Jill Will Go...

The taxi wound through the tight streets of Cordoba's old town. The white buildings seemed to lean into one another, sheltering the little plazas tucked between them. Little promises of things yet to be discovered. I arrived at my hotel / bar / restaurant and was greeted by a dog. He didn't speak English. Nobody there did, in fact. But it was cheap, well-located and conveniently, my room was just up the stairs from the bar. My first night there I was adopted by a British couple who had tried to park their car in Cordoba. The resulting dents were a topic of much discussion at dinner. They invited me over after seeing me eating alone with my copy of War and Peace. I gladly accepted their invitation. Nothing like War and Peace to encourage one to seek out company. When I talk to fellow travelers and I mention Cordoba and the Mezquita, many of them have no idea what or where I'm talking about. I find this difficult to understand, since the city itself is so beautiful, and

Spain was my first trip abroad alone. I mean, really alone. No spouse, no friend, no tour group, no contacts. Nothing. And I don't speak Spanish. Nada. Spain was about being alone, knowing that I was able to do it, and then actually doing it (always a key step). Why did I settle on Spain for my first leap into solo travel? I had been to Toledo and Barcelona once with family. It was with them that I discovered that Spain was delicious, that there were layers of history in this beautiful country, and that the people were warm and friendly. So I ventured forth...planning my grand solo Madrid - Cordoba - Granada tour. I was surprised that Madrid turned out to be all about art. Or rather, Art. The Prado, the Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, the Chapel of San Antonio de la Florida, and the Sorolla House and Museum. The Prado, of course, is huge and houses a wealth of Spanish and international art. One of the most famous paintings in the world, Las Meninas by Diego Velazquez is ther

Rumi had it right. Swim out of your little pond, indeed! I had an idea of how big the world was, but I didn't know that I could participate in the discovery of it. Once I figured that out, all bets were off. Since then, I've been a traveling fiend. I want this blog to reflect where I'm going, where I am, but also where I've been. A reflection of my progress as a traveler and a photographer. So in the next few weeks, my goal is to post my photographs and write briefly about my memories of the very different places I've visited in the last two years. I used to make beautiful photo albums of my travels, but since I started focusing on more "doing it now" and less "remembering it then," I've given up on the albums and need a place to house these memories. This is that place. It started with Iran in 2011. That was where I met people who had seen big pieces of the world, and who encouraged me to see more. People who told me, "Just g