The silly things that amuse me...

Through the years I have sought out sites with connections to Virginia. Went to St George's Church in Gravesend where Pocahontas was buried in 1617. There's a statue there given by Virginia to the church that is a replica of the statue and Jamestown. I found St Sepulchre's-without-Newgate where John Smith is buried. Trekked down to Blackwall/East India Docks to find Virginia Quay and to find the monument commemorating the 1607 Virginia Company settlers.

These are the kinds of "silly" things that delight us, put the spark in our lives.
So you go for it.
My nieces roll their eyes when I put on my Harry Potter tee shirt, but I get a kick out of it.
And I have Gibraltar and North Cape on my bucket list. Nobody I know is the least bit
interested, so heck, I'll go by myself!
Safe travels all!

I think I almost always have "silly" things that get my heart racing when travelling, I mean Johnnie-Jump-ups in Swiss gardens in Muerren? Lots of photos. I began my recent and continuing travels in Europe in 2005. Among my zany pleasures have been: the Church of the Angelo Raffaele in Venice from Miss Garnet's Angel; and then forever more, examples of Tobias and the Angel located in museums far and wide. Likewise - and apparently a lot less esoteric - locations from the Brunetti series by Donna Leon. An ongoing quest is to locate Jacobsweg indicators (Way of St. James) along the many, many "ways" heading towards Spain. In fact, this has become kind of a given when I am researching a trip: where can I or will I find those clam shells? But, one of my favorite trips was totally obsession-driven: a trip to Galway and environs on the 20th anniversary of the Saw Doctor's formation as a band. It was race week. The band had not been given permission to use municipal locations, so they decided to hold their concerts on the grounds of a local elementary school that supposedly one or more members had attended as a child. It was pretty high up there on the enjoyment scale. Imagine: hundreds of fans who all know the words to each song standing in line for the loos around the sports-fields - all of us singing. Two nights of bliss. Actually, were the Saw Doctors to tour again (please, please), I will most likely travel anywhere they go.

So yeah, the quirkiness of quests really makes travel special for me. Got me grinning, you have.

Allan, I love the quirky topics you come up with. I want to visit Charles Dickens’ home when we finally get to take our London trip. Love his books. Not as quirky as your must see but good enough for me. Will definitely read your trip report when written.

More of a serendipity than anything else..... On our first trip to London, we did the Beefeaters' tour of the Tower of London, then the 'on your own' part. As we walked past the rooms where Sir Walter Raleigh was imprisoned, I noticed the book of John White's sketches of the wildlife seen on his voyage to the 'New World' (now the North Carolina coast and Outer Banks). I had been teaching about this topic to my 8th grade students the day before we left for our trip. The book just happened to be open to the very page that was printed in our textbook!!!!! What a story I had to add to my lesson on our return. My husband had to actually calm me down as I was breathing fast and chanting... "that's the picture in our textbook... the very picture in our textbook"!

I had a similar Toni experience. We were in Greenwich visiting the Royal Observatory and seeing the Prime Meridian line. I had just finished reading The Longitude Prize and promoting it to my students. I walked into a side room at the Observatory Museum and there were several time and navigational pieces. I looked up on the top shelf and saw H3 and H4, the Harrison clocks. I couldn’t believe it! Then I noticed a little sign that said No Photographs. I was so disappointed. I went to ask the room attendant if a non flash photo would be allowed so I could share this treasure with my students. After telling me no again, he looked straight at me and said he was leaving the room for a few minutes, and smiled. I smiled back. We had an understanding. It wasn’t an Instagram type of photo I took but just a picture of a very famous clock.

Understanding (after the fact) that General Bertrand in Les Invalides with Napoleon is a relative.

Last year taking a wrong street in London in route to a lunch meet up with a friend and by chance discovering the house where Churchill died.

On my trip to Istanbul wandering about the Grand Bazaar, and seeing a small sign with arrow saying restaurant pointing up a stairway. Discovered a tiny family run open air restaurant with the best lentil soup!

A November hike and drive over Gap of Dunloe in Ireland.

Staying in Havana. Fabulous architecture, people, and cleanest streets I’ve seen on the planet.

Visiting Stonehenge in the 90’s. No one there but my 2 friends and I and a group of 5 trespassers who were escorted away. They were there “ to be transported to another planet. ”

EDIT remembered another from a trip to London. A friend had to meet a work colleague over by Victoria Park. Basically a business meet up. I tagged along. Never been in that part of London and saw that the residence was a few blocks from Victoria Park. Bid my adieu and strolled over to the park where I found a neighborhood soccer match being played. Was watching when I heard a someone yell
“ here they come!”Turned around to see hundreds of runners in Santa Suits passing nearby. First time seeing a charity Santa Run. I have an iPhone video that shows me grinning from ear to ear as Santas dash by. It was a silly surprise and one I cherish. Walked over to the People’s Tavern pub and was amused to see a number of Santas enjoying a pint.

The silly things that amuse are some of the most important events in my trips. They aren't the main reason for travel, but they make it personalized and give it texture. One in particular, that I remember, is my plan to see the circular courtyard at the police headquarters in Copenhagen. I remember it so well because it was so important to me and I never made my way in. In the months leading up to my trip, access to the courtyard became more limited. I ended up paying the fee for a guided tour that would cover a group up to 15 people and was happy to do it. A few weeks before my trip, I was notified that only Danish passport holders would be allowed in to the building. I did take a walk around the building when I was in Copenhagen and semi stalked some officers and asked a few if they would take me in for a peek, but it was a no go.

In London, I purchased a cup of tea from a kiosk in St. James to drink in front of Buckingham Palace. If I couldn’t have tea with the Queen, I could have tea NEAR the Queen.

I've mentioned this before:

On a 2018 visit to London, I set off on foot from my South Bank hotel to the Imperial War Museum. I glanced at Google Maps and plotted what looked like a reasonable walking route. I took a street that cut under an elevated highway. That sort of dark area always makes me a bit nervous, but it was a serendipitous decision in this case. On the walls of that underpass were 24 poster-size ceramic artworks based on the poems and art of John Donne, who at one time lived in the area. I believe each was created by a different artist. I've never seen them mentioned in any guidebook.

I have to wonder, did Lord Stanley carry the chalice upright, or was it he who started the custom of holding it aloft, sideways, even without the base that's been added in subsequent years?

Thomas Jefferson, a francophile in more ways than one, stayed in the city of Nice for a few days in 1787 (although Nice was not officially part of France at that moment) and there are a few (ok, just two) modern bits of evidence of that stay to be found if you look carefully, and I did so.

https://www.vianissa.com/uncategorized/why-has-nice-forgotten-the-american-president-thomas-jefferson/

These aren’t silly things at all, Allan, and I love reading the examples people have come up with.

I think Vandabrud said it well:

The silly things that amuse are some of the most important events in my trips. They aren't the main reason for travel, but they make it personalized and give it texture.

This is the sort of thing I would be interested in but my mind draws a complete blank of past experiences similar.
For those who don't know it, Atlas Obscura website (and daily emails if you subscribe to them) may be of interest.

I want to visit Charles Dickens’ home when we finally get to take our
London trip.

Barbara, me too. If you have a chance, walk to 141 Bayham Street in Camden-we discovered it on a London Walks walk. There is a plaque that states that in 1823 Charles Dickens lived in that building as a child. It is said that he based that home on Bob Cratchit's home in A Christmas Carol. It was another of those moments that was a big deal for me and a photo that I love to show my friends and family who all give me a blank stare in return.

Allan, thanks for the info. It is definitely something I would like

My wife and I are Unitarians. There is one king in history, King John Sigismund, who was supposedly Unitarian. When we visited Oradea, in Romania, we went to the citadel, and found his grave, pretty much by itself, in the middle of a large courtyard.

When we visited the Thomaskirche in Leipzig, the grave of JS Bach is to be found in the sanctuary.

BTW, the green plaque commemorating Lord Stanley and his Cup.
https://www.google.com/maps/@51.5110411,-0.138633,3a,15y,35.02h,109.59t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sptW1PG8_BCoJJIbTIpLHag!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

The silly things that amuse are some of the most important events in
my trips. They aren't the main reason for travel, but they make it
personalized and give it texture.

I love that quote Kim. Thinking back on some past trips, it is the silly or simple things that I go home and talk about the most-or include on this forum:

• Bee's buzzing in the flower garden at Château de Villandry in the Loire Valley, it was so loud I thought there were power lines above me.

• The building where Mary Shelley lived in Bath when she wrote
  Frankenstein. The guide pointed it out but I was the only one that
  seemed to care.

• A seal sunning himself near San Luis Obispo in California with a very
  large shark bite scar; apparently he lived to tell about it.

• The exact spot where General Montcalm of the French army died during
  the battle on the Plains of Abraham in Quebec City. It was this
  battle that determined that Canada was going to part of the English empire and not France.

All make dull photos on paper, but huge memories in my mind.

I could probably add a few of my own silly things if I gave it some thought, but I want to mention that I have often made significant detours just to see a silly sign or object that Rick mentions in his guide book. I have some very boring photos of a sign that says "Synnes Hoej," indicating a hill on the island of Aero, of protruding bricks on a house in Volterra that were used to hoist furniture to the upper levels, of a plaque in Gdansk indicating the location of Lech Walesa's office, and stuff like that. So I say if it's good enough for Rick, how silly can it be? (Answer: very!)

@Allan, my mom didn't get to her bucket list travels until she was in her 50's or so. She was a fan of bus tours. I remember her returning from a bus tour of eastern Canada and has this dewy eyed look of bliss telling me about the Plains of Abraham and being on the 'exact spot'. The bliss and dewy eyes skipped a generation....just doesn't do it for me...but to illustrate that you are not alone.

I was in Lucca in Italy in 2012, and came round a corner into the piazza where the Duomo is, to see hundreds of vintage Vespa, Piaggio and Lambretta scooters going by.
Everyone cheering and waving and laughing.
It took about 30-40 minutes for the whole parade to pass by.
It was like hearing hundreds of sewing machines driving past, and was so much fun!
Every time I see a similar scooter here at home, I remember that day and smile to myself.

Another was being in Copenhagen the second week in December, and hearing singing in a big church.
I opened the door and was told no, you can't come in, as they were having a choir rehearsal for the evening's concert.
I asked if I could sit at the back and watch the rehearsal, as I am in a choir myself.
They said alright, so I did and it was wonderful.
Choir directors the world over have the same temperament!
I came back in the evening and listened to the whole concert.

What a wonderful moment, SJ.

I could list several within the travel world but I suspect that would draw a suspension by the webmaster.

Another serendipity..... When we took our daughter on her first European trip, she was about 11 years old and had been studying violin for a couple of years. We were in Salzburg just prior to the beginning of the summer festival. On our last night there, we ate supper in old town and were walking back to our hotel across the bridge over the river when we heard a marvelous sound.... a live orchestra was playing... somewhere. We turned and looked back across the river, but could not see exactly where. We kept walking and periodically looked back, as the sound was obviously coming from Old Town, but seemed to be getting closer and closer!?! When we reached the top of the river bank, we were able to see an orchestra walking into an open concert area, playing as they walked. We sat and listened for a long time. Later we learned it was the Czechoslovakian National Orchestra giving a free outdoor concert to open the festival!!!! We had perfect seats.

I work in a public library, and I try to go into the public libraries at destination. Many libraries have small branded items for sale; the small library in Dingle didn't, but gave me a library card as a souvenir (not registered as a patron, just a card). The best library shop I've seen by far is at New York Public Library. I bought everyone souvenirs from there.

So remember, there's often souvenir shopping at the local public libraries!

Andrea, I love books and libraries. When the internet was relatively new and there were no laptops, there were Internet cafes which were very costly. We would go into public libraries to use the free computer. And yes, I love the shop at the 42 Street Library in NYC. Also, they have public bathrooms if you are in need.

Agree with Andrea.

I never fail to stop in and peruse The British Library gift shop. In the past excellent purchases for Christmas stocking gifts. Same with the gift shop at the V & A.

The free loo is a bonus.

We drove for an hour an a half each way while staying in Ravenna to visit our dog's grandfather near San Marino --- does that count?

She (our dog) is an uncommon Italian breed of dog, a Lagotto Romagnolo, and her breeder here in Minnesota brought her mother from Italy. So, we sat in the tiny living room of the grandfather's owners, were introduced to him, and then drank prosecco and ate cake with the owners while half a dozen little Lagotto puppies played around at our feet and got lessons in truffle-hunting by doing treasure hunts with a truffle oil infused toy.

And its not just the big libraries that have something to buy. Little libraries often have branded pencils, or pens, or tote bags. Any manner of swag.

Speaking of loos, some of the best travel advice I ever got was many years ago - if you are in need, go to the best hotel around. A 5-star hotel will never turn you away, no matter how you are dressed because you might be a future guest. I quickly learned that many of those top-notch hotels are well worth visiting just for the decor in the lobbies, and the loos (at least the ladies') have all the comforts - cloth towels, lotions, fresh flowers, etc., as well as being immaculate.

I second going into libraries and museum gift shops.
One of the best gift shops I've ever come across is in the Tenement Museum in NY City.

We drove for an hour an a half each way while staying in Ravenna to
visit our dog's grandfather near San Marino --- does that count?

Any trip to see a dog is a trip worth taking. It's become an annual post my wife makes on Facebook while we're on vacation. I'll have zigged when I'm supposed to have zagged because I spotted a dog and my wife will post a photo with a caption that I'm "busy making friends with the locals...the local dogs that is."

Why can't men's bathrooms be nice. No flowers in there.

Do they still have those street urinals in Paris? That's hilarious.

Emma can I look you up next time we're in London? We didn't do that last time. Coffee/beer/hard liquor/food/snacks/whatever on me.

Allan --- The Italian breed of our dog, Hazel, has led us into all kinds of conversations and adventures in Italy. We do stop and talk with everybody we see walking a Lagotto Romagnolo, showing a photo or two of our dog to legitimize our interest. There is always a lot of agreement that these dogs are appallingly smart (smarter than we are) and and have a testa dura ("hard head") meaning that they do what they want to do, but luckily are so fond of us that they may decide to do what we want sometimes. Our dog, Hazel, seems to actually enjoy pretending to be a good dog, like she's fooling us in order to get treats.

On that same December trip to Emilia-Romagna when we met her grandfather, we decided to stay at an old hotel in a tiny town in the mountains just because they were offering a truffle-hunt with their own Lagotto. Once there, it turned out that another person was staying there with his Lagotto puppy for the same reason, so we all went truffle-hunting and the puppy learned from the older dog what he was supposed to do. It also turned out that at Christmas time, this town, Portico di Romagna, was famous for the entire town being decorated for the season and for every household, school, and business in the town creating its own nativity scenes. We had no idea of all this when booking the hotel --- it was just a surprise bonus due to the whole Lagotto thing.

If you look at google images for "Portico di Romagna presepi," you'll get some idea. There were traditional elaborate nativity scenes but also ones creatively and sometimes bizarrely made out of musical instruments, sea shells, pinecones, old TV sets, broken flower pots, children's toys, etc. Perhaps my favorite one was an almost life-size tableau made of out split logs and lumber scraps showing the manger scene (made of old radios and other outdated machines) crowded around by wooden people taking photos of it with their phones (real ones).

So, yes, you pursue an odd interest of your own while traveling and you may stumble on all sorts of unusual things.

I quickly learned that many of those top-notch hotels are well worth
visiting just for the decor in the lobbies, and the loos (at least the
ladies') have all the comforts - cloth towels, lotions, fresh flowers,
etc., as well as being immaculate.

My thoughts immediately went to the Beverly Hills Hotel. Back when my wife and I were young and just starting out we were wandering through Beverly Hills pretending to look like we belonged. A bathroom break was required and there was the hotel. We wandered in and my wife went to the ladies room and she came out with her jaw hitting the ground and said I needed to check if the men's room was equally spectacular. I never peaked into the ladies room, but the men's was also eye popping and jaw dropping. We both left with jaws on the ground and clearly looking like we didn't belong. However, nobody ever stopped us.

@Allan, when you head to Ottawa for Canada Day one year, know that the Fairmont Chateau Laurier is right in the centre of the action, so a good pit stop. Head in the front door, check out the loos, and head out the side door, so anyone looking will think you just headed up to your room/suite/palatial top floor.

Last time in Rome we went to look thru The Knights of Malta keyhole, also known as The Aventine Keyhole. It is off the beaten path in Rome. I thought the super cool view of St. Peter’s Basilica was quite a treat. It is a real pleasure to find little spots like this that can really stand out in your memories. I also like how finding small out of the way things can make me feel more like a local, and a little less like a tourist. Many times I'm not so great at "thru the back door" travel, but often these types of things give me real joy and in some cases outshine more famous sites.

Maria, if travel between provinces is allowed by summer, an Ottawa/Montreal trip may be put together in a hurry. We've never been to either city. Is the Chateau Laurier as much of a tourist attraction as the Banff Springs Hotel? I gave my Mom a puzzle for Christmas which has a collage of travel posters of all the original CP Hotels. I've always assumed tourists visit them all when in town.

tdw, what a great story. Thank you. That's an irreplaceable experience you will never forget.

Emma? Thank you.