We are often known to be famous or ‘infamous,’ as the case may be, for the things we are alleged to have said. Half the time we have no idea we really said these things. And I’ve been credited, indeed, with having created many ‘Michael Brein-isms’ of which most, I am hopeful, you will never hear! But, if I may cherry-pick among them (and, of course, this is my blog, so I can do that) . . . well, some are relevant to travel–which is a major force in my life–and are therefore repeated from time to time here. And if there’s one that should maybe go on my tombstone, it should be this: “I can always use another story!”
It’s a Wonderful Life!
Yup, it’s a wonderful life! (for some and not for others). And this posting is just a gentle reminder that it is–like it or no–an increasingly more dangerous travel world out there. SO PLEASE PAY (more) ATTENTION, my dear friends and fellow travelers!
Well, yes I did
People, when viewing my travel guide series to sightseeing by public transportation, have often asked me:
1. “Did you go to all these cities yourself?” My response:
“Somebody’s got to do it; it might as well be me!”
2. On Sunday Mornings at book fairs, I have often told people in a quasi-religious-sounding sense:
Sketch by Ted Keller
“I get lost so that ye may be found!”
There’s more truth to that statement than at first meets the eye, because, in truth, in order to map out the top 50 visitor attractions in a city, as well as how exactly to get to them using public transit, I got so lost–many more times than I’d care to admit! But truth be told, someone truly needs to make a bunch of wrong turns in order to really get it right!
3. In gathering up nearly 10,000 travel tales from just about 1,750 world travelers and adventurers over the last four decades for my ebook series, I always tell people:
“You wouldn’t believe the incredible stories people have told me about their travels.”
It almost brings me to tears thinking about all the people I’ve met, the places I have met them, and the interviews I have conducted with them.
4. You cain’t hardly (good grammar voided purposely for effect) avoid:
. . . the wonderful drinks, deserts, pastries, sandwiches, and other goodies and whatnots of all kinds and varieties in more places than I can remember or can count, such as in Paris, Rome, the Greek Islands, the Middle East, and in, literally, thousands of street markets all over the world.
My motto is this simple:
“No fat, no whip, no fun!”
5. In Italy, of course, I became, pure and simple:
a ‘pasta-holic!’
6. And, finally, in France, I could not resist:
Le ‘Chocolat-a-Holic!’
In Paris I scarf down a famed ‘éclair au chocolat‘ (chocolate eclair), coated on the outside with a thick chocolate layer and stuffed on the inside with a delicious chocolate-pudding-like filling.
Yep, you probably guessed it–I am also a chocoholic! I tried to limit myself to only two eclairs a day, but have been known to fail miserably on occasion!
Vive la France!