Shelli, our author, is in the picture wearing the visor.

Calcutta, now Kolkata, is dressed in contrasting architecture with its colonial past still very much obvious today. Unlike many other cities in India, the gardens here are neatly trimmed; the roads have marked lanes; and your foreign presence is less of a novelty.

Right now, you are trapped on Howrah Bridge, amidst the hundreds of thousands of foot traffic that cross the bridge every day. The smell of fumes from the trucks and cars immediately beside you does not register when compared to the feelings of guilt should you slow the momentum of the crowd behind.

Your thoughts drift to the last time you were on a bridge. Yesterday, at Howrah Station, you could not help but stop to admire the beautiful matrix of white prayer hats worn by Muslim men, waiting patiently for a train on the platform below. You watched them until their train arrived and they boarded without pushing and shoving. These men, after all, were men of God – even if it wasn’t your God or my God, and you knew that out of the many scenes in India, this one would stay with you.

You finally step off Howrah Bridge, and cannot help but be amused that you have crossed it faster by walking than many of the stationery vehicles still on the bridge.

As is often the case here in India, your senses are assaulted by the huge array of vibrant colors, and in this instance, it is the spectacular contrast of orange and yellow marigolds at the Mullikghat flower market. You stroll leisurely through the market, and ponder how one could choose one vendor over another? But unlike markets in many Asian cities, you are largely left alone to browse as the vendors here know that their priority are their regular customers.

Howrah Bridge, Calcutta

You exit the market and descend onto the
busy streets of Calcutta again.
A local has told you previously that each owner is responsible for their own section of footpath here – you are unsure whether to believe him. All the same, you take care where you step, navigating the uneven and broken sections of gravel and concrete to Kalighat, the Home for the Dying and Destitute.

Upon arriving, there is a black car that pulls up abruptly in front of the historic home. You watch as an old, frail man is swiftly helped up from his lying position, out of the back seat of the car, and carried into the home. You enter through those same doors to the once abandoned temple, and cannot help but wonder what Mother Teresa was thinking.

Kalighat, the Home for the Dying and Destitute

As you walk into the hall with its rows of neatly laid out mattresses and beds, you realise you could not have prepared yourself for what you are about to witness.

It is quiet, but it is not somber. Your eyes instinctively shift from one volunteer to another. Some are offering water, another is helping someone sit up, and yet another is simply sitting, holding a pair of frail hands – the owner’s eyes distant. Perhaps you are unsure how to feel, or how you should feel.

You make your way up the stairs to a promised chapel, but struck by the noise, you pause just before reaching the top. Here, volunteers are sitting either on a bench or on the floor, while eating plain bread, drinking milk, and sharing conversation. You stand at the doorway and observe quietly the exchange of smiles and laughter. It finally hits you why you find the scene so addictive.

Mother Teresa: "Works of love are works of peace.

It is undiluted hope and faith, and you get a glimpse of Mother Teresa’s vision.

You manage to pull yourself away into the quiet chapel. There is no one else present and you sit alone for a while, processing what you have just seen.

It this a place of hope or a place of despair?

Of usefulness or uselessness?

That decision will always be yours, and one idea will ultimately prevail over the other. I chose the former, and I hope you do too.

There is much to be done.

Here, finally, are the most popular posts on Solo Traveler in February. The number one post is on safety and actually from January but it continues to enjoy great popularity. The Dali post offers novelty appeal to the blog and the culture shock piece points to the need for How-to articles. Thanks to Andy Hayes for his reflections  on “Why I Travel Solo” which was enjoyed and commented on by many. And, also, thanks to the six travel bloggers who shared how, for them, “Travel and Art intersect on the road to understanding”.

Here are February’s Fave Five:

• Solo Travel Safety: Safe answers to common questions.
• Solo with Salvador Dali: Figueres, Spain
• How to travel alone: 10 tips to survive culture shock.
• Travel and Art Intersect on the Road to Understanding
• Why I travel solo.

Wonder what the favorite solo travel posts will be for March?

As mentioned in a post quickly written on Sunday, I have a flight booked for Santiago, Chile on Friday. At that point, I wasn’t sure whether I should go and I put my dilemma to all readers. I received many thoughtful comments and good advice.  You can read them here:  Solo Travel to Chile: Torn between two values.

Now, I have made my decision. Here’s what has gone into it.

The Canadian government’s travel alert:
OFFICIAL WARNING: Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada advises against non-essential travel …

My personal network’s travel alerts:
Here’s how my friends and family weighed in on the decision which, I should point out, is not about whether to go at all but whether to go now.  Their comments ranged from things to consider to direct advice to personal preferences. The result is this list of reasons to go and reasons to stay.

Reasons to go now:

• The condo that I was going to borrow in Santiago was spared so I still have safe accommodation.
• My flight has changed but is not canceled. I can still go on Friday though it would not be a direct flight.
• The tourism office is not discouraging people from going to Santiago, the deserts of the north or Patagonia in the south.
• By going, my need for travel is fulfilled – at least, I don’t have to come up with another trip.

Reasons to stay for now:

• It feels grossly inappropriate to me to go to a country for pleasure when it is reeling from a disaster. Logical or not, that’s how I feel.
• Reports I’m receiving second hand from people in Santiago say that the people of Chile are dealing with a form of post-traumatic stress syndrome since the quake. I certainly would not see the people and culture at its best.
• I work with tourist offices not tour companies. The final details of my trip were to be confirmed Monday. Due to the quake, this didn’t happen so I am not sure how much of what I hoped to do is now possible.
• Tourism dollars are always welcome but I think that my going and writing about Chile under normal conditions would be more beneficial to the country than writing about its present state.
• My family prefers that I don’t go.

That’s my list. I’d like to add two other comments that hold weight:

• “I think your answer is found in your question.”
• “Take the time to really evaluate & then trust what your heart tells you. The pause in your decision may be your answer.”

My conclusion:
I will wait and go at a later date.

For those considering going to Chile, or any area during a travel alert.
For anyone considering going into a disaster area to help, I’d like to offer the core of a comment left by Gwen McCauley in my last post. Gwen is a personal coach and poses some excellent questions for those considering travel during an alert.

• Have you ever experienced a major natural disaster or environmental trauma scenario before? If so, what was the long-term impact of that experience on you? If not, how do you tend to react to dirt, putrid smells, lots of noise and being in the presence many, many people in deep emotional distress? Can you even imagine how you might respond?

• What’s your capacity for being around people and animals who are in distress but whom you can’t help? (some people don’t get hooked, others torment themselves by their impotency -pay attention to cues from day-to-day living: do you have a history of rescuing injured cats, dogs, squirrels; if you see a crying child how difficult is it for you to pass by? Your responses to those kinds of situations reveal a lot)

• Have you considered the language dynamics. I don’t think you speak a lot of Spanish so what do you think it’ll be like for you to try to process your emotional responses to awful situations in a context where you might not have access to fluent English speakers? I’m sure you’d do just fine in making yourself useful, it’s the deep emotional ‘aftershocks’ within yourself to what you’d have to deal with that interests me.

• How long after you return home are you prepared to have your life disrupted? I know and work with a lot of folks in the International Development field and each of them has had to develop their own way of dealing with the culture shock that is the norm for their work. Those who end up in disaster situations often have many of their assumptions about themselves and the world shaken up and it can take a prolonged time upon returning home for them to find stability and equanimity again.

Here are some options for Canadians wishing to donate funds to Chilean disaster relief:

Embassy of Chile – Earthquake Relief Fund
Bank of Nova Scotia, Account # 40006 01408 13, 119 Queen St., Ottawa, ON

Red Cross in Chile
CITIBANK, Account No. 9941973331 ABA Code: 021000089 Address: 153 E. 53rd St, 4th Floor, New York, NY

Doctors without Borders / Medecin Sans Frontiers
Donate online at: http://www.msf.ca/

Salvation Army
www.SalvationArmy.ca or 1-800-SAL-ARMY or at you nearest Salvation Army facility. Please specify that your donation is for the Chile Earthquake Relief Fund.

Aeroplan
Aeroplan has committed 1 million Aeroplan Miles to the Canadian Red Cross to support Chile’s emergency relief efforts. Aeroplan Members who wish to support the Chilean community can donate their miles online at www.aeroplan.com.

Text Giving

Text the word “CHILE” to 20222 to donate $10 On behalf of World Vision

Text the word “CHILE” to 52000 to donate $10 On behalf of the Salvation Army

Text the word “CHILE” to 45678 to donate $5 (In Canada Only in English) On behalf of UNICEF Canada

Text the word “SAVE” to 20222 to donate $10 On behalf of Save the Children Federation, Inc.

Text the word “CHILE” to 85944 to donate $10 On behalf of International Medical Corp.

Text the word “4CHILE” to 50555 to donate $10 On behalf of Convoy of Hope

Text the word “CHILE” to 50555 to donate $10 On behalf of Friends of the World Program

The donation is added to the cell user’s bill.

I’ll add to this list as I can. Please add your organization in the comments field.

Had the earthquake happened a week later, or my flight was a week earlier, I would have arrived in Santiago just hours before the quake. This was pointed out to me with some horror by my future daughter-in-law.

What’s the difference? There are phones, aren’t there? Yes. But my neighbors, the Chileans who are lending me their condo, spent all of Saturday trying to communicate with family to confirm that everyone was safe. Even in Santiago, phones were down and cellular service was incredibly unpredictable. It was through Facebook that they managed to communicate best but I would likely have had difficulty getting online in this situation.

When I think about it, it would have been a good thing to be on a list with my government. In a situation such as the earthquake, I could have contacted my embassy to be counted. My family could have contacted the government to ensure that I was counted. It seems simple. I hope this system really works for people.

In the “Solo Travel Safety: 50 Tips” post I mention the travel alert and registry services of the American, British and Canadian governments.

I offer them to you again:

1. Check your government’s travel sites for information on travel document requirements, travel advisories and other recommendations. UK: travel alerts. US:  Travel alerts.  Canada, travel alerts.
2. Register with your government as a citizen traveling abroad. UK,  US , Canada

I invite you to add the alert and registry websites for other countries in the comments below.

With thanks,

Janice

According to Apture, this is in Santiago, Chile, after the February 27th earthquake. (public domain)

My ticket is for this Friday, March 5th.

Many arrangements have been made.

But with the devastating earthquake in Chile yesterday, I am unsure whether this is a solo travel adventure I’m prepared to take. My first thought was that I could be useful.  I could help with the relief effort. But then, there are my responsibilities at home to be considered as well. This is a minor issue compared to what the people of Chile are living but it is one I have to think through

Choosing between
competing values.
I am not an adrenaline junkie. Charging into dangerous territory for heroic acts is not my thing. However, contributing to my community – whether local or international – is important to me.  Especially when I am hand-delivered an opportunity to help, I do.

This is how I feel about the situation in Chile. I have a ticket to Santiago already. I can get there so put me to work.

But then there are my responsibilities at home. When I returned to solo travel a few years ago, I made one pact with myself: I would never put myself in danger. My sons only have me. They lost their Dad a few years ago. Even though they are adults, they don’t need to lose both parents so young.

If I wasn’t concerned for my kids, I’m pretty sure that I would go. I don’t see the danger as that great and I’m a pretty lucky person. Yes, I think I would go.

But, with my personal responsibilities I’m not sure.

So, I’m pausing. Researching. Watching what happens. I’ll decide in a couple of days what to do.

Your thoughts on how to reconcile these conflicting values would be appreciated.

Solo travel is often an eye-opening experience. It is interesting because each time you do it the circumstances are different and so is your experience. When I went by myself to Shanghai I had a blast and met some really amazing people. But this trip to Brisbane was a much different story.

Alone in the hostel, I tried to make friends with other people staying there. I met Germans, Israelis, Aussies, Brits, and Americans, yet none of them seemed interested in going out to do things together.  I was annoyed by this because I expected it to be the same as in  Shanghai. I was wrong.

At first I adapted to their way of thinking; I turned to my books. I read about 200 pages a day in an attempt to pass the time. Then I realized I was wasting my time in Australia (although I did have 20 days), so I got up off the bed and made a plan.

Solo travel is not reading in a hostel.
First I went to Fortitude Valley, which is basically Chinatown. I walked around and ate while still feeling quite angry at the situation. So I tried to turn it around. I took the train down three stations to the Museum, then walked to the CityCat, which is a ferry. While on the ferry, I met three people from Hong Kong, one of whom lives here with her husband. They were very nice and helped me out a lot.  I was happy to meet them!

After the ferry ride, I walked back to Fortitude Valley and went rock climbing. From there I went back to shower, only to find those same people from earlier sitting around doing nothing. I laughed in my head at how dumb they were for wasting their time.

That night after almost 2 years, I went out to dance Salsa at the local club and had an amazing time! I even befriended a girl from Canberra, Australia’s capitol city.

The rest of my trip was like this. I was continually surrounded by passive foreigners who called themselves travelers yet refused to leave the hostel during the daytime. I avoided them and only thought about the good time I was having doing such activities as climbing the Story Bridge, going bungee jumping for the first time, and talking to the locals!

I learned an important lesson about solo travel:  your experience will always be different.

Don’t expect to always find people who share your interests and want to spend time with you. Be prepared to go it alone, and enjoy yourself while doing it! Those who are afraid to reach their goals will never even reach the edge, while those who strive to push themselves are constantly walking a tightrope across the canyon towards the other side.

From the Chicago Downtown Farmstand

As I solo travel I find  eating more of a necessity than a social event – so cheap is good. Healthy and cheap is better. Healthy, fun and cheap is the best.

On my trip from Chicago to Memphis, Jackson and finally New Orleans, I scouted out the best healthy, fun and cheap eats I could find. Here are my recommendations: city by city.

Solo Travel  in Chicago
There are so many options in Chicago. When I asked around, Greektown came up a number of times but my wanderings didn’t take me there. They did, however, take me to a couple of great, inexpensive culinary options in the downtown area.

On the 7th floor of Macy’s on Washington St. is Frontera Fresco by award-winning chef-restaurateur, cookbook author, and television personality Rick Bayless. It offers Central Mexican cuisine using naturally raised meats, fresh ingredients and guacamole made every few hours. One person can easily eat great food for $10.

In good weather, my preference would be to gather up food for a picnic at Chicago’s Downtown Farmstand and take it, along with a discreet bottle of wine, to Millennium park. For less than $30 I filled my basket with a variety of fresh and locally made food that would easily do me for two meals. Add a free concert at the amazing Ghery designed bandstand in the park, and you have a great evening.

Solo Travel in Memphis
This is a city known for barbeque and fried foods. It’s also a place where the tourist and residential sections are quite separate so finding interesting, cheap places to eat was a bit of a challenge. Stopping into an architectural firm that would “surely know the city” was my saving grace. They sent me to the Cooper-Young area.

A café au lait and beignets from Café du Monde in New Orleans is a must.

I did end up having barbeque after all but it was on a bun in the form of a Memphis sandwich with cucumber salad on the side. I ate at Soul Fish, a very basic restaurant where the menu barely breaks the $10 mark. But the place has color and was hopping with locals. Plus the food was so good I virtually wolfed it down. For $13.04, I got a lot of flavor.

If you still have room and would like to kick it up a notch, I would recommend going to the Beauty Shop just down the road in the heart of Cooper-Young for drinks, coffee and dessert. An upscale, whimsical restaurant with a friendly bartender; you can’t go wrong.

Solo Travel in Jackson
The Mayflower Café is where I had my first taste of gumbo in the south. I enjoyed it with my new friend from the Old Capitol Museum who offered to show me around for the afternoon. The Mayflower has been owned by the same family since 1935. It’s the real thing – a classic diner in downtown – and a good bet for quality cheap eats in Jackson.

Another, more current option is the High Noon Café in the up and coming Fondren area of Jackson. It’s only open for lunch so plan your day accordingly and enjoy delicious vegetarian fare in a relaxed atmosphere. After lunch, wander around the shops in the area. And don’t miss the Duling School – a primary school that has been modified for commercial shopping. Very interesting.

Solo Travel in New Orleans
And then there’s New Orleans where food is a way of life. I have two cheap and cheerful recommendations.

For brunch or lunch, take the St. Charles streetcar to Riverbend and go to The Camellia Grill (est. 1946) – great fun and full of locals. And I mean full. I squeezed into the only seat available at the counter and introduced myself to Richard who was sitting on my left. “So what am I having”, I asked him. After he stopped laughing, he ordered me a chilli-cheese omelette and mocha freeze. Healthy? Well, not really. Good? Very. Large? Too. But it was all worth it.

At the other end of the spectrum I have a wonderful dinner suggestion for you. How about dinner, drinks and entertainment for under $30 per person. Not bad. Try Irvin Mayfield’s Jazz Playhouse at the Royal Sonesta Hotel on Bourbon St.  It offers fabulous jazz in an elegant atmosphere. (A chance to dress up a little though it’s not necessary.) I sat at the bar and had the Blue Crab appetiser and two drinks while enjoying Bob French and the Original Tuxedo Jazz Band. A cheap experience that doesn’t feel cheap at all.

So go ahead. Solo down travel the Blues Highway, eat lots and don’t break the bank. It can be done cheap and well.

Chao Praya River, Thailand

Are they just about fun? Are they also about learning? You can’t go everywhere so, how do you choose where to go?

For me, traveling is definitely about fun but it is also about understanding our world. And, it’s true, I can’t go everywhere. So  how do I choose where to go? Often, it’s the arts – books, movies, music – that inspire a trip. And, when I’m there, the place that artists have rendered in my imagination and the place of my experience converge for a new and unique understanding.

I think this is true for most people. But, I wondered, what about the people who travel almost all the time. What have inspired their travels and how have the places in their imaginations and the places of their experiences converged.

So I asked six serious travelers to muse on how travel and art have intersected in their lives – whether as inspiration or in surprising ways. Here are their responses. Please read to the very end. Andreas’ final comment is a perfect conclusion to everyone’s thoughts along the way.

Deb (of Dave & Deb), The Planet D – on Twitter @theplanetd

Growing up in the 80’s, one of the biggest songs on the radio was One Night in Bangkok.  It had an even bigger meaning to me as I was a Music Theater major in College and One Night in Bangkok is from the musical Chess.  I introduced Dave to Chess when we first met in the early 90’s and annoyed my new heavy metal boyfriend with the constant playing of the cheesy soundtrack.

When we went to Bangkok for the first time in 2000, the lyrics of One Night in Bangkok took on a whole new meaning for us and Dave actually started to like the song.  We had never been anywhere so exotic before and suddenly we were standing on Kho San Road experiencing the city that seemed so far away when we first met at the age of 20 and 21.

The Reclining Buddha

We had only really known the song’s chorus in the past and had no idea what the double entendres and meanings meant. “This grips me more than would, a muddy old river or reclining Buddha,” we sang as we took the boat along the Chao Praya River to see the reclining Buddha.  It all made sense now.  He mentions words like Siam, pearls, temples and massage parlors.  As a teenager we just sang the lyrics phonically and liked the beat.  Now we were in the Pearl of the Orient visiting temples and hearing about the massage parlors in the Patpong District.

We had that song playing in our minds and on our headphones during the entire trip. Bangkok didn’t disappoint and now every time we think of the city, we still have One Night in Bangkok pop into our heads.

Chris Guilllebeau, The Art of Non-conformity – on Twitter @chrisguillebeau

I watched (and recently rewatched) Michael Palin’s great documentary on going around the world in 80 days. The first time I saw it I had been to about 50 countries. Over the next few years I went to a number of other places — currently on country #125 — and in each stop I remembered where Michael had been and what he had done.

It’s interesting because that journey of his, along with some of the travel I do, could be considered quite superficial because the time in each stop is relatively limited. However, I think it’s also possible to craft meaningful experiences even with only a small amount of time. As I went from place to place, I definitely found that to be the case, especially when I planned well.

Before leaving home last week (I’m in Manila now), I watched the whole series again. This time I knew most of the places myself, and I liked the nostalgia factor.

Gary Arndt, Everything Everywhere – on Twitter @everywhereTrip

The book I purchased before traveling to Japan was the Pulitzer Prize winning book, Embracing Defeat by John Dower.

Much of American understanding of Japan consists of World War II and then its later success as an economic and industrial power in the 80’s. In between, Japan went through enormous changes in the late 40’s, 50’s and 60’s. The book gave a great overview of the construction of the modern Japanese state and society.

Gwen McCauley, Coach, Author, Artist – on Twitter @gwenmccauley

These days music and cooking are my biggest invitations to exploration.

I’ve been in love with Malagasy music for decades.  My fascination with Madagascar’s sweet, lively and happy rhythms started in the late 70’s when a friend played a couple of 45s he’d brought back.  Then in the 90s I discovered the mind-blowing ‘A World Out of Time’ CD by Howard Kaiser & David Lindley. It intrigued me with the reality of a culture in transition; many of its traditions fading quickly.  More recently groups like African Guitar Summit have reawakened my passion and made me place Madagascar high on my list of “Must See” destinations.

Work takes me to Portugal regularly these days.  I love the place and can’t get enough of it. I find that even though I know Portugal well, various novels and cookbooks I’ve savored keep me wanting to return to discover more nooks and crannies.  Most recently, David Leite’s “The New Portuguese Table” has whetted my appetite not just for dining explorations, but for discovering marketplaces, chefs, farmyards and vineyards, all lush with goodies for the table as well as exquisite panoramas of earth and sea.

Whether it is about first time discovery or getting a richer appreciation for a place and its people through repeated visits, music and books unleash my quest for exploration.  Movies and art, in my world, are media I use to reconnect with places I’ve visited.  I think especially of Ireland and all the indie films I’ve seen since my several trips to both Eire and Ulster, each one an opportunity to savor the memory of sights, sounds, tastes and conversations already experienced.  Be still my heart!  Thanks to the arts for enriching this solo traveler’s experiences, before, during and after.

Robin Locker, My Melange – on Twitter @mymelange

My first foray into foreign travel was to Italy.  The catalyst for that trip was the movie “Under the Tuscan Sun”.  And though it’s a glorified Hollywood version (loosely based on the book of the same name) of what life is like in Tuscany, it still stirred something deep within me that made me long to visit. Whether it was the gorgeous scenery or the underlying inspiring story of a newly divorced woman who reinvents her life, picks up and moves to a foreign country knowing not one word of the language, I’ll never know.

Overall, the movie displayed a stylized version of real Italian life, but the book delved a bit deeper and of course gave more detail into life and culture in Italy. Italy is a culture rich in history and tradition and one just has to visit some Etruscan ruins, attend the Palio or a flag throwing to know that. Before my visit,  I got the distinct feeling both through the book and movie that Italians embrace life and are gregarious by nature and I witnessed this first hand in my travels.  Italians celebrate the simple pleasures – like savoring a gelato and take life at a slower pace – like taking time out to stroll around the local piazza for a nightly passeggiata.

Much of the author’s words center around food and family, two staples of Italian life.  As one meanders around Italy you’ll see elaborate food markets, celebrations that center around ingredients coming into season, friends and family sitting down relaxing over hour long meals.

But it’s not until I traveled to the city of Rome that I realized that it’s not all as picturesque and lovely as the book and movie may make it seem.  There is dirt, grit,  traffic and crowds.  But that’s Rome.  I often wonder if my desire to travel to Italy would have been so strong if the movie had been a true representation set in Rome, rather than Tuscany.

Of course, I realize that just traveling to a place only scratches the surface.  One can still don rose-colored glasses.  It isn’t until you actually live in and immerse yourself in the culture that one will see the true Tuscany.

Andreas Susana, Notes of a Traveler – on Twitter travelwritcus

When I was a child, I  read a lot of books about foreign countries and cultures but I was not able to see any of these sights for myself. After earning my first money, I decided to lock my library cupboard and to experience all these described places with my own eyes only.

For some years, I enjoyed this new chance to discover several countries and peoples step by step instead of page by page.  However, I still read and made an interesting discovery: Books help us to understand better. They even help us to see better how our is world built.

Though I thought I could gain all I wanted from a country just by my curiosity, by sharply watching and boldly asking, I came to realize that a book written by a witty author  helps me to get an additional, not foreseen, view on the peculiarity of a region, a tradition or a language.

So I’d like to sum up:  The best way to travel the world is using a good pair of shoes but also having a couple of good books at hand. Therefore you will always experience me as a guy who loves not only to speak about worth-seeing destinations but also about worth-reading books in equal shares.

The Acropolis and the National Archeological Museum were amazing. You can tour much of the museum’s collection online.

My best memory, however, was attending a performance of the first of Wagner’s Ring Cycle, the Rhinegold, at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus. This 2000 year old amphitheater in Athens is located at at the base of the Acropolis and was a dramatic setting for a Wagnerian work.

Not being a huge opera fan, I don’t remember much of the opera itself. What I remember is the experience…

• Sitting in the theater where people had sat 2000 years before.
• Being uncomfortable on stone seats/benches with no back support.
• Watching a performance in German with Greek sur-titles — interesting.
• But, mostly, being totally enraptured with the spectacle on stage and the venue.

If you’re heading to Greece this spring/summer, I would highly recommend that you check out the Greek Festival website. There you can learn what’s playing.

Solo Traveler as part of a Greek Chorus.
The plays that were originally performed at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus would have included a chorus of 12 to 24 people, depending on whether it was a tragedy or comedy. Their role was to help the audience follow the drama presented by about four actors playing multiple roles. The chorus provided context for the action, background information and a commentary on the drama unfolding.

As a blogger, I sometimes feel like a member of a Greek chorus. You are the actors. Solo Traveler, along with many other travel blogs, are the chorus. Our medium is just a little different.

Together, the drama of our travels unfold in Greece, and around the world.