Random Armitage vacation thoughts …
Not that I believe for a moment that Richard Armitage is actually taking a break at the moment.
Nor that I am, either. In fact, with Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashanah behind me, this is the point at which my work speeds up in the gathering but inevitable rush toward end of term. Although today is an important anniversary in my life.
However, a rainy morning during the leadup to mid-semester and a glance at an Armitage picture just make me wonder — just in order to sort of cheer up my thoughts.
Is there anywhere in the world to go skiing in the first week of October?
Actually, I don’t want to go skiing (sorry, Mr. Armitage — I have nothing against Chamonix or Klosters, though as ex-SO would say of me, “Servetus ist eher fürs après-Ski” — but I’m sure I’m not on your list of vacation companions anyway), but if I could go on vacation and could take Richard Armitage with me, here are two options of places I’d go with Richard Armitage if I could go on vacation today.
1. Berlin — a place I’ve been many times and always enjoyed. On the agenda for the first day — sleeping in in the morning, a long visit to my favorite museum there, the Pergamon, in the forenoon and into the afternoon; coffee and cake in the afternoon (I like traditional places like Buchwald in Tiergarten); an early dinner at my favorite Berlin restaurant, Ottenthal — and, if Mr. Armitage is up to it, a visit to one of the three great theaters, followed by dancing at night in the Kreuzberg clubs. If he’s up for a city vacation, this is where I’d go — I love how the light falls across the red brick of Berlin this time of year, and the leaves falling …
2. Banff — a place I’ve always wanted to visit, but never have gotten around to. I’d be up for some gentle hiking, looking at the sky, driving around, and such. Relaxing more than anything.
3. Eisenach — this is a nice combination of the countryside and a small town. I’ve been here many times, as well. We’d stay in the Hotel auf der Wartburg, visit the fortress, wander around the paths on the mountain and listen to the birds. We’d eat in the excellent restaurant there, but take the car down the hill to check out concerts in the evening. Perhaps there’d be a cello recital to attend.
Hmm, I guess this one of those “Fernweh” posts. I’ve been in the same places for too long, I suspect, and am not likely to go anywhere new for quite awhile.
Where are you itching to go at the moment that you would take him along?
Beautiful places Servetus.
Take him to Paris to show him this beautiful city and to meet one of my dearest friend.
And also simply make him visit my city in Switzerland, Geneva.
I thought about Paris, actually.
And I should have thought about Geneva. I spent a really pleasant day there once.
Oh, you’ve been to Geneva once ? When was it ?
live here since I’m born.
twice, actually. Once in August of 2005, as the last piece of a visit to Burgundy with then-SO. And then I was there for a conference in the summer of … 2009, I think it was. The lake is so beautiful; the food is so good, the city is so charming to walk through. And for the subject I research it is an important location.
I’m not sure where exactly I’d go, but it would be fun to go to a city neither of us has ever been and just explore. I’m thinking somewhere in Asia with rickshaws and big open markets.
I wondered about Asia, but I really dislike flying more than twelve hours. He’s been to Japan, I guess.
oh, and you know how I feel about walking through a city I don’t know with Armitage in a ratty t-shirt. (Would just probably rather it be a European city …)
I also wouldn’t be averse at all to visiting his favorite city. I saw the NYT published tips for the frugal traveler today, although I suspect he’s not in that category anymore: http://travel.nytimes.com/2012/09/30/travel/the-beauty-of-frugal-rome-some-of-the-best-things-are-free.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&_r=0
I always try to stay with nuns when in Italy, but that’s probably not an option if I went with him
The ratty t-shirt is a must. It would be very interesting to travel around his favorite city and see his excitement over his favorite haunts.
Nuns and vacation with RA definitely don’t go together. They’d probably give you the boot!
yeah — the upside is that they are really cheap; the downside is they have a curfew. No late night debauchery.
Do they wake you for matins, all that?
No, they don’t knock on your door, but they are obviously saying them and will alert you if you ask, and you can attend the hours if you like. Matins are practically in the middle of the night, unfortunately.
[...] humid weather, an email from a friend featuring a photograph of her hike in the Rockies, and my Dear Friend‘s latest post about where she’d go on vacation if she could. I’ve still got 2 [...]
Dreams of vacation « Feminéma said this on October 3, 2012 at 5:20 pm |
Pylos – SW coast of Greece. Relatively unknown, but it has so much to offer if one only scratches the surface. Seems like a good fit. Do we get to fly first class on our dream vacation?
you can go however you want, but keep in mind he’s a frugal workaholic. I imagine he flies first class himself these days, however.
With those legs, flying coach has to be near torture! Time to use those miles accrued flying to and from NZ for and upgrade
I’m sure he flies first class now.
I’ll take the upgrade
As you can already see, I have found this post inspiring on many levels … even though it hasn’t helped mitigate my own wanderlust.
the idea of getting away is just so seductive… hope you have a great fall break!
Is it wrong of me to be thinking about lying on a sun-drenched beach somewhere exclusive with him wearing very little indeed???
Emphatically not. Just hope there are no paparazzi with a longlens camera anywhere around. Or maybe we should hope there are.
Noooooo…I might have to sunbathe in a Victorian style bathing costume if there are!
Here’s your sun-drenched beach (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/article-2024985/Greece-holiday-Enjoying-food-Gods-Peloponnese-coast.html)…this time of year I’ll bet there’s no one there…bathing suit optional (80′sF and sunny)? Incidently, I didn’t even know the resort in the article was there…a bit out of my price range
Ooh nice…and no long haul flight! Excellent!
that would be important for me, too.
Greece is somewhere I’ve never been but should visit, given the amount of time I’ve spent talking to undergrads about the Peloponnesian War — a sort of reward for me
Anyone who slogs through Thucydides deserves a treat!
I’ve never had a direct to Athens…always some EU stop, so not longer than 8 hours from US east coast. I concur on the <12 hour flight.
I love Thucydides — it’s the discussing it with undergrads that occasionally gets to be a pain (pearls before swine).
Oh, you are an historian aren’t you!
I only play one at work – I much prefer the pseudo-history of Herodotus – that’s what happens when you send a material culture person to do a text based job!
Yes, I am. Thucydides was the historical author who made me fall in love with history, actually. I had a really great teacher who did stuff that really forced us to learn the text (in translation), but his observational skill was amazing. Herodotus, in contrast, always seemed like he was spinning yarns to me. Now, of course, I see things a bit more subtly, and I’ve spent time reading Herodotus w/students, too, the stuff in that Finley Greek Historians reader — but I will always love Thucydides.
More power to you! There is certainly a core of truth in Herodotus, but he’s not opposed to embellishment either and not always so concerned with objectivity
Thucydides IS the historian’s historian of Greek antiquity. How do you spot two history geeks on non history blog? Look for a discussion on the relative merits of 5th century Greek historians! lol Now the really important question – how do you feel about potsherds and post holes?
Thucydides has that line, though, about if he didn’t hear a speech, he made the speaker say what he thought the occasion demanded — so he’s also an interpreter. But boy does he know how to put the pieces of a historical account together, and he actually got me interested in stuff I could normally care less about (battles, terrain, strategy) by sucking me in with those political discussions.
How can anyone be opposed to archaeology? I couldn’t have been an archaeologist myself so I’m pleased that other people do it, and nobody in the mainstream of the historical profession is averse to material culture analyses afaik. However, I confess to a secret wish that someone would get his / her act together with regard to translating Linear A.
Oh, and the ominous tone. Something else I love about Th. I could go on and on …
OK, no nuns
I couldn’t get it above…maxed out thread? I used to love field work…the dirtier the better. I dreamed about having a Sheffield trowel and my own Munsell Soil Color chart – super nerd alert! I still do field work occasionally, but now it is studying sherds in the lab…not so much sunburn! It seems those Minoans were stingy in how much linear A they saved…not enough for the linguists to crack it. Now that sounds like a call for more extensive excavations on Crete doesn’t it? Crete is amazing – was there last year – good work when you can get it
I have this fear that they’ll translate it and it will say, “I sold three bulls to the high priest at Minoa last week.”
Or “!@#$%^&*!” or “For a good time, call…”
“I told you the BLUE monkeys were too much!”
LMAO!
get a grant!!
Not me…I can’t tell an LM1A octopus from an LMIB squid
. I’m a mainlander. A joy…where else could I gush about RA and crack Minoan jokes? Thanks Servetus! (and Leigh).
Minoan joke opportunities are pretty thin on the ground
There’s a new audiobook Mr. Armitage could read..for a niche audience of course….Thucydides, The Peloponnesian War! I’ll happily make it a requirement for my classes! The Melian Dialogue will never be the same
Yeah, he could do the Athenians in a London accent and the Melians in Yorkshire
What a thought — I bet class enrollment would go way up just on that alone. I know it would have made a difference to me.
All of them are great choices, places I would love to visit and I’m sure he would enjoy.
I honestly say that any place in the world having him as a companion would be just wonderful!
yeah, he could actually come where I live now, which is a place a lot of people come on vacation.
I’d take him here: http://www.travelblat.com/slovenia-an-outdoor-paradise/
..because I adore lakes and mountains and it’s simply gorgeous and I’ve always wanted to visit this place. And here: http://switzerland.isyours.com/e/guide/berner_oberland/railway.html
…because I’ve always wanted to go on a Swiss Railway journey with someone special!!
Slovenia looks amazing!
I’ve always wanted to go to Slovenia as well — although my understanding is that so does most of Germany …
I love those Swiss railway posters. They make everything look so romantic.
Berlin and Eisenach – both excellent choices! If you two go there don’t forget to give me a ring so that I can join you! 😉
P.S. Banff probably a good choice too but haven’t been there so far…
Yeah, I’ll definitely be in touch
According to this tweet he might be in UK at the moment:
Cool, thanks for the notice!
I love the idea of him being home and hopefully catching up with family and friends. Too much to ask that he’s also taking a breather from work?
it might be — but I hope not.
What a lucky girl…
seriously. And just knowing where he is makes me feel so … joyful?
Your choices are really good ones, Servetus. I have just been told I must put Berlin on my bucket list, where it will join Firenze, Paris, and Prague. I wonder what’s on his bucket list. There is a place I would like to take him in the U.S. — gorgeous scenery, good air, good food, comfortable lodging, seldom crowded in winter, and good, if not trendy, skiing. Although I don’t ski, I’m happy to sit and watch, then take part in relaxing afterward. And why shouldn’t he get that “holiday in Mallorca” without the ending? I know places with few if any tourists, not trendy enough for the paparazzi.
If you’ve never been to any of those places I would put Florence and Prague over Berlin. But I’m wishing him a holiday in Mallorca with you!
Thank you, I’d love that. A self-catering villa away from the touristy beachfront would be perfection. First, I’d stop at the superrmarket in Gibraltar to pick up some of his favourites from home and then some treats to supplement the local food. The quality of Spanish food can be excellent, but if you want something different, you usually have to do it yourself.
he likes Italian, apparently
Eisenach sounds really exquisite. It’s a stunning region with quite a lot of very interesting places such as Weimar and Naumburg:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6b/Naumburg_Dom.JPG ……with my most favourite statue “Uta von Naumburg”: http://www.blueplanetclub.de/pic/mittelalter/naumburgUta01.jpg
Isn’t she a beauty?
Or the baroque gem Görlitz:
http://www.mdm-online.de/uploads/pics/03111134TRA02_01.jpg
and it’s appealing doors:
http://www.andreagoeppel.de/blog/wp-content/gallery/goerlitz/goerlitz_tueren.jpg
Have you ever been there Servetus?
Oh, how would I enjoy a stroll with him (and you!) around this unique cities. At the present public holiday we had extremely nice weather. Gorgeous sunny autumn weather with bright colourful trees that seem to glow!
Prague, Istanbul or Dubrovnik. Czech Republic, Turkey and Croatia all have ski resorts. Probably no snow at this time of year, though.
yeah, that was my issue. You can ski in Banff, too, but I think not in October.
Wouldn’t recommend Banff or Whistler in Oct.Too many avalances this year…
yeah, I’d just like to *see* it. One of my school friends went there on her honeymoon and had a fantastic time.
I’ve spent a lot of time in Weimar; I’ve been to Naumburg once (amazing church). Never been to Görlitz but I’ve studied its Renaissance-era intellectual life extensively.
Forgot it was Tag der deutschen Einheit somehow. Happy Einheit!
Oh, I’d LOVE to go back to the Pergamon!! I really enjoyed that museum on the one and only time I’ve been privileged to visit Berlin!! Wouldn’t it be spectacular to vacation with out hard-working fella! I hope he’s doing something wonderful to rest and rejuvenate.
yes — when people ask me, what is a must see in Berlin? that is always my first choice.
I hope he’s resting, too, and not doing voiceovers or negotiating the next thing.
I hear my crib is lovely this time of year with leaves changing and everything….;)
you had your chance
I would think for RA that time at home with friends and family would be great. Maybe some of his mums home cooking too. As for a holiday, how about somewhere in the UK exploring. There is so much I want to see, we can start anywhere.
that’s a sweet idea, let him lead you around
Time after time a dream: with RA through the Yorkshire Dales. English countryside has always been very special to me. And still there are so many places where I haven’t been…
you could listen to him imitate the local accent, too
….oh, I would listen most raptly….all ears (and eyes) …sigh
I would love to visit all those beautiful places of which you are saying but without Richard. I’m afraid that for example instead of soaking up in the treasure of the Louvre, Museo del Prado or Galleria degli Uffizi, I would be staring at his butt
It’s really important to me in visiting the museum that my fellow visitor not be talking all the time. I would trust Mr. Armitage to know that I don’t like to talk my way through a museum, but look a lot and talk afterwards or during pauses from looking.
I think in the Uffizi I’d be staring at someone else’s butt. No offense to Armitage.
We are so alike that way, Servetus. I can get quietly drunk on art, but if I’m with someone, especially someone who matters a lot, I don’t want to talk during, but sit down and talk about it afterward, preferably with a coffee or a sherry or something. And yes, at the Uffizi and the adjacent sites, there’s quite a concentration of interesting rear views.
For me it would be hideaway places in the UK. This is one of my favourite places, http://www.aboutscotland.com/south/roughley.html. There is no mobile signal until you climb to the top of the hill. It is 2 miles up a farm track and the walking is amazing. It is cold, you have to snuggle under duvets but the air is as clean as anywhere in the world. It is the place my husband should have proposed to me (he made me climb the biggest hill out the back of the cottage, we sat at the top, ate a ham sandwich and then I stomped back down! He then asked a few weeks later admitting that he would have asked me up there but thought he should have had a ring!!)
Then I would take him to http://www.northumberland-cam.com/druridge-bay/ a wonderful beach where you are often the only ones there.
Followed by a look round Alnwick Castle and then to http://www.barterbooks.co.uk/ where we would search the bookshelves for a first edition copy of The Hobbit.
Silence and a sea breeze, enough to blow the fug of filming away.
Ooooh, rosiepig, this is really perfect. To do with your husband or with Richard Armitage
Now I want to go to Scotland again.
I could take both of them! This would be for RA though for DH and I this is our dream holiday.
I saved those links for possible future activities. One never knows…. The landscapes look fabulously “empty” and airy! Thanks for pointing them out, rosiepig!