http://www.philly.com/philly/travel/destinations/personaljourney RSS Feed for P-com Personal Journey en-us Sun, 07 Sep 2008 12:11:22 GMT http://www.philly.com/philly/travel/destinations/personaljourney/20080907_Personal_Journey__With_loss_comes_a_discovery.html The day I became a shellback is a day I will never forget. On Feb. 14, I crossed the equator on my trip around the world and celebrated Neptune Day. It was also the day that I lost all my hair but gained a better understanding of myself. http://www.philly.com/philly/travel/destinations/personaljourney/20080824_Personal_Journey__Royal_wedding_with_Jersey_Shore_echo.html "Tell me, Princess, do you miss bodysurfing?" With that question (which I know no one had ever asked Princess Grace of Monaco, the former Grace Kelly of Germantown), she stifled a smile and most likely wanted to burst out laughing, but princesses don't do that - at least not in front of a commoner like me, from Bryn Mawr. http://www.philly.com/philly/travel/destinations/personaljourney/20080817_Personal_Journey__In_search_of_the_singing_baguette.html French baked goods rank high on my list of favorite things in life, so for only 6 euros (less than $10), I jumped at the chance to take a behind-the-scenes tour of a boulangerie in Paris. http://www.philly.com/philly/travel/destinations/personaljourney/20080803_Personal_Journey__Hopping_off_the_travel_treadmill.html Suddenly, India seemed to glide by instead of assaulting our senses. It is a country that invades the imagination beyond anything you conjure watching those Discovery Channel moments showing people hanging onto the sides of buses, cows walking the streets, fabled temples carved into the sides of mountains. http://www.philly.com/philly/travel/destinations/personaljourney/20080727_Personal_Journey__Endless_days_weren_t_time_enough.html Summer solstice near the Arctic Circle lures travelers who want time to do it all. The plane left JFK at dusk on Friday, June 15, 2007. It was the last time we'd see anything resembling darkness for four days. Five hours later, we landed at Keflavik International Airport. It was 6 a.m. Saturday. What officially passed for dawn in Iceland had occurred three hours earlier. http://www.philly.com/philly/travel/destinations/personaljourney/20080713_Personal_Journey__On_vacation_and_on_duty.html Was this really me, committing to two weeks in Israel as a volunteer working on an Israel Defense Forces base? Completely out of character, but I was leaving my husband, children and grandchildren for an experience beyond anything I could have imagined. http://www.philly.com/philly/travel/destinations/personaljourney/20080706_Personal_Journey__Islands_where_a_family_can_count_on_finding_calm.html Some travelers are inclined to fly off to faraway, exotic destinations. Others search for extreme, adrenaline-filled adventures. But I have found my escape in the Champlain Islands of Vermont. http://www.philly.com/philly/travel/destinations/personaljourney/20080629_Personal_Journey__Because_it_s_there__in_Sydney.html The sign read: "Please remove all jewelry, loose articles of clothing, and accessories. Please make sure there is nothing in your pockets. No cameras will be allowed. You must wear closed-toed shoes. Put on your jumper, fasten your safety harness, and sign this form stating that if you fall into the harbour, we basically don't care." http://www.philly.com/philly/travel/destinations/personaljourney/moreheadlines.html http://www.philly.com/philly/travel/destinations/personaljourney/20080427_Personal_Journey__A_plea_to_China__Just_go_home.html The elderly Tibetan woman at her loom in the Tibetan Refugee Center in Kathmandu, Nepal, looked at me with sad eyes. "Please," she said, "tell everyone back home and on the Internet - tell the Chinese not to get out, but to go home. We wish them no harm, but please tell them to go home."