Rayka’s Travels

It’s very simple to describe my relationship with traveling – I love it. New places, people, foods, cultures -- and a story just waiting to be found on every trip!  Grab a cup of something, stay a while. And discover of the places I love so much.

 

Ireland  

A memorable trip to Ireland over Thanksgiving in 2006. Six of us in a van, trying to stay on the ‘other side of the road’. From Dublin we headed south to Waterford and Cork and then up the Ring of Kerry to the Cliffs of Mohr and finally Shannon. The castles (and there was one around every corner) simply reeked of mystery, romance, and intrigue. I think I plotted a story every day! If I had to pick a highlight or two (and it’s tough to do this because every place had such character) it would have to be the afternoon in Dublin when I visited the Writer’s Museum, and the one afternoon walking around in Killarney, ducking in out of the rain to have coffee and dessert in a little café. Despite the rain that dogged our path I am already planning to return. You see, I fell in love with Kilkenny beer and have not been able to find it in the States.

 

 

      Italy

Ah, September in Venice. I got there by water taxi, lugged my suitcases up the ramp and after some conversation with a guide (who smiled at my consternation that she could not seem to find my hotel on her computer), I set off for my home for the next six days. After about a 1000 bumpy feet, I turned the corner on to St. Mark’s Piazza and stopped short in astonishment. Narrow benches crisscrossed the square and people inched their way along them to cross the area. Men who looked like waiters, except for their knee high boots, stood outside restaurants. As I gaped, sea water lapped at my sandals. Note to self: do not arrive again in Venice with a big red suitcase at high tide. Too tired to join the creeping masses on the benches, I waded my way through the water to my hotel. I spent the next six days exploring the city, reveling in the sights and sounds. I drank port on the piazza one night listening to the dueling orchestras. And somewhere along a narrow cobblestone street is a bartender who has a napkin with my autograph. Lunch was usually at the little mom and pop diner with the most exquisite back patio where plants and song birds abounded. The highlight? Hard as it was to choose – the evening at La Fenice (restored after the fire in 1996) listening to Andrea Boccelli, and the morning I traipsed off to look over Titian’s tomb and his Ascension of Mary. Along the way I chanced upon a wonderful little jewelry store and I have a beautiful garnet ring set in a silver baroque design as evidence of how much I liked the wares. Return to Venice? In a heart beat! And watch for a Venetian setting in one of my Operation Series novels.

 

Costa Rica 

Costa Rica was a series of unexpected events. The first few days were spent in a resort along the Northwestern coast, where I lounged about, ate like food was going out of style at the many buffets, and had an Ayurvedic massage at the Spa. From there, we went by taxi to Arenal. The volcano remained unseen, and L spent the mornings asking the waiters if they knew they had a conspiracy going, what with this elusive volcano and all. The ride to the rainforest was one of the bumpiest I have even been on with potholes the size of a small house. The picture you see here is my second zip line jaunt. Being a 1000 feet above the tree tops is an exhilarating feeling.

Stay tuned for more of my travels, and of course for the  books set in all these places that capture my heart.