Travel with the Chantdoc

New Baby Time in Boston!

2010-03-29T08:54:00.000-04:00

I don't have much time, but just thought I'd put a few pix up here of little Catherine Adelaide Mayo! We'll be bringing her home tomorrow!

Enjoy!

Travels to Knoxville, Tennessee to meet family!

2009-12-25T22:51:00.003-05:00

Although I've mostly stayed home this holiday, I did make a quick trip down to Knoxville last week-end to meet up with my mother and sister from S.C. We had a wonderful 20 hours or so together and exchanged gifts and caught up on family news as well as family history. Unfortunately, a huge winter storm blew up and we both came through quite a bit of snow...luckily it was mostly on the ground.

This picture is of my 84 y.o. mother, Tumpy who is still going strong. I took 5 or 6 short videos of her telling me some of our family history. I can never keep all the great-grandparents straight! Stay tuned for more travels!

Back from Sarasota and Siesta Key!

2009-10-28T23:00:00.003-04:00

Wow! I had a great vacation in Florida and got a great time and read an entire huge novel!! I'm so happy and feeling rested and excited about the rest of the year! If you ever want to go to a gorgeous beach that has nearly perfect weather year-round, I highly recommend Siesta Key, Florida and the Siesta Key Suites! Check it out!

Chantdoc cooling off in the mountains

2009-09-16T12:19:00.003-04:00

Wow! I thought I had already posted about my trip to Lake Junaluska, but guess I didnt. It's been over three weeks since I met my mother and two oldest daughters at Lake Junaluska, a beautiful United Methodist retreat center in the mountains of Western North Carolina. It's in the Smoky Mountains and is a very popular vacation area of the South.

Anyway, my parents built a summer home there in the summer of 1956 and I've been every summer since then! My three daughters also went there every summer growing up so it's a real family tradition! Here are just a few of our pictures from that week-end!

If you're interested in renting the place in the Fall or Spring, or Summer, let me know! It is very reasonable!

Summer of 1961

2009-08-02T21:58:00.005-04:00

I've always loved to go to the beach! Probably because I knew that for sure, my family would be going to the mountains and to me it just wasn't as special, even though we had our own summer home in the mountains of Western North Carolina. I think what sealed the deal for me was when my parents took all five of us kids plus my grandmother to the Bahamas in the summer of 1961. We were there for 3 weeks and I was an early teen, just feeling the surge of teen emotions for boyfriends and getting away from parents.

After that, I always associated the beach, palm trees, sunburn and tropical flowers with fun, love and excitement! Here are a few of the pictures from that summer of 1961! The first picture is our family on the cruise ship "Emerald Sease." We left out of Miami and arrived in Nassau the next morning. I'll never forget the sight of Bahamian boys swimming out to the ship and diving for coins that we would throw out into the ocean!

Chantdoc goes to Washington, D.C.

2009-06-15T21:46:00.007-04:00

I'm in the middle of a very exciting adventure in Washington, D.C. The official reason is to do research at the Library of Congress on Wanda Landowska and the Revival of the Harpsichord. Wanda was the topic of my Ph.D. dissertation back in 1990 and at that time I was aware that a lot more material existed on this topic.

In 2004, Landowska's lifelong companion died and finally in 2008, 110 boxes of archival materials about Wanda arrived at the Library of Congress. Today I was there for 8 hours and only got through two of them! Tomorrow I'll go back and hope to get through at least two more. If there is something in particular you'd like for me to take a peek at, please let me know ASAP.

The pictures are from some tourist activites I did yesterday with my daughter and son-in-law. You'll recognize the Lincoln Memorial in the background.

Travel around the world with music, "Stand By Me"

2009-05-24T17:46:00.002-04:00

One of the great parts of my job---speading word of the healing power of music--- is that people send me awesome videos all the time! Recently this one was sent to me and I have watched it over and over!

I hope that YOU'LL enjoy it and leave me a comment on it! It brings tears to my eyes every time i watch it!

We made it to Dublin...and Rock of Cashel!

2009-04-08T03:13:00.003-04:00

This past week-end we had a wonderful Irish adventure! We flew from Paris Beauvais airport to Dublin, Ireland and beyond. This picture is of Allison and Liz outside of Christ Church in Dublin where we went to a beautiful Evensong service on Saturday, the day we arrived.

The next day we rented a car and set out to see Cashel, where the Cash family alledgedly started! We were amazed to see a huge castle on a mammoth rock, rising into the sky there. We met many friendly and helpful townsfolk but there don't seem to be many Cashes there today? However they treated us as family and that was nice! We were a little nervous about driving on the other side of the highway, but brave little Liz was willing to give it a try and Allison navigated. I sat in the back seat, enjoying the scenery. There are truly loads of sheep, emerald green grasses, and tulips, daffodils, and tiny daisies everywhere!

Sorry about the picture I can't rotate for now. Will fix that when I get back home!

Have you been to Dublin?

2009-03-25T22:13:00.002-04:00

My children and I are looking for tips on travel in Ireland. Have you been there? Did you rent a car and try driving on the left side? We will be traveling from Dublin to Cashel on the week-end and are considering renting a car but don't know how dangerous or scary it might be for 3 American women who are ingrained with driving on the right side.

Comments and suggestions welcomed!

Thanks,

Alice

Chantdoc plans trip to Ireland!

2009-03-19T23:05:00.006-04:00

My children and I have always wanted to go to Ireland to see not only the beautiful Emerald Isle, but also to go to Cashel where our family name began. Of course, Cash is my married name, but it has been my name for nearly 38 years and I do love it!

Cashel has a very ancient history, albeit only documented since the 4th Century. The Rock of Cashel, with its well preserved ecclesiastical remains, is one of Ireland's most spectacular landmarks, rising above the surrounding plain and dominating the land route southward.The large Cathedral, ancient round tower and the very early Romanesque Cormac's Chapel , perched on a dramatic outcrop of rock, were silent witnesses to many of the stirring events of Irish History; St.Patrick converted the local King Aenghus, here in the 5th century; Brian Boru was crowned King of Ireland on this spot in the early 11th Century. The Vicar's Choral has been restored and the site, one of the most visited in Ireland, now provides an interpretative centre, (multi lingual) an interesting museum, guided tours and superb views over the extensive and beautiful plains of Tipperary.

Chantdoc preparing to go to Paris

2009-02-12T21:15:00.004-05:00

It seems as though it's been a very long time since I was in Paris for more than just to transfer planes. I spent six weeks there in the summer fo 1987 doing my Ph.D. dissertation research. My dissertation was on "Wanda Landowska and the Revival of the Harpsichord: a Reassessment." I've included a brief clip from the documentary that was later made from my dissertation. . I am hoping to do a presentation at the American Church of Paris, but now it looks as though I might also be able to do a presentation on Landowska to a group of harpisichord afficionados. If you know anyone or any group in Paris that would like to sponsor a lecture or a seminar, let me know ASAP!

Thanks,

Alice

Do you like cruising?

2009-01-06T11:56:00.003-05:00

The cruise that my children took me on last August was one of the best vacation experiences that I've had! I have to especially recommend Carnival cruises too because they do such as excellent job of preparing you for the journey, making sure that everyone has a good time and being creative and flexible! For example, the cruise that my children and I went on was originally supposd to go to Key West and Cozumel. At the last minute, Hurricane Faye came our way and when we went to the pier we though the cruise would surely be cancelled. To our surprise and delight, we were informed that we would now be going to Grand Turk, Bahamas and we did and had a great time!
If you're interested, please go to www.CashFamilyTravel.com and book your Carnival Cruise today! You won't regret it!

Stay at Chantdoc's condo in Orlando for Christmas

2008-12-04T14:51:00.003-05:00

Hello everybody! You KNOW how much I love Florida an traveling to tropical places, right? Well, it turns out that I have a brad-new timeshare condo in Orlando, fives minutes from Disney World. It's reserved from Dec. 21-28 and I'm not going to be able to use it!! Boo-hoo! It is a very large condo and sleeps eight people comfortably. It's a brand new community-Vacation Village at Parkway and I'm offering it to the highest bidder. Get back to me quickly though because you'll need to get your travel plans in order! I'd like to get $2000.00 for that prime week in a prime location but again, will let it go to the highest bidder. Just Google the location and take a peek at it!

Alice-419-1698

Per your request for Pix of Capri and Anacapri (Italy!)

2008-10-21T16:40:00.010-04:00

The trip to Italy is now more than two weeks behind me but I'm still thinking of it on an hourly basis and reliving it through my pictures and videos that I took.

Quite a few people have asked to see pictures of Capri and Anacapri. They are the two towns on the tiny Isle of Capri, a vacation spot for kings, queens, literati, and movie stars for centuries and even millenia! We thoroughly enjoyed our day there although it turned out to be more expensive than I originally thought. Part of that dilemma was that I gave a man a 20 euro bill and didn't get the right change, but didn't notice it till too late!! Also, Crystal and I each got a cappucino at the fancy outdoor restaurant and made the mistake of not asking in advance how much they would be. They turned out to be about $8.00 apiece and it was the end of out trip so we were not happy about that!

Anyway, enjoy these beautiful pix that I took!

Chantdoc Returns from Fabulous Italian Sojourn!

2008-10-05T21:09:00.003-04:00

The trip to Italy is over and what a glorious trip it was! We started in Rome and were there for four days, then we moved on to Florence for three days. The final five days were spent in the Sorrento (Naples) area which is very tropical---my favorite! While in Sorrento we made day trips to Positano, Capri, Anacapri and Pompeii. Over the next few days (or weeks) I'll send you some of my best photos with commentary. If there is something particular you'd like to know about it, just email me or put a comment on the blog. The picture on the left is from the magical isle of Capri. The picture on the left is from the amazing Trevi fountain in Rome, the one about which "Three Coins in the Fountain" was written. We walked all over Rome to find this famous fountain and it was well worth it! More tomorrow!

Have you been to Harbour Island, Bahamas?

2008-08-30T23:12:00.003-04:00

In both 1986 and 1990 my husband and I had the great pleasure of visiting Harbour Island, Bahamas because we had a friend who had a vacation home there. The picture to the left does not convey the peace and soliture we found there, but I guess a few more people have discovered the island now.
Harbour Island Bahamas is located off the northeast coast of Eleuthera Island. The largest city in Harbour Island Bahamas is Dunmore Town, and the island still maintains much of the old time charm of the Bahamas that has been obscured by resorts and casinos on larger islands like Paradise or New Providence. That isn’t to say, however, that Harbour Islands Bahamas doesn’t have some excellent resorts of its own. The island also features the famous three mile stretch of pink sand beach, which is the perfect place for swimming, diving, and snorkeling.
Harbour Island is one of the oldest settlements in the Bahamas, and to reach you will need to either take a boat or plane from the island’s neighbor, Eleuthera Island. As one of the oldest settlements, there are some excellent historical sites that are worth seeing. A walk through Dunmore Town will take only about 30 minutes, but the relaxed atmosphere of the town and the old buildings will make it a pleasant stroll. Along the way, you can check out Loyalist Cottage (so named for the loyalist who built it in 1797 when he left America after the Revolutionary War to hold his allegiance to the crown), St. John’s church and the Wesley Methodist church. Both buildings are quite old and still in use.

Report two on our fabulous cruise!

2008-08-25T20:11:00.003-04:00

If you haven't already read th report on Cash Family Travel, be sure to read that first! Day two was much, much calmer and when we got to Grand Turk, the weather could not have been more beautiful! In the picture to the left you see me on the beach with the cruise ship in the background! This was taken when my three daughters and I were on a bike and hike tour of the island which was just gorgeous! Of course we thought we were going to Key West and Cozumel so we had to re-book and re-choose all of our shore excursions. My two sons-in-law did "Power Snorkeling" and loved it! You'll see more pix from our shore excursions on "Boomeropia" in just a few minutes!

Chantdoc prepares for Carribbean Cruise

2008-08-08T17:56:00.002-04:00

I'm soooo excited!!! In just a little over a week I'm leaving on a Carribbean cruise with my three daughters and two husbands! The kids are taking me on this wonderful trip as a 60th birthday present and I can't think of anything better!

We'll leave out of the Port of Miami on Monday, August 18 and arrive in Key West on Tuesday morning. We'll spend the better part of the day there and then leave late afternoon for Cozumel! We'll wake up Wednesday a.m. in Cozumel and have all day there until pulling out about midnight. We spend all day Thursday at sea and then wake up Friday morning pulling into the Port of Miami! I'll keep you posted about our activities while on the cruise!

Team Colavita returns to Louisville. KY!

2008-07-03T13:21:00.002-04:00

Today I went over to Cherokee Park to watch the National Masters bike race. This included the men age 40-44. Liz' bike coach was racing and did well. Look for the gree Team Colavita jersey near the front!! Hope to go back this afternoon for tandem races!

Let's go to a race in Greenville, S.C.

2008-05-30T18:22:00.002-04:00

Well, you all have seen a lot of footage in this blog of my youngest daughter and her bike racing triumphs. Now I want to swing the camera around to my little sister Nonie, a babyboomer like myself.

When we were growing up, she was the athlete and I was the musician. After a long and award-winning career in track and field, marathons, tennis, and fencing, she (more or less) retired from sports. Then, all of a sudden last week-end she got a bee in her bonnet to go try being in a race in Greenville, S.C. With little or no training, she went to the race and won the gold in both of them!!! I am amazed, impressed, and proud of her!! Please everone, give her a round of applause. Will keep you posted on her future endeavors! GO NONIE!!!

Derby Time in Louisville!

2008-04-26T16:50:00.003-04:00

Kentucky Derby season is in full swing now as we countdown to the final week. Today we had two of the really big events: The Mini-Marathon and the Great Balloon Race.

The U.S. Bank Derby Festival® Great Balloon Race® is one of Louisville's favorite family traditions. When the Balloons lift off, it provides spectators young and old with an exhilarating view of boundless colors and shapes. Click here to view a history of the Great Balloon Race®.
How it worksThe Great Balloon Race® follows a combination of a "Declared Goal" and the traditional ballooning game of "Hare and Hound" race format. The U.S. Bank balloon leads the action as "the Hare". As any good hound would do, the other balloons spawn an aerial chase of the Hare, launching in a planned sequence minutes after the Hare.
The winds determine where the balloons fly. The Hare Balloon flies until it finds a suitable spot preferably in a vacant field. It lands and lays out a large fabric "X" as the target. In hot pursuit, the Hounds try to drop a small bag of Kentucky Bluegrass seed as close to the "X" as possible, all without landing. Race officials then measure the distance between the target and the bag of grass seed at the target zone and calculate points.
FESTIVAL TIP:Due to construction at the Fairground, attendees may still enter through the main KFEC gate off Phillips Lane, but will have to access the field through South Wing A.
Parking will be a premium at KFEC on Friday night. Your best bet to be parked for the U.S. Bank Balloon Glow is to come out early.
The pilot with the most accurate toss is the overall winner receiving $3000 and bragging rights for a year!

Watch Liz at the Cyclocross in Louisville!

2008-03-27T21:02:00.002-04:00

Liz Cash on Day 1 of Cyclocross in Louisville, KY

Enjoy watching my daughter Liz in an amazing bike race that happened here in Louisville, Ky last fall! I'd love for you to make some comments too!

Meanwhile, back at the cyclocross!

2008-03-25T20:06:00.003-04:00

Liz Cash in Derby City Cup Cyclocross
Last Fall's Cyclocross Race in Louisville brought lots of good both to Louisville and to the sport of cyclocross. Here is another video clip of my amazing daughter Liz Cash, participating in the cyclocross on her 25th birthday! Go Liz!

My new friend in Sarasota...Dr. Buckler!

2008-03-09T12:05:00.004-04:00

As you know from an earlier post this week, I've been in Sarasota and Bradenton, Florida this week, visiting friends. On Wednesday, my new friend from a Mastermind Group came and picked me up and took me to lunch, to walk on the beach and then to see her beautiful home in Sarasota. I wanted to let all of my readers know about HER new website which is http://www.stayoutofmyer.com/ . This new site is packed with health and wellness education and you can sign up for a free "tip of the week." I did and they are all wonderful! Dr. Marlene Buckler is a kind and generous ER physician and offers loads of great information on the site and you can also subscribe to it if you want and get personal information from Dr. Buckler. You must check it out!!

Chantdoc is having fun in Florida!

2008-03-04T15:57:00.004-05:00

I'm in Sarasota right now visiting friends and checking out some resorts for my new travel business. Now that I've gotten into the travel business (in addition to my music medicine work!) I'm really enjoying getting to travel all over the place and have it be tax deductible too.
The one problem I'm having this trip is that I don't have easy access to wireless internet connection. Thank goodness for Starbucks and other coffee shops. Once you're been on wireless it's really hard to back to dial-up, but then, that's better than no internet at all.
Went to the beach yesterday and got a little sun but mainly just basked in the healing energy of the water and the waves. For me the ocean is so healing...that and the sound of palm fronds blowing in the wind.
If you have any suggestions for accessing wireless when on the road, please let me know! More later...

I need your opinion, friends and family

2008-02-22T22:59:00.002-05:00

Hello to all the Cash friends and family! We are a family that loves to travel! Two of my daughters have lived in Europe for extended periods of time and Charles and I both lived and studied in Europe in 1974. As youv'e seen in this blog, Liz lives on the other side of the country and now travels coast to coast racing bikes of various kinds. We love to travel: planes, boats, cars and bikes! Soooooo, as you know, I've been contemplating buying a travel website that can provide unbelievably good deals to my family and friends. I just want your input as to what we should name the website. It will basically be Travelocity with my own company's name on it. As a result, I can offer friends and families discounts on travel and get a commission myself.
My question to you is...what should I call it? I'm thinking of www.CashFamilyTravel.com. Of course anyone can use it! I'll also be able to sell the travel sites to others so I thought we might want to expand it to HudnallFamilyTravel, MayoFamilyTravel, or SpiroFamilyTravel. When one sells a site to another person, the seller then gets a percentage of whatever travel that person books, plus, as a travel agent you can get free upgrades on all your own travel and your own travel becomes 100% tax deductible!
I'd like to get it within the next few days so please get back to me about what you think I should call the site! Thanks a million! See you on the cruise ship??

Do you want to book travel with Chantdoc?

2008-02-19T23:47:00.004-05:00

Hello Friends and Family,
I've recently been offered a very tempting business offer. The travel industry is the fasting growing industry around today now that people can book their own travel on the internet. Travel agents, as we've known them, are becoming extinct as people learn to use all the many great travel sites. There is a company now that sells travel sites that anyone can buy and personalize. With this site, I could offer friends and family unbelievable travel discounts and still make a small but tidy profit myself. I'm seriously considering getting into this as just another facet to incorporate into my healing music business. As a matter of fact, I was thinking of creating some tours to sites of interest to musicians, music-lovers and music healers. Please give me your feedback on this. Thanks!

Traveling on Valentine's Day? Let's Cruise!

2008-02-12T22:37:00.004-05:00

Valentines's Day is almost here and many people will have a very special, romantic weekend, away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Many beautiful spots around the world will offer fabulous discounts on Valentine's week-end. While there, why not read my new eBook called "Creating Love and Passion in Your Relationship with Music." I've just recently added lots of new and updated information about how music affects the brain and how love affects the brain. It's really good, if I do say so myself! Just go HERE to purchase it and get three other products for free! Not that's a sweet deal!

Back on the Cycling Trail with Liz

2008-01-08T20:37:00.000-05:00

For the past week my daughter Liz has been cycling through Arizona. She is now a sponsored member of the Colavita bicycle racing team and is training constantly. By profession she is a film-maker. You can see her listed in the credits of the current film "No Country for Old Men." She rode 400 miles in the pst week and is just getting stronger than she ever dreamed of. We are all really excited and happy for her. Go Liz!!!!

Christmas in Washington, D.C. with Family

2007-12-27T22:33:00.000-05:00

My latest trip was to Washington, D.C. to spend Christmas with my middle daughter, Allison and her husband Will. We really had a wonderful time even though Will had just had surgery on his knee. He hobbled along bravely as we trekked to restaurants and the Washington Cathedral. I hope you'll enjoy some of the pictures I took there as well as a video of me playing Wii bowling on Christmas Eve!

Traveling to S.C. to be with Family

2007-12-16T15:54:00.000-05:00

Last weekend I travelled to S.C. to be with my mother, sisters, brother and their families. It's always a beautiful trip down, across the Bluegrass horse frams and then down through the Smoky Mountains. We got there just as the Christmas Dinner was starting at Eden Terrace and were truly amazed at the beautiful musical program that the residents put on for us. I wanted you to hear this particular performnce of "Sweet Little Jesus Boy," sung by a 92 y.o. man. He pitch was quite accurate and he remembered all the lyrics perfectly as well as using lots of dynamic contrast and feeling.

It was a fun trip and we all got to help my mother celebrate her 82 birthday!

Final Week-end of Cyclocross Finds Liz Victorious

2007-11-18T15:50:00.000-05:00

I've spent the last 30 minutes trying to get these pictures to behave and they won't do it so please know that that the pictureon the right is the group of women starting the race and the second picture is Liz about to pass her final competitor to win the race! This past week-end was her fourth and final week-end doing cyclocross races across the country. If you remember, she started out in Louisville the last week-end in October.

She finished today in New Jersey, coming in third yesterday and first today! She has won all kinds of trophies and merchandise and is pretty happy about it considering that she had never done cyclocross at all until this past Fall. I know I don't have to tell you that she doesn't get this athleticism from me but from my mother and one of my sisters who are extremely athletic as well as competitive! If you want to know more about the sport you can either just "Google" it or go to www.youtube.com/cyclocross. The sport really started in Europe and is much better know there but it is quickly becoming very popular here.

It really is quite grueling and there seem to b lots of crashes between fast, curvy tracks and then the times when you must jump off your bike and run with it up steps, through sand pits and across hurdles! Amazing!

Liz Wins Cyclocross Both Days in Boston!!

2007-11-14T22:52:00.000-05:00

Well, I hate to brag (not!) but my youngest daughter, Liz, continues to blaze a path across the U.S. winning two cyclocross bike races this week-end in Boston. The thing that is so amazing to me is that it's not just about riding fast. In cyclocross, you ride fast around a hilly and curvy course and periodically, you must jump off your bike and jump hurdles, run through sand traps and across log piles, all while carrying your bike!

She has only been doing this type of racing for a couple of months, but this past week-end, in Plymouth, MASS, just south of Boston, she won her category on both Saturday and Sunday! Let's give her a big hand!!

Chantdoc travels to see Paula Deen cook!

2007-11-10T22:44:00.000-05:00

Today I had a real treat! I got to go to the Palace Theatre in Louisville and hear Paula Deen speak and watch her prepare a delicious stuffed pork tenderloin. It was fabulous and Paula was just as nice and down to earth on stage as she is on her TV show. It was such
a treat!
She quite an entourage with her and they all took turns at the mike and sometimes at the stove. She took quite a few questions from the audience and people all over the theatre were shouting out questions not only about cooking but also about her personal life. She answered all of them and more!
Iwas going to buy everyone a cookbook for Christmas but we needed to zoom after the show was over. Maybe next time!

Liz on the Awards Stage again at Cyclocross Grand Prix

2007-10-28T12:20:00.001-04:00

Another big day for cyclocross and Liz Cash! It's also er birthday today and she's a big 25!! My baby! I can't believe it! It was a bright but crisp morning and Liz' race went off at 9:15. That's her in the jersey with diagonal stripes down the front. Today she actually wore one o my old jerseys from when I raced with the Louisville Wheelmen. It was so cool!

Today she came in third and although she was disappointed, I was proud as could be. I'll go back this afternoon to see the elite women (pros) race for a solid hour in mud, stairs, ramps, and tight curves. This is an impessive sport!

Traveling by bike at the Grand Prix Cyclocross

2007-10-27T12:56:00.000-04:00

Today's a big day if you travel by bike and if you travel to Louisville, KY. Today is the famous Papa John's US Grand Prix of cyclocross and my daughter you see to the right, won second place in her category! It was an amazing course and people had to get off their bikes, carry them and run with them, climb stairs with them, ride through sand pits and mud. It was amazing! I love to ride my bike but just for a leisurely trip. No bike racing for me anymore!
She'll ride again tomorrow. Come on down to River Road and watch!

A new travel method in the family

2007-10-26T21:35:00.000-04:00

Right now my youngest daughter is in town for a national cyclo-cross bike race!

She arrived this

morning, driving the bus you see pictured here! I was shocked! I didn't even know that my baby girl could drive a bus. She drove cross-country from Albuquerque. Tomorrow she's racing at 9:15 down on River Road so I must run on to bed now. I'll let you know the results tomorrow in this blog or one of the others! Stay tuned!

Chichinitza and the Mayan Ruins

2007-10-13T12:20:00.000-04:00

Have you been to the Mayan Ruins in Mexico? I had never been until September of 2005 but it was an awesome adventure and I learned so much about the Mayan civilization that I had never known before. We were quite fortunate to be there on the day of the Fall equinox and saw a sight that few people ever get to witness. Only two days a year, on the Fall quinox and the Spring equinox, the shadow from the sun creates the image of a snake going down the pyramid/temple. The day we were there, people and cameras and TV/film crews from all over the world were there, hoping the sun would peek out from behind the clouds. It did and you can see the snake traveling down the pyramid. It was phenomenal to think that the Mayans were able to create this in the 1500's! Then they disappeared.

Let's Go to the British Isles

2007-10-10T22:47:00.000-04:00

Several years ago, my daughter Alli and I went on a trip to England during her Spring Break from a semester abroad in France. We decided to take the train that goes deep underneath the English Channel, called the "chunnel!" It was quite an experience and we had a wonderful time seeing "My Fair Lady" in London and going to visit my English friend Shirley in her little village north of London.

Of course we also went to see where the Beatles got started and saw the usual sites of London like Big Ben, Buckingham Palace and "the Ritz," where we had breakfast. I highly recommend this trip!

Let's Go to Europe!

2007-10-07T21:45:00.000-04:00

Being a professional musician as well as a therapist, I have many reasons to want to visit Austria and Vienna in particular. During the height of the classical period, Vienna boasted the likes of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, "Papa" Haydn, and Ludwig van Beethoven. Can you imagine? Of course there were many other well-known composers there too.

In 1974, my husband and I visited Vienna on two separate occasions and heard the Vienna State Opera performing "Madama Butterfly" as well as "The Flying Dutchman." They were both absolutely fabulous!

While in Vienna, we stayed at a gorgeous hotel called Hotel im Palais Schwartzenburg." I'll never forget it because not only was it an actual restored palace and had period antiques in the rooms. We even attended a chamber music concert there. More on Vienna next time!

The Beauty of the Canadian Rockies

2007-10-05T17:05:00.000-04:00

Several summers ago I was invited to speak at an international wellness conference. I was speaking, of course, about music and wellness. I had never been to the Canadian Rockies and was absolutely blown away by the natural beauty of this area. The conference was held at the Chateau Lake Louise and right out my window was gorgeous Lake Louise and a huge glacier that extended down to the lake.
I was also invited to do a recital of healing music and did so with my daughter from Boston who is a professional violinist. The picture to your right shows both the view out of my hotel window and a picture of my daughter and me onstage after the concert. Have you been to the Canadian Rockies? Tell me about it!

My Love of the Tropics

2007-10-04T14:52:00.000-04:00

When I was 13 years old, my parents decided to take us all on a fabulous vacation to Nassau in the Bahamas. Of course my sister and I had never even heard of the place, but when our parents started bringing home shiny brochures of cruise ships and beautiful islands with palm trees, we started getting excited reeeaaaaal fast!

The big day came to depart. It was June of 1961 and all five kids plus two parents and grandma piled into our unairconditioned station wagon and headed off to Miami where we boarded a big, beautiful cruise ship to Nassau!

We were there for three weeks and had a fabulous time. We drank fresh limeade at every meal, made from limes in the grove behind out house. My mother made a fresh cocoanut cake from the cocoanut palms growing in our yard. It felt like Paradise!!

From then on, I have loved the tropics and everything associated with them. I have my own steel drums and play them when I need to feel a warm tropical breeze. How about you? What is your favorite destination?

Welcome to Travel with the Chantdoc!

2007-10-03T23:42:00.000-04:00

I've always loved traveling. My first big trip was when I was six years old and my parents took us from S.C. to Washington,D.C. to see the capital and all of the monuments there. I'll never forget it because my sister and I climbed the stairs of the Washington Monument and were two tired little girls that night!

Anyway, I got bitten by the travel bug and since then have gone all over the world. In this blog, I will recount some of my travels and recommend places to go, places to stay and places to see. I'll also let you in on some of the great deals that I hear about online and tell you the ones I've tried and been happy with. Happy traveling!