Such a fun episode! Many years ago I travelled on a canoe along a river in the Amazon and slept in hammocks in Indigenous villages along the way. We swam in the river (piranhas and all!) and camped one night on a riverside beach with the jungle rising up several stories high behind us.
Your episode brought it all back to me when you were talking about once-in-a-lifetime, only-in-Panama experiences. Mine was on the border between Venezuela and Brazil but otherwise, pretty similar!
It’s funny, I don’t think of myself as overly adventurous but this conversation makes me realise that’s because I associate being adventurous with being an adrenaline junkie (which I’m not). But on that trip to the Amazon I also did a 2 day hike in the Andes, staying overnight in a small village at the mid way point. Plus, in the year prior, I was a crew member on a 200 ft tall ship that sailed from Toronto to the Bahamas. It was an 8 week trip that saw us sailing along the Saint Lawrence River and into lots of interesting ports like Boston Harbour and NY Harbour and out to Bermuda. That was definitely an adventure!
Oh I must mention one more thing! A hurricane came up the coast as we were sailing from NY to Bermuda. By the time we arrived in Bermuda every sail was torn and we had to stay - in paradise - for a week longer than planned while we repaired them. It was tough, but somehow we coped. :)
WHAT?! That sounds very scary while it was happening, and then AWESOME. Truly, you are part pirate. (Have you read Cinnamon and Gunpowder? It's another favorite of mine — and I think you will love Mad Hannah Mabbot. https://strongsenseofplace.com/books/cinnamon_and_gunpowder_brown/)
So many fun links! I was particularly curious about the Top 11 Places to read, Ranked (all of them great!) and about the lives of royal servants. Cool story about Fortnum & Mason, which is really a remarkable store. And of course I´m always very thrilled to learn something new about my own country, too; loved the Brückenaffe (Bridge Monkey)!
I thought that list of places to read was really fun, too. Although I might put 'airplane' after something like doctor's office or car oil change garage. Planes are the worst.
Every time I see the word hors d’oeuvres I forget how to pronounce it and have to sit quietly for a while to work it out just to make sure I haven’t forgotten forever.
Thanks so much for all of the additional links listed. It will be nice to browse through during the Labor Day weekend. Always such an enjoyable wealth of information.
Such a fun episode! Many years ago I travelled on a canoe along a river in the Amazon and slept in hammocks in Indigenous villages along the way. We swam in the river (piranhas and all!) and camped one night on a riverside beach with the jungle rising up several stories high behind us.
Your episode brought it all back to me when you were talking about once-in-a-lifetime, only-in-Panama experiences. Mine was on the border between Venezuela and Brazil but otherwise, pretty similar!
Whoa! What an adventure! Are you generally adventurous person, or was this an anomaly? What other mischief have you gotten into :-)
It’s funny, I don’t think of myself as overly adventurous but this conversation makes me realise that’s because I associate being adventurous with being an adrenaline junkie (which I’m not). But on that trip to the Amazon I also did a 2 day hike in the Andes, staying overnight in a small village at the mid way point. Plus, in the year prior, I was a crew member on a 200 ft tall ship that sailed from Toronto to the Bahamas. It was an 8 week trip that saw us sailing along the Saint Lawrence River and into lots of interesting ports like Boston Harbour and NY Harbour and out to Bermuda. That was definitely an adventure!
Um. I've got news for you... :-) Your name is actually Swashbuckling Samantha Nolan-Smith.
I love all of this so much. The tall ship experience sounds amazing — I think I would really love that. Have you read The Kingdoms by Natasha Pulley? (https://strongsenseofplace.com/weekend_getaway/2021/07/15/its-an-epic-adventure-with-mystery-and-romance-in-natasha-pulley-the-kingdoms/) You might like it. She was a writer in residence on a tall ship to do research for the book. https://www.historiamag.com/interviews-22-gold-award-sl-natasha-pulley/
I’ll gladly accept the moniker 😂
(Perhaps it’s something to do with being Australian. We’re a pretty adventurous lot.)
I haven’t read The Kingdoms. Am popping it on my TBR now. Thank you!
Oh I must mention one more thing! A hurricane came up the coast as we were sailing from NY to Bermuda. By the time we arrived in Bermuda every sail was torn and we had to stay - in paradise - for a week longer than planned while we repaired them. It was tough, but somehow we coped. :)
WHAT?! That sounds very scary while it was happening, and then AWESOME. Truly, you are part pirate. (Have you read Cinnamon and Gunpowder? It's another favorite of mine — and I think you will love Mad Hannah Mabbot. https://strongsenseofplace.com/books/cinnamon_and_gunpowder_brown/)
It sounds excellent! What’s not to love about a woman with gumption, the high seas, and gourmet food?
So many fun links! I was particularly curious about the Top 11 Places to read, Ranked (all of them great!) and about the lives of royal servants. Cool story about Fortnum & Mason, which is really a remarkable store. And of course I´m always very thrilled to learn something new about my own country, too; loved the Brückenaffe (Bridge Monkey)!
I thought that list of places to read was really fun, too. Although I might put 'airplane' after something like doctor's office or car oil change garage. Planes are the worst.
Every time I see the word hors d’oeuvres I forget how to pronounce it and have to sit quietly for a while to work it out just to make sure I haven’t forgotten forever.
This made me LOL and I totally get it.
The staircases are astounding! Loved those and the photos.
Staircases are my kryptonite. The number of times we've gotten lost because I said, But what if we just went up here to see what happens? :-)
Well, looks like you have quite a repertoire!!
Thanks so much for all of the additional links listed. It will be nice to browse through during the Labor Day weekend. Always such an enjoyable wealth of information.
You're so welcome! Hope you have a fantastic weekend!