ONCE BEFORE I DIE: A TRAVEL WRITER’S BUCKET LIST

BY JANET STEINBERG

"There's a few more lonesome cities that I'd like to see, 

while the wine of wandering is still inside of me.”

Rod McKuen

“The Bucket List” was a 2007 movie with a plot that followed the terminally ill Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman as they traveled with a wish list of things to do before they "kicked the bucket".  As a young widow in the 1970s, I formed my own travel bucket list and have been scratching it off ever since.  My wanderlust gave me the opportunities that follow. Most of my list you can still do; two you can’t.  I sailed, and flew, two historic legends that no longer exist.  But the memory of those trips will last a lifetime.  So hop on my magic travel carpet, and fly with me as I show you some experiences that I have already checked off my bucket list.  I hope it inspires you to make your own bucket list. 

TAJ MAHAL: You cannot keep your enthusiasm down; you cannot keep your emotions within bounds when that soaring bubble of marble breaks upon your view.  At that moment, fantasy touched reality.  My dream was no longer a dream.  Standing before the reflecting pool in its idyllic Persian garden, my thoughts flashed to the romantic Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan who had built this tomb symbolizing the eternal beauty and purity of love for his wife.  I had to see the Taj at sunrise...when the first rays of dawn distinguished it from the night.  I had to see the Taj at sunset...when the pristine white marble became cool pearl and then warm mauve. For ever and ever the memory of my first distant glimpse of this divine poem in white marble will compensate me for traveling half way around the globe to have that great privilege.”

THE TAJ: THE WORLD’S MOST FAMOUS MONUMENT TO LOVE

SEARCHING FOR SENSATIONAL SCULPTURE

BY JANET STEINBERG

  

Back in the 1980s, when I first visited the Grand Bay Hotel in Coconut Grove, Florida I fell in love.  Not with a man, but with an outstanding sculpture.  I was mesmerized by ”WINDWARD”, the late Alexander Liberman’s red steel work of art soaring skyward in front of the Grand Bay Hotel.  From that moment on, I dreamed about what it would be like having a sculpture like that in front of my home.

ALEXANDER LIBERMAN’S “WINDWARD” AT GRAND BAY HOTEL IN COCONUT GROVE, FLORIDA

NEAT SEATS…AND WHERE TO PLOP ON THEM

BY JANET STEINBERG

My love affair with chairs began back in the 1980s when I spotted a Hanes hosiery ad with a gorgeous ballerina, hose-clad leg extended, and seated on a black leather chair with a single aluminum leg.  I later learned that the ballerina’s J. Serie Lang lounge chair was designed by a Frenchman named Philippe Starck, one of the most famous architect/designers in the world.  Next thing I knew, I was sipping coffee at the Café Costes in Paris, seated on a perfectly balanced and beautiful 3-legged chair.  Much to my surprise, I learned that the aforementioned Philippe Starck had also designed the cafe’s chairs.

Starck captured my interest me from that point on.  I no longer had to search for unusual tchotchkes in my travels.  I had a new mission…the search for unusual chairs.  As I began pursuing the world for more of Starck’s designs, I developed an obsession for all kinds of seats from chairs, settees, and chaise lounges, to pews, benches, and booths,  It no longer mattered who designed them, as long as they were interesting or fun.  Wherever, and whenever, I spotted a neat seat, I would not only learn about it and photograph it.   I would also plop down in it. 

Allow me to share some results of my global chair-affair that has been going on for decades.  And, what better place for me to begin than with the chair responsible for my fascinating search for neat seats?

PARIS, FRANCE/CAFÉ COSTES: Philippe Starck’s famous Café Costes chair, with its curved beech lacquered back and black leather cushion, was originally designed for the Café Costes in Paris. It was designed with three legs so that waiters at the cafe would not have as many legs to trip over.  This hip café is known for its traditional French cuisine and celebrity patrons.  

THE 3-LEGGED PHILLIPPE STARCK CAFE COSTES CHAIRS HAVE FOUND THEIR WAY INTO AMERICAN HOMES

BERLIN, GERMANY…AND THE WALL CAME TUMBLING DOWN

BY JANET STEINBERG

In November, Germany, and the world, will celebrate the 30^th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.  Overnight ‘The Fall of the Wall’ not only changed an entire nation, but it also changed the rest of the world. The reunification of Germany ended 28 years of terror that tore apart families, friends and neighbors.   A visit to Berlin reveals a rejuvenated city that is no longer divided…a free city that that is celebrating reunification and democracy…a city that has confronted its past and is forging ahead to the future.

FORMER BERLIN WALL…NOW THE EASTSIDE GALLERY

PORTUGAL: EMERGING HOT DESTINATION FOR 2019

BY JANET STEINBERG

BEWARE! FADO FEVER IS CATCHING. 

Fado is the national song of Portugal.  This melancholy singing expression of the state of the soul (from the Latin word fatum) signifies prophecy or fate…a life commended by the oracle…one that nothing can change. Wherever you may travel in Portugal, you will be mesmerized by the dialogue of emotions between a round Portuguese guitar and a sad voice singing fado. 

Come along with me as we tour Portugal, the country that borders the Atlantic Ocean on the west, Spain on the east, is one of the warmest countries in Europe, and is the country some predict will be one of the top travel destinations of 2019.  

LISBON: Bom dia (good day) is the friendly welcome you’ll receive as you arrive in Lisbon (Lisboa), the scenic capital city located on the banks of the Tagus River.  It has long been argued whether the Tagus River, a winding silver ribbon that mirrors the city, ebbs up to meet the city or whether Lisbon extends down to meet the river.  Whatever the case, the seven hills of Lisbon and the wide mouth of the Tagus form a perfect picture postcard that is illuminated by the extraordinary amount of light that is reflected off the massive expanse of the river.  Little wonder that the Tagus River is said to be a large natural mirror that amplifies the aurora of the sun. 

The Torre de Belem (Belem Tower), built in the year 1521, looks like a miniature castle on the banks of the Tagus River.  It was granted World Heritage status by UNESCO in 1983, and is one of the most popular attractions in Lisbon. 

BELEM TOWER ON THE BANKS OF THE TAGUS RIVER