The summer of 1981 changed my world view (and entertainment life) forever. While my 1970s childhood was richly colored with amazing novels (with eternal thanks to the librarians at The Warner Public Library and to Sister Immaculata at St. Teresa's School), my annual viewings of The Wizard of Oz remained black and white, even after Dorothy's whirlwind arrival in Oz. It was finally in the fall of '81 (unfortunately, a few months after that glorious Royal Wedding) when my dad found a deal great enough to invite our gigantor color TV console (stylishly encased in a wood-laminated MDF cabinet) into my world.
Did I mention that it was color?!
Cue the angel chorus!
Not only did we find room for that massive hub of the entertainment world in our cozy cocoon of a (paneled, of course) basement, Pai decided the new TV deserved the best treatment and decided to replace the weathered roof antenna with a streamlined cable TV cable. Back in the heyday of cable television, before original programming and streaming and on-demand services, you would enjoy a handful of box office "hits" every month and you would continue to enjoy them over and over until the following month where you could enjoy them again on a less frequent basis as the new month's hits took over prime time. It was during the fall of 1981 that I acquainted and reacquainted myself with what would eventually become three of my favorite films: 9 to 5 (the sassiest comic trio EVER), Xanadu (the best musical EVER), and Somewhere in Time (the most romantic movie EVER).
My superlatives are based on a minimum of 30 viewings so they are absolutely official.
The first opportunity I had to combine my love for travel with my love for film was a scenic drive sophomore year in college up through Michigan to Mackinac Island. I had recently discovered that Mackinac Island's very own Grand Hotel was the setting for Somewhere in Time's fictitious Grand Hotel, where Christopher Reeve would travel back in time to re-fall in love with Jane Seymour and where I absolutely had to step foot after witnessing their on-screen time-travel seduction countless (minimum of 30 viewings remember) times.
That Fall Break and my 10th anniversary Mackinac weekend with Mari are whole other stories, however, and definitely not the story behind this favorite travel photo.
The story behind our June 2017 photo shoot on the southern coast of Iceland with a Russian tour guide is not quite as complicated, but there was a movie involved, a recent favorite.
At first, I was a bit baffled by the impending release of 2013's Secret Life of Walter Mitty remake, mostly because Ben Stiller's work has always been hit-or-miss with me and I really loved the 1947 original with a hilariously winning and magical performance by Danny Kaye. Turns out both films are remarkable reinterpretations and extensions of James Thurber's (very) short story with Stiller's film a welcome surprise that quickly became a personal favorite, very personal. I think it was already during our walk back to the theater parking lot that Mari and I both agreed we needed to visit Iceland, a beautifully featured filming locale in Stiller's very thoughtful, mature, and personal dramedy.
It is when Stiller's existential exploration hits Icelandic shores that my trip planning instincts kicked into high gear and a new travel list took form. Logistically, for anyone out there with an Iceland travel itch, you will want to take advantage of IcelandAir's no (extra) cost stopover program for travel between the US (and Canada) and 37 European destinations. Traveling round trip to Iceland from most US locations was ridiculously cost-prohibitive, so we decided to append one of my famous extended layovers to a European summer adventure that landed us in Copenhagen after a Baltic cruise (more on that wonderful city and amazing fleamarkets another blog series, I promise).
While we put Iceland on our travel radar at the end of 2013, it seems a few (million?) other travelers did as well. While doing my due diligence as travel guru, I found several tour companies offering Walter Mitty tours replete with visits to the scenic locations from Stiller's film. Even The Price is Right started giving away trips to Reykjavik about once a month!
We found plenty of signs during our five days in Reykjavik of the recent tourist (and construction) boom. While we knew not to expect amazing Aurora Borealis displays in early summer, the abundance of competing construction cranes was not exactly a welcome replacement, just a sign of progress, I suppose.
Now, what kind of host would I be if I didn't tease you with a fleamarket photo?
Tales (and photos) from the Kolaportið fleamarket next time.
That Fall Break and my 10th anniversary Mackinac weekend with Mari are whole other stories, however, and definitely not the story behind this favorite travel photo.
The story behind our June 2017 photo shoot on the southern coast of Iceland with a Russian tour guide is not quite as complicated, but there was a movie involved, a recent favorite.
At first, I was a bit baffled by the impending release of 2013's Secret Life of Walter Mitty remake, mostly because Ben Stiller's work has always been hit-or-miss with me and I really loved the 1947 original with a hilariously winning and magical performance by Danny Kaye. Turns out both films are remarkable reinterpretations and extensions of James Thurber's (very) short story with Stiller's film a welcome surprise that quickly became a personal favorite, very personal. I think it was already during our walk back to the theater parking lot that Mari and I both agreed we needed to visit Iceland, a beautifully featured filming locale in Stiller's very thoughtful, mature, and personal dramedy.
It is when Stiller's existential exploration hits Icelandic shores that my trip planning instincts kicked into high gear and a new travel list took form. Logistically, for anyone out there with an Iceland travel itch, you will want to take advantage of IcelandAir's no (extra) cost stopover program for travel between the US (and Canada) and 37 European destinations. Traveling round trip to Iceland from most US locations was ridiculously cost-prohibitive, so we decided to append one of my famous extended layovers to a European summer adventure that landed us in Copenhagen after a Baltic cruise (more on that wonderful city and amazing fleamarkets another blog series, I promise).
While we put Iceland on our travel radar at the end of 2013, it seems a few (million?) other travelers did as well. While doing my due diligence as travel guru, I found several tour companies offering Walter Mitty tours replete with visits to the scenic locations from Stiller's film. Even The Price is Right started giving away trips to Reykjavik about once a month!
Kudos to Iceland's Board of Tourism!
We found plenty of signs during our five days in Reykjavik of the recent tourist (and construction) boom. While we knew not to expect amazing Aurora Borealis displays in early summer, the abundance of competing construction cranes was not exactly a welcome replacement, just a sign of progress, I suppose.
Kudos to Iceland's Board of Tourism?
Now, what kind of host would I be if I didn't tease you with a fleamarket photo?
Tales (and photos) from the Kolaportið fleamarket next time.
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