Montpellier, France

From Paris we took the train down to Montpellier on the southern Mediterranean coast. Brian loves travelling by train and who doesn't love the convenience, comfort, and of course, the cost. It's so cheap to travel by train in Europe and everything works so efficiently.

We arrived in Montpellier and rented the smallest car on the planet and without a map or GPS or data download capabilities on our phones, we drove around the city trying to find our hotel. Whoever planned this part of our journey needs a travel refresher course. Maps are priceless. Anyway, we eventually found our hotel and well, to put it mildly, it was basic. We stayed three nights and it served its purpose. Afterall, coming to Montpellier wasn't necessarily about comfort, relaxation, or even touristy endeavors. We were here to investigate the Languedoc-Rousillon region of France as a potential locale to purchase a vacation home. According to our research, it ticked all of our boxes. Beaches, mountains, vineyards, big and small cities, beautiful countryside, etc. The reality is that after 3 days of driving to Carcassone, Narbonne, through the countryside, and up and down the Mediterranean coast, we realized that this wasn't the place for us. Not that there's anything wrong with Montpellier and the surrounds, it's just not what we're looking for. Alas, that's what this leg of the journey was all about and we considered it a successful few days because now we know to start looking elsewhere in France. We've already found the next region that we want to explore. Hint: it came to us one night while sharing a really nice bottle of Bordeaux wine. Stay tuned.

Another train and another city. We're off to Barcelona, Spain.

Paris, Part Trois

We had a week off from work in celebration of the Eid holiday on October 12 and spent it travelling around France and Spain. But because of the holiday in the Middle East and a school holiday taking place in most of Europe, flight and hotel prices were extremely high. Fear not loyal followers, we did not succumb to the astronomical prices being served up to us. We have become savvy travelers and used one set of air miles to book flights to Paris on Air France and another set of air miles to book our return tickets on Air Berlin from Barcelona. As for the hotels, we stayed in a total dive in Montpellier to bring our total trip per night room rate down to something within reason. Jessica was less than thrilled with our hotel choice in Montpellier (and its lack of any star rating), but sometimes you have to make travel sacrifices.

So, we began our journey in Paris. Two days in the best city in the world sounds perfect and romantic, right? Not so much. Jessica got a touch of a stomach flu en route and spent the better part of our time in Paris in the hotel bathroom. Without going into too much detail on that subject, we did venture out into the streets one day and took in some art exhibitions and had a lovely lunch at L'Avenue. We hit up a few of our favorite shops, but had to forgo most simply because we didn't have the time to do everything on our list.

No time for Parisian regrets, we're off to Montpellier, France.

Brian's US Visit

Brian ventured back home to Des Moines in September to visit family and to take care of some business in Kansas City. It was a short trip and unfortunately, he wasn't able to see everyone on his list.

 

The Failing of GNP Measurement

Gross national product does not allow for the health of our children, the quality of their education, or the joy of their play. It does not include the beauty of our poetry or the strength of our marriages; the intelligence of our public debate or the integrity of our public officials. It measures neither our wit nor our courage; neither our wisdom nor our learning; neither our compassion nor our devotion to our country; it measures everything, in short, except that which makes life worthwhile.

Robert F. Kennedy Address, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, March 18, 1968

Deepak Chopra - The Soul of Leadership

On September 18, 2013 Brian was invited to attend an all day lecture from Deepak Chopra on the Soul of Leadership. He was speechless when he returned home that night. It was apparently an amazing speech and quite enlightening. Deepak autographed one of Brian's books and inscribed it, "All the answers exist inside of you." Brian's ego didn't exactly need that kind of existential boost.

Five Ways of "Waking Up" Your Life

 

“When one realises one is asleep, at that moment one is already half-awake.” ― P.D. Ouspensky

Asleep at the wheel is an expression that can too easily become an accurate description of how we move through our days and show up in our relationships. Our senses become dulled and we don’t smell or taste what we consume, we hurry through the simple practices of hygiene never feeling our hands running across our own bodies in washing. It’s no wonder that so many sex lives turn into a rut of repetitive actions enclosed with ever narrowing boundaries of acceptable.  Breaking out of our own internal prisons is a bold act of revolution and whether it applies most to your work, your relationships or your sex life the following list of tips practiced consistently will shake your internal chains free and wake you up to a life that will surprise you.

1.     Take risks. Living on the edge of our own comfort zones is prerequisite to both truly appreciating what you have and opening up to new possibilities. Not knowing what might happen next is edgy, and in many ways, more exciting than watching a scary movie because the consequences are yours. The rising popularity of reality TV shows reflects an unquenched desire in most of us to dare to be great. You can start small — maybe try a new kind of food or going to a new place to grocery shop. Placing yourself in the midst of not knowing what will happen next wakes you up to what you do know.

2.     Move your body. The statistics on the number of people who are relatively stationary even in sex is appalling. How we learn about whom we are in the most primary way from the time we are born is through our ability to move. Little babies spend their entire waking life reaching beyond their capacity to experience the world. Tap into that little baby still living somewhere inside you and be willing to risk the physical discomfort of arduous exercise, longer walks and new sexual positions. Truly the pain associated with using your body fully is way more interesting than the slow atrophy of sitting on a couch.

3.     Use your senses. Be deliberate about learning more about your capacity to see, hear, feel, smell and taste. Adopt an attitude of savoring, which will add at least a couple of moments to every sensory experience. Look at colors around you and imagine what it would be like to paint them. Start listening for the subtle noises around you; it will entrain you to hear the quieter voice in your own mind. Take the time to taste the individual ingredients when you cook. Slow down the eating process and linger over a single bite. Smell the air where you are. Try to remember the last time you smelled a summer evening just like this one. Really feel how it feels to have a hand trace slowly up your back. Stay longer in a hug and feel the weight of someone leaning into you.

4.     Build Better Habits. We are what we do every day. Choose to be challenged by your daily activities, which could be argued goes against human nature, but also elevates our human nature to our best selves. Developing daily practices that heal us become the framework for everything else that happens to us. Add a few minutes of meditation- any kind of meditation- to your days and be amazed how turning your attention inward focuses all the noise around you. Exercise routines that become habitual are harder to break and the sense of accomplishment associated with strengthening the body travels into everything else that happens.

5.     Make Love More. Any kind of love. Explore and expand the pleasure centers in your own body. Give things away. Pay full attention to whoever is interacting with you. Allow people to be who they are and take that permission for yourself. Feel the visceral truth of gratitude even for the smallest life experiences. Get over yourself and ask for more love. Look for the love coming at you every day. It will wake you up.

Boys Day Out

Greg and Brian took Jules out to celebrate his birthday a couple of weeks ago. What better way to celebrate than a boys day out on the waverunners and a trip to Al Maya Island for a few beers.

 

 

 

Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt

After a short 1 hour plane ride from Cairo, we landed in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. Sharm is located due east of Cairo on the Sinai Peninsula and is the holiday destination for most Egyptians. We would have never thought of Egypt as a relaxing, holiday destination, but Sharm El Sheikh is beautiful and peaceful.

We stayed at the The Ritz Carlton on the Red Sea. The trick we learned from friends that have stayed there before us is to upgrade to the Club Level Rooms to take advantage of the free food and drink. It was a great deal, good food, and lots of beer and wine!

The reason we went to Sharm in the first place was because the Red Sea is considered to be the second best diving site in the world, after the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. On our first day, we jumped into the sea and started snorkeling off the house reef. To our delight, we could see down at least 60 feet and all around us were beautiful coral reefs and schools of tropical fish. It was literally breathtaking.

We spent most of our 3 days in Sharm snorkeling and scuba diving. On Friday we went out on a dive boat to Ras Mohammed National Park and dove at several sites. Brian saw an old shipwreck from the late 1800's that was carrying porcelain bath tubs and toilets. The area around the shipwreck was covered with toilets. Can you imagine the photo possibilities (if we had a proper underwater camera - next time).

Sharm El Sheikh is extremely beautiful and the Red Sea is a divers dream. Flights from Abu Dhabi are easy and the accommodation is inexpensive. It's definitely on the list to return.

 

 

 

 

Cairo, Egypt

Believe it or not, now is the perfect time to visit Egypt. More or less. We expected the protesting and violence to erupt on June 30 and saw a window to take a trip to Cairo in the middle of June. And now that the people have been heard and a new, secular government is in control, it's safe for tourists to start returning. The hotel rates are really cheap and the people are very friendly towards tourists. It's strongly advised that you hire a guide to take you around the pyramids and Cairo for a couple of reasons. (1) Driving in Cairo is insane, (2) A guide can negotiate fair prices on your behalf, (3) A guide can help shield you from over aggressive panhandlers, and (4) you'll learn a lot more about Egypt's past, present, and future.

The guide we hired was simply amazing. Walid was an Egyptologist and held a second degree in English Literature. He was so informative and spoke in a way that was entertaining. Our driver didn't speak much, but did a good job navigating through all the traffic. On our first night in Cairo, our guide took us to a laser light show at the pyramids. It was a little touristy, but was a good introduction to Egypt. On the second day we went to the pyramids, the Sphinx, the Museum, downtown Cairo, had lunch on the Nile, and did a little shopping at an art gallery and perfumery.

Now here's the nitty gritty of Cairo. It's crazy. Cars are elaborately decorated, smoking is permitted everywhere (including the airport), traffic lanes are non existent, buildings are all left unfinished in an effort to avoid paying property taxes, trash litters the streets and is pushed into the canals, and 18 million people live in a very dense area with few jobs and a scarcity of water. Cairo is chaos exemplified and we loved every minute of the adventure.

Fun Fact: Georges-Eugene Haussmann was the City Planner that redesigned Paris in the 1860's under the direction of Napoleon III and was also the City Planner that designed downtown Cairo. The similarities in street design and building architecture are astounding.

 

 

 

The Most Unfortunate Name

The name of a Pakistani taxi driver: Mofakher Hossain.