Travel In Search of Monsters

Do you love creepy creatures and reading about the folklore? Everywhere you travel has their own myths and legends. If you want to encounter some of the most popular ones - or at least try your luck - here are some of the coolest or scariest monsters and places you can go all year long.  

Often, the scariest monster is man. And while I've been to the Paris Catacombs, I didn't find them scary in the least. What I did find unnerving and creepy was the Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia. 

Where's the most haunted place you've ever traveled?

Free Art in Vancouver BC

We just got back from a road trip to Vancouver, British Columbia, and though it felt short, we packed a lot of things in. If it hadn't rained most of the week, we would have walked a lot more and seen more art. As it was, we walked 3-5 miles every day, because we were very close to a lot of things. We took in a lot of street art while there and would have taken more photos if we weren't in the car when we saw much of it.

If you visit Vancouver in the Spring or Summer, you're likely to have more luck with sun. Though it changed some of our plans, we had a fun time, met up with new friends, had a lot of delicious food, and tasty coffees. We're already planning a trip back to do a long weekend, now that we know how easy it is of a drive up and have a list of other restaurants to try. Here are just some of the beautiful murals we saw while we were there.

This parking garage had this beautiful pond scene and I couldn't not  stop to admire it and take this picture. It was a bright spot in an otherwise gloomy day (weatherwise, everything else was awesome). 

I caught this mural behind the school of music, across from an empty, overgrown lot. A wonderful ode to some of the great musicians of our time: Prince, Snoop, Madonna...

The art on this wall just went on and on, with different color schemes and possibly different styles, though I'm pretty sure with the way it all flowed together, it was done by the same artist(s). It made for a lovely walk to brunch.

I'm a big fan of uplifting and encouraging artwork while I'm walking around a city. I greatly enjoyed this huge mural that gave people the advice to work on themselves - Bloom Inward. Self care and improvement is important and great advice for all of us.

Even the bars have gorgeous walls along other streets or alleyways. Everywhere you look, there's something wonderful to feast your eyes on. Look up, look down, look down side streets and into parking lots. The buildings in Vancouver are all a sight to see, too. Many are historic, but just as many are modern and futuristic looking. I saw so many that made me wonder why we don't have more cool buildings in America. it's like we're trying to be boring in comparison. 

More content on this awesome city is coming, but in the meantime, I hope you enjoy these creative works that really show you what Vancouver's all about. 

What's your favorite city for street art?

Travel Trends in 2023 Compared to 2019

It seemed like we were all traveling in 2019. We had several great trips that year, including a big trip to Edinburgh and London that we planned around a family wedding. Now, 4 years later, it appears that traveling is back in a big way. We may not be traveling as much as we were pre-pandemic, but we are going for longer and spending more than we were then. 

photo credit

I can't say for certain if we are paying more because of inflation, but I know that people are finally realizing that vacations are a privilege and necessary for our well being. Budget travel may be a bit harder to come by now, but it's still out there. We've taken more trips this year than most, but we've also spent about the same money, because we opted for several road trips. Gas for those trips cost much less than airfare and it allowed us to see places we wouldn't have seen had we flown, and in one case, it took us pretty much the same time as it would have to go to the airport and wait for our flight, then fly to our destination. It was more comfortable, too.

Are you traveling differently than before?