Whimventure® 2025
A little bit of this... A little bit of that
Before I retired (coming up on two years ago) I had a list of things I wanted to do. Knowing that with age come health issues that tend to keep you from doing stuff, I decided to hit the ground running, or at least jogging… OK maybe walking really fast. Over the past two years I’ve done some stuff- some of it interesting, a lot of it not. However, I did start to figure out what I really want to do, and what I want to avoid. Then the world exploded…🤯
Before that happened Sue and I had started to figure out a Whimventure® plan for 2025. I love it when a plan comes together, even when it doesn’t completely come together. We are doing a lot, but not exactly everything we had hoped.
London Calling 🇬🇧
The United Kingdom is one of my favorite places, not just because I drive a MINI Cooper. I was able to spend some time there (around Sibford Gower- 2009) during a Lilly Teacher Creativity Fellowship and was looking forward to a chance to finally return. We had chatted with some geocaching friends who had attended London Calling and had recommended it. So we will start in London for about a week. Geocaching and wandering around the city. I worked on solving a puzzle (which I rarely do) called Universe 113. It seemed to be more challenging than I first anticipated and after trying a number of failed solutions actually decided to ask the Cache Owner for some help (another something I rarely do). With a nudge from the CO I was able to solve it and now am waiting to arrive and hunt it down. I don’t feel too bad caching in England, it’s caching in countries where english is not the primary language that can raise my anxiety… hence the love of Adventure Labs and Virtual Caches while traveling (even in the United States which seems to be getting scarier).
I feel a little bad about visiting the Harry Potter Studio Tour knowing how JK Rowling has behaved since becoming famous & obnoxiously wealthy. I just can’t understand how once someone becomes a celebrity they forget “With great power there must come great responsibility.” Sadly so many of the creative people I have admired, have lost that simple concept. That said, like those who drive Teslas and have the bumper sticker “I bought this before we knew Elon was crazy” I read and enjoyed the Harry Potter books before we knew anything about Rowling’s feelings about basic human rights & human decency. So this is a bucket list kind of thing, I’ll check it off my list and then I never need to return. Taking some time to bask in the innocence and nostalgia. Before she showed us she was an evil person.
We will be on the road for our wedding anniversary something we tend to celebrate by just going to the local pizza place for dinner… now we’ll just need to find someplace else to have pizza.
Mickey, D-Day & Maybe a Troll 🇫🇷
We leave London and take the Chunnel (because it’s a thing- not on my bucket list, but should be) to end up at Disneyland Paris (another bucket list thing). We will spend one day in the parks and two nights in the area. Before Disney got really expensive, we used to escape reality by visiting Disneyworld in Florida somewhat regularly. I recall after the only Christmas we ever spent with my family, running away to Disneyworld (on a whim) to relax. After that trip we figured out that we could go to Europe for about the same cost so visit places instead of just drinking around the world at EPCOT.
From there we head to Bayeux for a few days to see the beaches of Normandy, the Bayeux Tapestry and hopefully the nearest Thomas Dambo troll. Sue has been into needlework and the needle arts for as long as I have known her, so seeing the Bayeux Tapestry (which depicts the events of 1066) before the museum closes for renovation was a must. The beaches of Normandy are close, and being brought up by someone very interested in WWII this seemed like a good place to stop, taking a look at what people did to fight fascism back before they decided to vote for it. This will be the only time we will have a car. So we will be all over the place for a couple of days. We decided to try using trains and public transit for most of the trip, since it is a unique feature absent from traveling in the U.S.
But Wait… There’s More
Now things get a little weird (as if they aren’t already). We head to Colmar (birthplace of Bartholdi, the sculptor of the Statue of Liberty). Why? Well I got train tickets and this seemed like a good place to stop. We’ve also been there before, but that was decades ago (B.C. - Before Caching). This is where things get messy. Our original plan was to go from here to Zurich, and then Lichtenstein. Sue likes to color in the geocaching map and Lichtenstein seemed like an opportunity we couldn’t pass up. Using Zurich as kind of a home base… but then Sue looked at hotel costs - ouch!. So she looked further out and the prices didn’t change much. It seems that the Eurovision Song Contest is going on in the area while we are there. Since attending Eurovision isn’t on either of our bucket lists (right now) we’ll leave coloring that portion of the map for a future trip.
This year’s entry to Eurovision from Sweden… the current frontrunner. Of course when most Americans think of Eurovision this pops into their head or ABBA.
After much thought, we decided to head from Colmar straight to Milan. We had originally planned to just spend a day in Milan before we leave, but this change will give us some time to explore the city sights. We’ve been watching lectures from Great Courses on Leonardo (The artist, not the turtle) and life in Milan during the high renaissance.We will settle there for a few days, but also visit Leonardo’s (not the turtle) Last Supper (the painting, not pizza) before the final big event of the trip.
Lake Como Comic Arts Festival
My insane part of the trip is in Cernobbio and it’s a comic-con. We did Comic-Con Paris before COVID because it happened to fall during our visit. This time it’s planned. I have no idea what to expect at the Lake Como Comic Arts Festival. My friend, Stuart Sayger, was a guest last year as was Tony Harris and they both spoke highly of this event. I even impressed a few people at the Cartoon Crossroads Columbus Trivia Night when I said I would be attending. There are going to be some amazing artists there. Being an introvert I’m a bit concerned about putting my foot in my mouth, so I signed up for the VIP package to give myself as many opportunities to embarrass myself as possible.🙄 I’m old, as I have learned at CXC I don’t know as much as many of my non-comic book friends think I do. Time to step outside of my comfort zone and expand my knowledge. I’ve already gotten on the list for some commissions. Being a VIP Sue and I get a dinner, and some other amazing stuff. Can you tell I’m nervous? Then again, It’s another bucket list kind of thing. To prepare I’ve also started to read some books outside of my comfort zone to get to know some of the artists work, not as many as I would like, but…
Final Thoughts on the Art of Whimventuring®
I’m packing for the trip making sure the monkey has proper clothes and I have what I need- but they do have stores where we will be so if I forget something, I can always pick it up. I have someone coming by the house to check on the boys, who I already miss. With the current state of the world, I’m not sure this is the best idea, but I not letting fear and uncertainty rule my life. Funny thing is I’m not concerned about Europe, I’m more concerned about what will change over the time in the US when I’m out of the country and if they will let me back in.
While we have plans for each location and a few “must do” things- Sue and I have learned to not over plan- that is the secret to a good Whimventure® and also less stress. While some days are packed- it usually consists of only one thing. We arrive and have a day to acclimate then we have a day at Hogwarts. After that, it’s kind of open, until London Calling. Having done a number of geocaching events, we know that day will be open to whatever comes our way. There are side events before and after, but nothing that will take up the entire day. Flexibility is the key.
I recall learning this at Disneyworld. Watching families with hyper organized adults herding kids that wanted to just swim in the pool. “We spent a lot of money on this… you WILL have fun.” I overheard that in an elevator. That’s why we Whimventure® whatever happens, is fine, if we miss something- oh, well. So we will play it by ear for the most part. We have train tickets and hotel rooms. Outside of that… we’re going on an adventure!
Travel is one thing I really don’t remember doing that much of as a kid, we did trips, and some were memorable, but I also remember often times planning trips that just got cancelled. I highly recommend visiting other countries as a way to see that we are all really more alike than we are different. Yes, throughout the trip I will be posting on BlueSky as we go from place to place and after each leg I’ll try to do a recap here, but won’t guarantee it. Cecil might post a few pics on Facebook- just because he likes to support the oligarchy. He will have a few Hotel Hallway Photos on this trip. Not as many as MINI Takes The States, but still a few.
Bucket List Items:
71. Use my Passport at least once per year
73. Troll Hunting
41. Revisit London
32. Vacation at least once per year (no work or other responsibilities)
56. Visit each Disney Park at least once
76. Attend the Lake Como Comic Arts Festival
75. Attend at least one Geocaching Mega-Event outside of the United States
36. See the Harry Potter Experience in England
Norway's entry... now with more chainmail!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7jkEmoBvU0
I’m going to send you a podcast