I love cemeteries. I know that sounds strange, but I do. Cemeteries spark my imagination — the lives lived, the history interred.
That said, it is not often that we seek out a graveyard. Usually we stumble upon them hidden away.
Not the case with La Recoleta Cemetery in Buenos Aires, it should be considered a must-see by any visitor to the…CONTINUE READING >>
I love cemeteries. I know that sounds strange, but I do.
Cemeteries spark my imagination – the lives lived, the history interred.
The variations of markers, stark and utilitarian — or ornate and sometimes gaudy — all combine to create an intense, reverent, and moving experience.
That said, it is not often that we seek out a graveyard. Usually we stumble upon them hidden away.
Not the case with La Recoleta Cemetery in Buenos Aires, it should be considered a must-see by any visitor to the Argentine capital.
We entered the cemetery through the giant gates that open into a wide path that serves as the main boulevard through the maze of
mausoleums.
It felt like we had wandered into an unbelievably ornate miniature city, complete with its own skyline.
We meandered through beautifully manicured streets with cobblestones underfoot and lamps to light our way through the departed.
Porches, windows and doors seemed to invite me in, made me want to see more of how the residents lived.
The cemetery and surrounding neighborhood were named for the monks of the Order of the Recoletos, meaning Recollections, who built the adjacent church, Our Lady of Pilar (Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Pilar), in 1732.
Oddly, the cemetery bearing their name wasn’t established until after the monks had been expelled from the country in 1822.
By that time the neighborhood of Recoleta had become one of the city’s most affluent areas and the cemetery soon became the final resting place of choice for most of Argentina‘s rich, famous, and powerful people.
Many of the country’s presidents, as well as business tycoons, artists, boxers, and even one of Napoleon’s grandchildren is interred here.
But the most famous resident would be Eva Perón.
Instead of trying to negotiate our way around using signs and maps, we used the old hang-around-the-periphery-of-a-tour-group-to-overhear-vital-information method.
So by circling around a group of loud, American businessmen we easily found the noteworthy tombs, including the surprisingly understated resting place of former first lady, in the Familia Duarte tomb. If it weren’t for the crowd, the flowers and our covert eavesdropping, we would have never known Evita was there.
I spent the rest of the day delving deeper, in a trance, absorbing details with my camera.
We exited through the church, where I found some interesting tributes to Jesus Christ. The depictions struck me as quite unique, an excellent description for the entire day.
Turning fifty sucks, but there is a silver lining!
Not gonna lie, turning fifty was not our favorite thing in the world. Not even close.
Your GypsyNesters heroically sift through all the fabulous travel savings you receive — just by being “of a certain age” — so you have it at your fingertips.
Big thanks to AARP Members Advantage for providing us the opportunity to check out all the ways we can save on travel at the AARPLife@50+ Expo. As always, all opinions are our own.
Not gonna lie, turning 50 was not our favorite thing in the world. Not even close.
The thought of opening another birthday greeting only to find one of those yuk, yuk, yuk, incredibly hilarious look-you’re-so-old, you-turned-50 cards inside started to make us feel stabby.
A few years later, we feel safe being around knives again, but we have not fully embraced the idea.
We should have celebrated getting our AARP cards in the mail, but that consolation prize didn’t soften the blow much.
Sure it’s an American rite of passage — and we knew it was coming — but whipping out that card and asking for our “senior discount” seemed kind of cringe worthy.
We Boomers tend to shy away from calling attention to our proficiency in surviving numerous trips around the sun by using words like senior, old, geriatric, enfeebled, decripit or elderly. We even shun clever monikers like superannuated or PC terms like mature, skilled and along in years.
Personally, we’re quite vain about our labels (but at least we own our denial!).
Luckily, with the magic of the Internet we can instead cyber-whip out the old AARP card, save some serious travelin’ green, and never have to hand our card to some snarky young whippersnapper.
Prepare to be amazed by all the ways we found to save on travel at the AARPLife@50+ Expo in Miami!
Get Outta Town!
We always start our trip planning at the AARP Travel Center where we always save a bundle on airfare. Further bundles are saved by bundling flight, hotel and car rental.
There is a best price guarantee, but we usually dig for better airfares anyway – and have never found a lower fare elsewhere.
We’ve found the interface extremely easy to use, but have also taken advantage of the no-service-fees 800 number with a cheery expert on the other end of the line.
If you prefer the ease of a full-service travel agency (yes, they do still exist!) then Liberty Travel is at your service.
Liberty offers great discounts and perks to AARP members by phone, online, and at their offices all over the United States.
Road trip!
Want to take off on a Great American Roadtrip?
Many well-vetted rental car companies offer discounts to those of us of a certain age.
Vacations By Rail has put together some amazing train trips in our great big world’s most stunning locations – and we rail aficionados benefit greatly by whipping out our discount cards.
Let’s cruise!
Want to see the world by water?
There are so many ways to cruise – and whether you like the big bohemoths with all the bell and whistles aboard, luxury ships with all the pampery touches, adventure cruises or rolling down a lazy river – there’s savings waiting for you, just because you’ve had a bunch of birthdays.
GypsyNester Tip: Cruises make great multi-generational trips!
Finding a place to crash
While discovering discounts at the AARP Expo in Miami, we stayed at The Palms – it was fabulous! Should you want to stay at The Palms as well, use the code DISCAARP for a 7% discount when you book online.
GypsyNester Tip: Travel in the off-season for even deeper discounts on hotels.
Strapping on the ole feed bag
In Miami, we ate seafood until we couldn’t anymore at the Oceanaire Seafood Room. They offer a 10% discount if you whip out your card – so don’t be too vain to ask!
The possibilities are endless – from fine dining to the most casual of casual eating experiences (free donuts!)- you’re covered with AARP Membership Discounts.
Big thanks to AARP Members Advantage for providing us the opportunity to check out all the ways we can save on travel at the AARPLife@50+ Expo. As always, all opinions are our own.
YOUR TURN: Did you learn anything new? Have you any tips for us? Where’s the first place you’ll cyber-whip your card?
That’s just fantasy stuff, right? The kind of thing we only see in movies, or magic shows. Not true.
There is a place where floating in midair, and doing it at 200 miles per hour, is not only possible, it happens every day… CONTINUE READING >>
Ever think it might be fun to levitate?
But that’s just fantasy stuff, right? The kind of thing we only see in movies, or magic shows. Not true, there is a place where floating in midair, and doing it at 200 miles per hour, is not only possible, it happens every day… many times.
Shanghai would be that place, and while the city has attracted travelers from around the world for centuries, those of us lucky enough to visit in the 21st century get the chance for a ride, suspended in air, on the fastest train in the world.
Instead of rolling on rails, the train floats, or levitates, on a magnetic field. That’s where it gets its name, Maglev, short for magnetic levitation.
When we were visiting Shanghai and heard about this seemingly magic machine, naturally we were on our way.
A short jaunt on a traditional subway train took us to the Shanghai Transrapid Station, and a ride into the future. A nineteen mile trip to the Pudong International Airport that can take as little as eight minutes.
First thing we noticed about The Maglev was the completely different look of the “track” the train runs on.
Made of concrete, and up on pillars, it looks a lot like a monorail. Of course it’s not really a track at all, since the train doesn’t touch it.
Called a guideway, it is lined with electromagnetic coils, and the force that pushes two magnets apart lifts the train as it glides along.
The next thing to catch our eye was the train itself. Talk about a bullet train, this thing looks more like an airplane. And the inside is just as sleek as the aerodynamic outside.
As we moved out of the station, rapidly picking up speed, we watched the readout above the door indicating our acceleration. On our run to and from the airport The Maglev made it up to 301 kilometers per hour, just short of 200 miles per hour.
This was actually a bit slow, often it will reach speeds of over 250 mph, and has set a record speed of 501 km/h, or 311 mph, on a test run.
But it certainly felt plenty fast, especially when we passed the train going the opposite direction at a combined speed of over 600 kilometers per hour. That mind blowing jolt came completely unexpectedly, the first time anyway, and sitting next to the window was the cause of at least one missed heartbeat.
WATCH: The Maglev is CRAZY fast!
On the return trip we were ready, or tried to be, but the blast of air, and the sound, was still shocking when our twin train blazed by.
We’re not sure if that sort of shockwave is something that can ever become commonplace.
Safely back at the Transrapid Station, we had time to check out the train a little closer.
Our inspection turned up an example of what happens when an object meets a windshield at two hundred miles per hour. It definitely leaves a mark.
We’re not sure how often these windows need to be replaced, but perhaps we should be surprised it doesn’t happen every trip.
What does happen every trip is a magnetic miracle producing the fastest ride most humans will ever experience this close to the ground.
We may never look at refrigerator magnets the same again.
Watch what happens when the train going in the other direction passes – WOW!.. enlarge video >>
We boarded the Maglev, short for magnetic levitation, train for a ride on the fastest train in the world.
Instead of rails the train floats, or levitates, on a magnetic field. China is a pioneer in this technology. While on our run out to the airport The Maglev *only* made it up to 301 kilometers per hour, just short of 200 miles per hour, but it has obtained a record speed of 501 km/h (311 mph) on a test run.
The uber-talented Sundance veteran Anne Flournoy of The Louise Log fame produced this hysterical 50-second short on her experience of reading Going Gypsy!
Considering that I have now jumped out of an airplane at 10,000 feet in Australia and paraglided off the sea cliffs of Lima, Peru, one would think that I would have no fear of sailplaning.
I had about three-week’s notice before taking on this challenge, and with that buffer between the now and the future of it, I only had a happy excitement looking forward.
I didn’t even lose a wink of sleep the night before.
I knew the basics; I was going up in a motorless airplane, said plane would be dragged into the air by another plane – one with a motor – by a rope of some sort, then at some point the cord would be cut.
Normally, that would scare the bejeezus out of me, but it didn’t.
Until it did.
You can’t make these things up!
We arrived at the mountaintop airfield where our pilot, Steve, proclaimed it a perfect day for soaring. I didn’t know about the soaring part, but from my end, it was a perfect day for anything.
It was a flat-out gorgeous spring morning in Horseheads, New York (real name, not making it up!) with bold blue skies full of clouds that told stories.
We had a bit of time to wait before our flight, so David and I sat atop the picnic table behind the main building of Harris Hill Soaring and watched the goings on.
Where are David’s legs?! Where will Steve’s legs go?
That‘s when I freaked out.
For starters, the planes (both the motorless and motorful) were tiny, so tiny that I couldn’t figure out how the pilots were stuffing their legs into the sailplane.
Claustrophobia was rearing its head.
My tipping point came when I noticed that a sailplane can’t sit upright on its own wheels.
Every landing ended with a wing plopping down on the ground.
For some reason, this really shook me.
But I was determined (people do this every day and do not die… people do this…) to do some fear conquering. So when Steve was ready for me, I took a deep breath and heroically strode forced one foot in front of the other to the microscopic plane and went for it.
After a brief safety session (don’t touch anything!), I climbed aboard (in the front seat!) and Captain Steve lowered the glass top and instrument panel over me. Everything below my knees disappeared.
Note the sideways lean, the wing is on the ground!
With a tug, we were moving down the shockingly short runway — the end of which was a cliff at the edge of the mountain — fast approaching… aaaaaaand we’re up!
Watch: An unbelievably beautiful experience. And, yes, also scary. Of course, I get in my usual goofy “fear questions” between gasps and panic peeps.
Tow plane working hard to get us in the airGetting in position to let go of the tow plane – exhilarating!
As we sailed, Steve patiently answered my fear questions.
Do you or does the other pilot cut the cord? I do and it’s released, not cut. But it can be cut in case of emergency.
You guys don’t have a radio and aren’t communicating via voice? No we are a team and my job is to stay behind him and keep his wings on the horizon.
What’s causing that sideways scoot? We are between two thermals.
Is my head too big? Can you see around it? No answer.
And much, much more. Watch the video if you don’t believe me. 😉
A poorly executed selfie turned out to be a really cool shot of Captain Steve!
Steve explained to me the dynamic of how a sailplane stays aloft.
Cool nights and warm days create temperature differences that cause air to rotate in thermal columns.
A glider pilot will capture a thermal to gain altitude. There’s a lot of spinning around with the air during this process, with a surprising little amount centrifugal force.
On a perfect day like the one we had, we could soar until nightfall (though I’m guessing the bathroom facilities aboard are primative). It crossed my mind to ask what would happen if we stayed in a thermal for too long, but I chickened out.
When we caught an especially good thermal Steve told me “now we’re soaring just like an eagle.”
The eagle analogy worked for me and I settled into a peaceful mindset. Once I stopped freaking out I found the motorless quiet calming, and was able to observe how much more smooth the flight was than in any other aircraft I’ve ridden.
High above the Chemung River – the blues and greens are spectacular!
In eagle mode, I soaked in the stunning scenery as we chased the blue and green Chemung River, looked out over farms and pasture land (baby lambs!) and viewed the Finger Lakes from a distance.I never wanted to come down.
There’s also a really cool museum on the grounds
After safely landing, David and I bid farewell to Captain Steve and walked over to the National Soaring Museum.
My favorite exhibit told the story of Eileen Collins.
Not only was she the first woman to pilot a space shuttle, but she was brave enough to command the first flight after the Columbia mission lost all seven astronauts aboard.
Ms. Collins found her inspiration to fly while growing up in the area and watching the sailplanes take off from Harris Hill.
She now gives back to her community by hosting aerospace camps every year at the museum and in turn inspires a new generation of aviation lovers.
As always, we were attracted to the odd stuff — this time scattered in amongst the beautifully restored sailplanes — our top picks being:
The Albatross. For some reason, someone decided to create a flying machine where the pilot must soar with his head out the window.
Talk about the wind in one’s hair and bugs in one’s teeth!
And an old General Motors pickup truck outfitted with a high-speed winch used to slingshot gliders into the air.
All in all, I liked Captain Steve’s method better.
An unbelievably beautiful experience. And, yes, also scary. Of course, Veronica gets in her usual goofy “fear questions” between gasps and panic peeps… See the whole story here >>
An unbelievably beautiful experience. And, yes, also scary. Of course, Veronica gets in her usual goofy “fear questions” between gasps and panic peeps… See the whole story here >>
