Margaret Manning

India t- minus 3 days until i leave for nyc on my way to 4 weeks in India - half work, half fun looking forward to what awaits me - that's the beauty of travel - the planning is always immaculate but the reality always surprises. ready for it. when you are in a corporate role in a global company by the time december arrives you are craving connection so i am sooooo looking forward to spending a week in the gurgaon office and meeting many people i have been communicating with online for months. so...nyc on saturday and then london for 2 days and then delhi - so packing now is the only conundrum but if that's the only thing left to worry about i am in good shape. nathan is in town for a week of meetings so for the first time in 3 years i have my entire family not only in the same time zone but in the same city! being a mother of grown children is such a tightrope act - you want to protect and guide and advise and engage - but guess what those days are gone - kids love you as unconditionally as you should love them but you do have to as they say 'let go'. still working on that one and imagine i will be for many many years. my ex ex is back in touch - the boy's father - he has been ill and i just can't make that leap since the last time i saw him he was well and healthy. life moves on..

Milestones and Memories

Birthdays are at best rejuvenating and reinforcing that life has unfolded in a way that your presence on the planet has been a good thing.  Joseph my friend in NYC always laughs at me when i say 'it's all good' - its become kind of a ritual in our phone calls. I start off being conscious not to say it, and then in the middleof some convoluted conversation about one thing or another, out it comes 'it's all good'.  And it is. 

At worst birthdays can be terrifying reminders that there is one less year left on the clock - although that clock of course is completely arbitrary and that some lives end after 1 year, some 100 and yes its all good. I have slipped into my second fifty years and hope and pray that I can just stay ahead of technology long eenough to live forever, well at least for longer. I feel that every year after fifty is an opportunity to rewrite the book. No one really truly cares about you anymore - in the great scheme - kids are engrossed in their lives and there is space for ultimate and complete freedom.  I went to a Bollywood Film today - its become a regular Sunday activity at the Roxy Totem Lake - probably the only place in Washington where you can sit in relative comfort eating a homemade samosa and cup of chai with a maximum of 20 other lovely Indian people watching the sensual and yet very traditional films bombarding their senses. 

Speaking of India - I'll be off for a month in just two weeks. I'll try to keep in touch and between twitter and facebook, everyone will know where in the world I am, geographically and emotionally, but on the filtered side.  But I will be in India this time for a month and I am hoping that the space will create some aha moments that others might just find of value. I wish I could write completely freely on my blogs - there are too many people who would be upset - so I will try to navigate that as carefully as I can. But what's the point of sharing if you have to filter.  I think my life has been incredibly interesting and feel some of the things I've gone through deserve a place in space.

Chick Lit Chicks

For almost 2 years, I haven't read a book. Magazines, articles, internet - but not a real life book.  Sad but true.  Actually that isn't entirely accurate. I did go on a trip last summer and read a couple of trashy escape novels, but I think they hardly qualify. So...That doesn't mean I haven't ordered a gazillion books - it just means I haven't read them. Part of the reason I stopped reading was that I made a decision in my life that everything I did with my new single self should be uplifting and oh so happy - but since I was spinning in a whirlpool of memories and sadness, just about everything I picked up in Barnes and Noble made me feel depressed and bruised.  So, I moved on valiantly to chick books, written by women like India Knight (My Life on a Plate) and Helen Fielding (Bridget Jones Diary). I realised that life was not actually all that bad compared to these fictional heroines and suddenly my brain cells were jump started - well sort of.  I ambled through bookstores checking out book covers that were usually pink and sexy. Seeking substance and inspiration in a sea of serious writing.  I was lost in literary space, until my serendipidous discovery of the chicklitchicks website.   Books offer brain food for life, and since I had been going through a period where my brain cells had officially checked out and I was lucky to get through a whole edition of People magazine, even the ones that featured my personal favorites like Jude Law and Harrison Ford. Sublime to the sublime. She how neurotic I have become without the grounding of a serious historical novel or treatise on the physical composition of black holes? Anyway, this site was a literary oasis in a desert of dusty memories.  So in case you don't know..."Chick lit" is a term used to denote genre fiction written for and marketed to young women, especially single, working women in their twenties and thirties. Ok so I am pushing it here.  But who cares. Shoot me. Chick lit features hip, stylish female protagonists, usually in their twenties and thirties, in urban settings (usually London or Manhattan), and follows their love lives and struggles in business (often in the publishing, advertising, public relations or fashion industry). The books usually feature an airy, irreverent tone and frank sexual themes.

That is the classic definition but as the genre grows you'll notice that not all books labeled "chick lit" follow the "rules". Good. Rules are the enemy. I truly do believe that "chick lit" is simply a marketing term that let's us women know that we'll probably like this book.

On the site there are also tens of blogs by women from all around the world. Some are funny (hillarious!), some are more serious and some are inspirational. They contain subject matter from sex & dating to cooking and shopping. There's something for everyone.

And if  you are a budding writer like me, the website features a menegerie of links that are useful.

If you are interested in a book swap - you can go to their forums and enter the name of books you'd like to swap...its just a great site! Excuse me but I must get back to my magnifying glass and finish this book.  Smile.

Ex Rated City Guides

My website www.exinthecity.com has evolved as I have. At first it was just about divorce and divorce and divorce. Lots of readers, lots of great sharing.  Exile was the first healing stage, but as I moved myself through the stages of "ex", explore became the next stage of growth.  I love to travel. It has always been my greatest energizing passion but traveling alone is a different experience. Expecially for a women as Tina Turner says "of a certain age" without the need or desire of a man by their side.  So, I reached out to a group of writers on www.travelwriters.com, offered a small payment and asked for women around the world to submit "EX" rated articles - outlining places for women to go in cities around the world when they were in Exile, Express, Exorcise, Explore or Exhale.

These mini city guides highlighting places from Singapore to Dallas, are written by authors from all around the world and offer ideas for cafes, gardens, hotels and activities for women making that exciting journey from EX to EXtraordinary.

In the articles, the authors provided ideas of where to go as you move from a breakup to a reinvention of a new you. Those in EXile, can learn about parks or secret gardens where women alone are safe and alone. For EXpress, find places that support expression and creativity - art museums, poetry readings or even knitting or kickboxing classes. EXplore guides you to internet cafes that allow pets, pottery classes for women only, dance halls or karaoke bars that don't require a partner, single cruises. Express may lead you to a country dance hall, or a karoake bar and Exhale a spa or special hotel that serves high tea. You get the idea. :-)

The EX-Rated City Guides on www.exinthecity.com are written by incredible women authors from all over the world. It has been my huge pleasure to hear their stories. Talk about grace under pressure. From Singapore to Nashville,  the City Guides are not, I repeat NOT singles guides. They are places to go to enjoy being an EX on the road to EXtraordinary~ Today I have the following EX Rated City Guides for:

Amsterdam, Baltimore, Bangalore, Boston, Dallas, Delray Beach, Ft Lauderdale, Honduras Bay Islands, Houston, Indianapolis, Kuauai, Langkawi, Maldives, Montreal, Nashville, New York City, Newport Beach, Orlando, Penang, Pondicherry, Richmond, Sedona, Singapore, Puerta Valleta, Vancouver, Washington, DC.

So.. if anyone reading is willing to "take on" a city anywhere in the world - and share its secrets with your Ex in the City girlfriends, please send it along to us at info@exinthecity.com . As I mentioned, there is a small payment offered, but the joy is hopefully in sharing YOUR special city with other women in transition after a sad divorce or breakup.

Life goes on.

Operation Lipstick

We all know a human being can only go a few days without water, but how long can a woman go without lipstick. A deep philosophical question that at first glance seems to trivialize the horrow of Katrina, the intense sadness of a world turned upside down. I saw a picture of a woman's hands shriveled by the water she had waded in for hours, and I wanted to reach out and paint them orange. Bring a coating of tangerine to a grey sad day.

I joined the dry world watching with big tears, feeling genuine sadness and helplessness, making frantic donations to Red Cross, Salvation Army, taking big bags of blankets and toothpaste and books to local homeless shelters.  They said not to send things, just money but I needed something concrete to touch and carry from here to there. From me to them. I wanted to take the poverty and wave a magic wand. Perhaps this will force us to redistribute the wealth a little. Poverty is so unecessary. God's plan in the shape of a flood. Sounds familiar.

These human tragedies just spill over our lives like the water in Lake Ponchetrain squelched over New Orleans.  I was drowning too, but I could wake up.  So,  we all do what we can, from the places we know deeply.  And I do know women,  how to bring a smile to women affected by Katrina.

Beauty, grace, a mask for the tears. Lipstick. It came to me in a moment of inspiration when I was thinking to myself what I grab if there was a level 5 hurricane on its way from LA. I'd grab of course my dogs, my pictures, laptop, passport, my wedding ring (god knows why), a few special books and my lipstick. Yes, call it trivial, but I'd grab my makeup because well it just is me, it makes me feel good, it brightens my face, paint by number Margaret.

So, Operation Lipstick was launched - in true Microsoft fashion - my mission statement "a tube of lipstick for every women in every Katrina shelter".  My tactics - ask women I knew at work to bring in unused lipsticks, cosmetics kits, eye shadows, mascara, makeup bags and other face paints. A few emails, some buzz marketing, pleading visits to Nordstrom, Sephora and Macy's and da da...

THe response - amazing. The smiles priceless. I love this kind fo stuff - throwing my heart into sharing, inspiring, playing with the deadly serious matter of homelessness with a genuine smile and a tube of bright pink lipstick.

So, if you want to help the cause with a financial donation - go to www.redcross.org or www.mercycorps.org or www.salvationarmy.org or well you know where to go.  If you want to help support Operation Lipstick, contact me - margaretmanning@hotmail.com and together we'll bring some external beauty to women who have enough passion inside to light the entire world. A streak of lipstick, perhaps a kiss.

Ex In The City

I started Ex In The City (www.exinthecity.com ) about two years ago. It was really a kind of therapy for me as I tried to come to grips with a sad divorce. I wanted some context, some perspective on the incredible pain I was feeling and a roadmap for getting out of the darkness that I was experiencing. I had done a lot of work with Elizabeth Kubler Ross in the 80s and saw a similar pattern in the stages of death and the stages of life after divorce.  You go through the stages of EXile, EXpress, EXorcise, EXplore and EXhale.  It has evolved over time, and I have been approached by an agent to do a book..sounds like fun. The sEXy EX section and EXRated city guides for women are new. Its true all things do pass...

www.exinthecity.com

Blind Date with the World~

Twenty days and 22,000 miles. A trip of a lifetime, a scavenger hunt, a chance to get back into my body again after two years in my mind.  It all started when I got a phone call from Pamela FInmark, co-founder of the Great Escape Foundation, asking if I'd like to fill a cancelled space and go on a round the world trip for charity with a group of strangers, to places yet to be defined. The whole point of the trip was to 'trust strangers in strange lands' and to solve scavengers and puzzles and the itinerary unfolded city by city. We really didn't know where we were going from day to day - it was incredible.

I kept a travel blog and took thousands of pictures...here is the link http://travelsite.mytripjournal.com/margaretmanning

The day to day journal is here:

April 5th - Seattle, Washington

On April 15th, I leave LA for a journey around the world for charity! The Great Escape Foundation which supports great causes like Doctors without Borders,UNICEF, Mercy Corps and CARE, is sponsoring my "Blind Date with the World". I don't know where I will be going from day to day, but this global scavenger hunt will take me to at least ten different countries across four continents. At each destination I solve travel riddles, cultural clues and cryptic passages, leading me and my teammate to Lost Cities, sacred sites, cultural festivals, bustling bazaars, ancient ruins and exotic eateries. All I know is that we will visit China and India since I had to secure visas in advance.

April 15th, Seattle, WA

Seattle sky is blue grey and rain on the way. What's new? My house is incredibly still, almost unreal with my two chihuahuas Sky and Chica tucked safely away at the Downtown Dog Lounge, an "urban retreat" for dogs as it is marketed. Between "yappy hours" (I kid you not) and "chihuhua fiestas" every month, they have been promised pride of place in the "anxiety room" reserved for little dogs whose owners decide to leave them for 3 weeks and go spinning round the world on a blind date - Seattle to Los Angeles is where I find myself teetering today. Alaska flight something, leaves at 10 am. I think I am going to have to get better at remembering flight numbers but this one is on familiar ground. Nervous, excited, ready to go~ I feel like I am getting back into my senses after 2 years of living in my mind and memories. Good to feel that tingle of fear as I embark on the unknown~

Hong Kong

LA was our launching pad. Full day at the Getty Museum where we did our first round of scavenges - an incredible place full of amazin manuscripts, precious art and stunning architecture. Labyrinths and cactii I learned a lot and met the other folks on the trip. Small group but fun, well travelled eccentrics all of them. Dinner at the Typoon restaurant complete with crickets and ants (fried) to get our palettes ready for what is to come.

At midnight we left for Hong Kong - 7231 miles and almost 15 hours in the air. It was a good flight. Time to settle down, get ready for the days ahead. Its 75 degrees, warm mist over the city. We are at the Island ShangriLa - beautiful hotel mear Pacific Mall and with a 16 story silk mural adorning the hotel lobby wall. QUite amazing. More later

China

Very quick update because its 2am and I'm shattered.We went by train to Shenzhen to this incredibly funky Chinese amusement park called Windows on the World ..like Disneyland and Epcot and Legoland with miniature reproductions of all the famous buildings in the world - really well done, but incredibly wierd to see a little miniature New York complete with intact World Trade Center Towers alongside the Taj Mahal and the Great Pyramids. It was warm around 80 degrees and we bought colorful umbrellas to keep out the sun - but they ended up being fun photo props (see attached). THen we took a train to Gunagdong on the chinese mainland looking for markets that sold cryptic medicines and herbs and live scorpions, turtles, fish, quail and totally unidentifiable things as well. Very long day, irrate taxi drivers, great food, beautiful vistas, train delays, surly customs men and woman- the typical things that make travel so much fun. More later...we leave tomorrow at 10pm for the next stop...India???

India

We leave at 10.55 tonight for New Delhi - Cathay Pacific,staying at the Oberoi...that's all I know :-) Have spent the last 12 hours running around HOng Kong like a maniac. More later when I have a second to breathe. Off to dinner and then the airport. I LOVE HOng Kong - want to come back soon - bet I'll say that another 9 times between now and May 8th....so many wonderful pictures today - children, pandas, skylines - strangers in a strange land. We havea free day on Sunday so I am planning to try to upload a few. Its been incredibly hot here in India - up in the high 90's so we are moving with extreme effort through our list of fabulous scavenges. Its pretty gruelling.

I have been to India several times, so this leg has an element of deja vu - but I am always carried away by the incredible passion and power of this country. People are just wonderful - truly generous and good hearted. We spent our first day in Delhi weaving through Chandi Chowk market trying to find Indian sweets, only to be turned back because of a collapsing building. Our rickshaw drivers were more upset than I us I am sure -we had them wanting us to win! The rest of the day was driving and walking anbd photographing Delhi's famous landmarks - India Gate, Parliament, Red Fort, Quatab Minar, - so much incredible architecture - almost overwhelming. The heat is the one and only challenge, and most of our team now have colds - but we go on :-)

Agra

Yesterday morning, we left Delhi at 5.45 am for Agra. The train is not luxury, but very comfortable and the tea was pretty amazing. Served in a little clay cup- an answer to the proliferation to plastic cups. The journey was filled with mapping out the plans for our next two days in Agra and Rajastan. We started of course at the Taj Mahal. Breathtaking. There are no words. Pictures, memories, I wandered around remembering other trips and feeling a deep sense of connection to this place. I have always absolutely adored India. One day I hope to live here.

It was so hot by now, by skin was peeling so we jumped in a taxi and went to the Keoladeo Nature Reserve and Bird Sanctuary and had the most amazing time weaving in a richshaw through the forest looking for birds and jackals and birds of all kinds - cranes, kingfishers, turtles, - it was really cool - actually hot, but we drank tons of water and managed to survive. The rest of the 3 hour drive to Jaipur was punctuated as you can imagine with road works, goats in the road, camel drawn wagons loaded up to the gills, and lorries with signs that said Blow Horn - and they did!!

Jaipur

We arrived in Jaipur last night and my dear friend Veena was here to meet me. It was so lovely to see her. She was in pink and looked just beautiful - like an oasis after a dust storm. Jaipur is fabulous and we are staying at the Trident Hotel - nothing as fancy as the RajVilas where we normally stayed as a family on our trips - but nice - just opposite the Jaipur Water Palace which is a special place for me.

So today - we "do" Jaipur - Amber Fort with the lovely Shesh Mahal (a chamber with beautiful mirrors on teh ceiling that reflect with the light of a match - magical), City Palace Museum, Palace, Baudi Chauper, Jantar Mantar Observatory, etc. We have a ton of scavenges to do - so more later.

Jaipur, the Pink City - always stunning. Always like going home. We arrived from Jaipur after a drive that really allows you to appreciate our roads back home - because absolutely nothing can be worse than the road from Agra to Jaipur. The hotel manager at the Oberoi told us (bobbing his head left to right) that "no problems' the road was very smooth. Now this must be a defintion of smooth that Iam not acquainted with :-) Boulders in the road, construction underway, people, camels, rickshaws, children playing in the caked mud roads, women carrying water bottles, milk, garbage, big bunches of grass, street stalls tumbling over with fresh fruit - banana yellow and lime green light - a blur as we whizzed by in our air conditioned taxi. Our driver spoke very little English, but like everyone in India, nothing is too much trouble. They are astounding. So we arrived in Jaipur around 10pm and my dear friend Veena was there to meet us. I have known her for years since my early trips to India with my family and my business Passion for India. She helped to source textiles, and we have truly been through a lot together - another story. Many many memories here - almost too much for me to deal with at times. We normally stayed at Raj Vilas - but this time the Trident - basic and clean.

The time in Jaipur was a bit of a blur - the scavenges led us to an elephant ride at the Amber Palace, with the spectacular Sheesh Mahal - a room of glass mosaic that shimmers when a candle is lit, the Palace of Winds - a beautiful facade for the maharajas wives to view processions, Jantar Mantar, the spectacular observatory around 1700 I believe, we went to the Maharajas cenotaphs, a collection of small marble buildings - Gaitor I think it was called. Then to the City Museum where artisans are now able to show there wares - there is a very progressive Maharaja in Jaipur today - interesting he is the 39th generation of maharajas - but did not have a son - his daughter to complicate things married a non Indian (shock) but they had a son who the kind adopted in order to have a son to carry on the lineage. Very interesting.

The market visit was amazing. Imagine 110 degree weather looking for bindis and bangles and shawls and shoes, pottery and kohl. We finally made it on time to the station where we caught the 5.45 train back to Delhi - 4 hours punctuated by little food trays - on the hour for 4 hours. First tea and cookies, then soup and crackers,then full dinner, then dessert - and this was in coach! All great food believe it or not.

The train station at 11pm was typical Indian madnesss - hardly an inch between cars, much honking, screaming, the sounds and smells overwhelming. My teammates for this trip were Trevor from Seattle - and incredible young guy who inherited some money when his mother sadly died in an accident when he was only 14 - you can't imagine a more sensitive, intelligent, thoughtful person - and he could have gone in so many other directions. Deborah is from San Francisco - she has two young boys 12 adn 9 I think - she is a hoot - I still can't read her face - she is sterm looking but loving. She is my roomate - talk about getting to know strangers in a strange land. Melissa is about Trevor's age - she is a musician (violin) from Toronto. She is struggling with her own paradigms, this is truly a trip for transformation.

Oh yes, did I mention I have a bad cold?:-) Today we finish our Delhi scavenges and then off to ?

Delhi

Last full day in Delhi - many scavanges to unravel and places to visit. We hired a taxi driver who spoke great English - without the subtleties of culture - but he knew a hell lot more English than I know Hindi (my skills amount to namaste, dhanyavad, ek chai and nai). So first to the Janna Mishad (sp?) a beautiful old mosque in a very poor neighborhood. Mosques are always a little strange for me because I do not totally understand the religion or the context - so we enjoyed the architecture and sense of peace. Looking for alto sax's in an Indian music store brought amused smiles. Ghandi Museum was next - and of course the RajGhat where he, Indira and Rajiv Ghandi are also buried. Kennedyesque. Lots of school kids, good tradition. My favorite stop was the National Museum. We had to find an illustration of Lord Krisha stealing the clothes of the Gopis - and of course it was no where to be found. After 30 minutes of searching, we discovered it was in fact in a book which was kept behind lock and key in the office of one of the professors who worked there. He turned out to be a wily, toothless little man with bouncing energy and an infectious smile. He showed us the book giggling all the time - explainging that most people take it the wrong way because the gopis are naked - but that its all about god and the love of the divine. He was so sweet and even let us take pictures of this miniature book.

Then we went down to the canteen in the museum and for 16 rupees which is around 30 cents, Deborah and I had a full lunch - veg curry, dahl, rice, puri and chai. 15 cents each. And it was delicious as well!!!!

Then to Quatar Mintar - the tallest mintar in India - built on the site of a Hindu complex it was a real hodge podge of architectural design. Really pretty and really hot. Got up to around 100 again yesterday. Then Dilli Haat Market where I sucumbed and bought a small Rajastan puppet with the wierdet face and a cotton top. Oh yes, some bindis too. Last night we had dinner at the Sheraton - Baracca Restaurant - supposed to be one of the best. The food was ok. I had a terrible cold so the the chef's efforts were wasted on me.

Good sleep - massage and manicure this morning, ice coffee by the pool, email and letters, journal and newspaper and then I am off again in 6 hours to who knows where...

Dubai

Quick 8 hours - saw so much - rode a camel, swam in the Arabian Sea (well dipped my feet :-) lots of s-h-o-p-p-i-n-g (hard to avoid) and saw the sites - mosque, fabulous vistas, - much more later - but I am off to Cairo!!!

Started the morning on the beach - at the Ritz Carlton where I had stayed a few years ago in another lifetime - wandered the beach until I found camels to ride. The beach was white glowing sand - in the high 90's the blue and white beach chairs looked lonely. There were actually very few people on the beach, probably because of the sadhu like torture you had to undertake to manuever across the hot plates of sand. Still undetered the intrepid travelers scavenged on, catching the hotel bus into town to the Gold and Spice souks (markets) buying bracelets and cinammon and checking out the prices for mysterious chunks of gooey stone, frankensense, myrrh, mysterious flowers of the desert.

Lunch across in an abba (sp?) boat and lunch and another sheeshwa (pipe) getting to be a real professional smoker here - I had better stop soon :-) An assortment of pastries and sweets and fantastic coffee rounded off the morning. The afternoon was spent visiting hotels underconstruction - "The World" is a new development - a series of manmade islands that represent all teh countries in the world, and which will be built off the coast of Dubai along with the Palms an equally extravagant island construction . Does the phrase "otentatious display of surperfluous wealth" come to mind :-) Seriously, I'm just jealous ....

Egypt

Unbelievable. Have never been to Egypt so this is an incredible, special treat.
I just cannot describe the SCALE of the pyramids - just astounding and magical. We went to the sound and light show last night - very British Raj. Today we are off to another one of the seven wonders of the world - Alexandria - where the famous library is...its right on teh Mediteranean so should be a lovely day. There was tons of security in Cairo yesterday because Mubarek and Putin were in town - but we had a great time in the bazaar, smoking hookahs (apple tobacco of course) and running around the museum, boat trip on the Nile etc. Felt like an Egyptian princess. The Oberoi where we are staying overlooks teh pyramids - tonight off to Sufi dancing and then a camel ride to the Pyramids tomorrow - also to Memphis - not Tennesee - much more and pictures later - its 4am and I am off to catch a train :-)

I have fallen in love with Camels. We went off yesterday to the pyramids on camel-back. My little one was Whiskey who was just the most adorable thing. That perspectgive on the Pyramids is quite astounding. There are no words as you approach the three amazing structures looming above - 5000 years old - just amazing. The saying is that "man fears time, but time fears the pyramids' and I can see why. There is an intensity in the air that is almost palpable. I love the desert, the wind, the smells, the rugged sense of space. I would love to do a desert tour one day - sleeping under the desert sky. Another time.

On to Istanbul - we arrive at 6am for a day of scavenges - hoping for a Turkish bath or two.

Istanbul

Arrived at 6am - Turkish Air flight that left Cairo at 4am. Very bumpy, very crowded, very old plane, very scared :-) Seriously we made it - beautiful Swiss Hotel which is coincidentally where I stayed almost exactly 2 years ago when I was here on my own. What's that saying by TS ELiot - "We shall not cease from exploration and at the end of all our exploring, we find ourselves back where we started, but know the place for the first time". True.

Off for the day of scavenges. Its raining, no more than 60 degrees, just a little different than Cairo.....will be a fun day though...more later with pics

Prague

Arrived in Prague yesterday mid day. Istanbul was fabulous, I really love that city. It was May 1st (May Day) so we were expecting demonstrations for European Labor Day. After the bombings in Cairo that happened just a day after we left, I felt very aware of the tenuous peace in the world and how carefree we have been in walking up to total strangers, asking for help, trusting in their kindness. We went to Hagia Sofia in the morning, a drizzly day that transformed into a blue sky, bright light kind of day as we came out. The crowds of tourists in Istanbul were very noticeable, not many American or even British accents - lots of German, French and Italian visitors. Sofia is a magnificant structure - still under construction inside - but the stunning peace of the place is awe inspiring. Dashing to the Cistern (1001 columns underground) and a few last minute scavenges, we headed off to the Dolmache (spelling is wrong sorry) Palace right near the Swiss Hotel - apparantly there were politicians from Iraq and other Middle East countries visiting, so security was iron tight, and we just managed to squeeze a few pictures before being directed away by police carrying machine guns, very big machine guns.

So, off to the airport and Prague. I was here almost exactly a year ago - fulfilling a dream then. Again, its sheer magic and architectural beauty stuns me every time. We had dinner in a cool restaurant in the Castle Grounds (specialty being suckling pig and vienna schnitzel (god my spelling is bad! :-)) We talked as a team for hours, drank and enjoyed a relaxing night. The team is small - only 11 people I think - and they are all total characters in one way or another. More later but for now, I am happy that I met each and every one of them - all added something to my life and in some cases shone a mirror of what I want to be and others what I don't ever want to become. So..the journey was as much about my own growth - travel always is.

Parting Ways in Prague

This morning the teams left on their European scavenges which will take them by train to Krakow, Poland, Vienna, Austria and finally Budapest before they head to NYC on Friday. I am off to London to meet up with my two sons Nathan and James and then to go with them to Dubrovnik, Croatia for the last week of my vacation. Nathan is already in London, James is winging his way from Fukoaka, Japan where he has been with his new girlfriend Yuko for the past month. He is living in Scotland now and since I haven't seen him in several months, it will be just wonderful to be together for 5 days as a family.

Will post lots of pictures - right now I am in the airport lounge stealing internet time :-) on a shared computer. Flying Easy Jet to Gatwick - hope the wings stay on....

Dubrovnik, Croatia

Today I am in Dubrovnik, with my sons Nathan and James. Had a prior arrangement with the global scavenger hunt team that I would leave them in Prague to go take this special trip with my sons. It was so great to be all together as a family again since its been almost three years since we have had this opportunity and almost 5 months since James moved to Scotland. They are both doing incredibly well after the challenges of the past couple of years, life is once again fully enegergising us all with postitive dreams and energy. So Dubrovnik, a medieval walled city that takes your breath away. They call it Bath of the Balkans a really pristine jewel, clean sparkling and full of tourists...not many from the states but lots of Brits, Germans and Italians. The town is entirelz yellow limestone, the roofs teracotta. The architecture is spectacularlz medieval, apparantly a lot rebuilt after a dramatic earthquake in the 1600s. We are staying at teh Excelsior hotel in the Bernard Shaw suite ' not sure if teh great man ever stayed here, but it overlooks the sea wall and has two balconies that are perfect for late night coffee and viewing.

In town the main street Placa is known as the Stradum and is a beautiful wide promenade littered with little cafes and wandering visitors. The pavement is polished marble and slipppery and shiny in the sun which has been shining since we arrived. There is a 17th century cathedral and museums, churches and steep alleys that creep up from the main plaza, tree lined and incrediblz scenic. Across from our room with a view is Lokrum, a wooded island - uninhabited I believe except for a Benedictine monestary. The brochure says it is covered with pines and peacocks and a nudistik beach - on the schedule for sure. We hope to go to the island of Hvar which we are told is spectacular as well as Korkula, a nearby island which is the birthplace of Marco Polo. So much history here, and incredible beauty. The war with Yuogoslavia in the earlz 90s is a memory now and tourism is returning. I know I will..

Cities on Seven Hills

My dream is to one day visit all 34 cities in the world built on seven hills. If you are interested I actually wrote a book on the subject Seven, published by 1st Books which discusses the mysterious number seven from a historical, mythological and religious perspective. Seven~ days of the week, chakras, Islamic heavens, seas, continents, musical scale, colors in a rainbow, deadly sins, virtues, not to mention seven year itch, dwarves, seven steps to just about everything from self empowerment to learning spanish. Seven is an amazing number that does somehow seem to be programmed into our psyche. Anyway, I digress. Cities on seven hills - my obsession and dream. So far I have visited Bath, Seattle, Istanbul and Prague. Just 30 to go!! Lisbon, Rome, Moscow, Rio, Tallahasee, Cincinatti - the list goes on!!

Anyway, travel is another one of my passions in life and since finding myself in a state of "ex" decided to take the EX and transform it to EXtraordinary ~ and just for it. A city a year and I figure I'll be in Kampala, Uganda when I am in my 70's. Or, I can just take a year and do them all at once!! We'll see.

In researching my possible world excurison - I came across so many wonderful websites that offer women's tours...so here they are in case anyone is interested. No personal recommendations - you can just check them out yourself...

SAILING ESCAPES FOR WOMEN
MIND OVER MOUNTAINS~ THOUGHT PROVOKING ADVENTURES
GUTSY WOMEN TRAVEL
BOOTS ADVENTURE TOURS
WILD WOMEN EXPEDITIONS
ENERGIZE YOUR FEMININE FIRE IN HAWAII
SACRED JOURNEY RETREATS
EXPLORE IRELAND AND THE GODDESS WITHIN
EXPLORE WITH ADVENTUROUS WENCH
TRAVEL GALORE CATERS TO WOMEN OF ALL AGES
WOMEN'S RIGHTS HISTORY TOUR -- A BICYCLE EXPEDITION
WOMANTOURS OFFERS WOMAN-ONLY BICYCLE TOURS
SCOTLAND - GOLF VACATIONS FOR WOMEN
THE FRENCH ARTIST WORKSHOP
MENOPAUSAL TOURS
ADVENTURES IN GOOD COMPANY
CANYON CALLING, ADVENTURES FOR WOMEN
LIFE DISCOVERY TOURS
SHERI GRIFFITH RIVER EXPEDITIONS
WALKINGWOMEN
ADVENTUREWOMEN, INC
CARIBBEAN TRIPS FOR WOMEN
WITHOUT A MAN TOUR IN YUCATAN
TRAVEL WITH MARINER TOURS
A WOMAN & MONEY WORKSHOP IN MEXICO
CITY WOMEN TO VILLAGE WOMEN IN FIJI
NURTURE THROUGH NATURE
PARISWOMAN
EUROSTYLE TOURS
SIDE TRIPS
SACRED JOURNEYS FOR WOMEN

I figure if I just do all these tours I'll eventually get to my 34 cities ~ in the meantime I dream...

Sockless In Seattle

It's been a long cold spring. We've had drizzle and snow and rain - which you'd expect in Seattle. We've also witnessed big bright skies and the occasional rainbow which is definitely not in the normal Seattle scenic scrapbook. Summer is coming and the tourists are arriving at Pike's Market. The "Duck" is starting its daily tours and the booming sound of Louie Louie rocks my apartment down by the waterfront. Life is shining.

The light over my Queen Anne Hill was quite stunning tonight as I snuggled up on my big red sofa, mug of steaming Yorkshire tea and a sinfully high carb high calorie cookie. Who cares. Aktins is not in the supporting cast of my life as I reinvent my world after a sad divorce. My little puppy Chica, a chubby blue chihuahua, is like a furry psychic. Each night she chooses a book from my collection to chew. She sends me messages with her selection. I have tried to explain the concept of 'no', but she just tilts her head, big ears almost tipping her over. Her little pea brain just whirls around in a spiral and she smiles back. She looks at me with those big eyes and says in her unique way ~ "ok, you may be higher on the evolutionary scale than me oh wise one, but I can chew books and snuggle with my furry monkey, eat chicken and watch tv all day. You, on the other hand, have to do this thing called 'work' and spend an inordinate amount of time talking on this black thing with a twisty cable (that probably tastes really good)!

I watch you cry, I hear you pacing around before the sun comes up. I listen to your heart beating and wish I could hug you because you just seem so sad. Trust me, she says, chewing a book in my little mind is a lot more fun. Even spiritual. Anyway, I digress. Tonight she chose The Great Railway Bazaar by Paul Theroux, which now has cute little teeth marks all across the top. A sign! I love trains. Always wanted to go on the Orient Express. Istanbul, Venice, Vienna, Paris, London. One day. So, I am starting to pack for my trip around the world, a trip I will take "one day". I have packed 4 bras, a slinky black dress, a snuggly nightdress, a handful of euros, some coloring pencils, a journal and Berlitz guides for Prague, Lisbon and Bejing. I am sockless but hopeful in Seattle.

Verve is a Verb

Welcome to my weblog. If you have stumbled across it by chance~ Welcome. Who knows why one starts writing a blog. For me, it is an attempt to put some structure to a rather chaotic life. The omnipotent "they" always say that if you put your intentions and dreams into writing, nature will support you achieve your goals. So, I guess that's what I am doing - putting my intention and desires into writing, hoping that my tiny voice is being heard at some level by that mysterious power that guides our spirit in its journey towards meaning.

I also wanted to create this weblog for my family and friends. As I travel the world, which is my passion and desire, I want to be able to keep an online journey to share my journey and lessons..my life as a verb. The turning point was 911. How did that change your life? I can't begin to say how it changed mine. It affected my husband so intensely that he decided that after 18 years, life would be richer and fuller without me. Devastating at the time, but now I feel a strong and vibrant positive release for us both.

So I move on, reinventing myself from absolute ground zero.

I absolutely love the word "verve". Vigor, Spirit, Style, denoting special talent in writing. I came across the word a few years ago for the first time when a very dear friend of mine attended the funeral of one of the nameless people who were on the flight that was turned into a weapon of attack against the Pentagon on September 11. This lady, who had worked for the National Geographic for years, was taking a group of young schoolchildren on a cultural trip. Just another one of those tragic stories that never surfaced to the level of press attention. Just another sad loss of a brave women and some little children. Anyway, I guess at her funeral, most of the Geographic staff were there, and one person got up and said "It's typical of Jane (not real name) that she would bow out this way in order not to have to deal with her 40th birthday!! She was a woman with passion and verve".

Verve. A word that is one I'd like to have read at my funeral. That along with compassion, gutsy, loving, passionate, classy, authentic, truthful and curious. Verve is actually defined by the dictionary as a noun, but I feel it is a verb. It is an action word that finds its expression in acting out the qualities it embodies....vigour, spirit and style. In my life so far, I have focused on being nouns...mother, wife, friend, worker, helper and now its time to start living like a VERB. The second half of my life, as I embark on my journey around the world will be one heavy on the action words, those descriptions of myself that tell something of my energy, enthusiasm and excitement about the vitality of the precious gift of life...not the static, bounded descriptions of what my inner organizer says a woman or wife or mother embodies. I am active. Free. I am like the wind. There is no moment that I am only a noun. I am a verb.

A new website www.exinthecity.com is my latest venture - helping women move from "EX" to EXtraordinary! as they redefine their lives after the breakup of a relationship. Share your journey ~ come visit!