, a 135-foot-tall water tank shaped like a ripe peach and plunked alongside the interstate as it passes through Gaffney, S.C.

The Peachoid reminds me of the many big attractions in Australia. When I was there, I was lucky enough to see the Big Prawn and the Big Lobster.