I know many readers have been to Australia and/or New Zealand, and they are both rich in natural beauty and variety, unique animals, and engaging history. My visit to these remote locales was certainly too short, and I would very much like to return to each, preferably spending weeks there to be able to explore […]
Read More G’day from AustraliaOn a day trip from Hong Kong, Ben and I traveled by ferry to Macau, another special administrative region of China, and a former Portuguese colony and territory, turned back over to China in 1999. It is the most densely-populated territory on the planet, and it has a very high standard of living and one […]
Read More Macau: it’s not Hong Kong, but had ping pongTo continue where we left off in the previous post on Taiwan, let’s have a look at some of the notable buildings and architecture. Taipei is a big city, and as one would expect, there is a variety of height, quality, and spacing of buildings. Ben and I stayed in an older, denser neighborhood called […]
Read More Xièxiè, Taiwan!I spent a few nights in Abu Dhabi with a very hospitable and generous friend and his family. In preparation and while there I learned a lot about the UAE and the region. I had never been anywhere near here before, and I flew over most of the height and width of Iran from Azerbaijan […]
Read More Oil be honest, the UAE surprised meI was blown away by Baku, figuratively and literally, and it sometimes wasn’t good, and I don’t plan to ever return. Azerbaijan is ranked as the most corrupt country in Europe, and after being compelled to pay my first-ever bribe to a police officer, I would believe it. But at the same time, I’m glad […]
Read More From Baku with PlovFriend (?) of the blog Vlad the Impaler founded Bucharest in the mid-1400s, so it’s a relatively young city in this region of the world. Its population is over 2 million, and despite still recovering from WWII and decades of crushing communist policies and neglect, it’s now quickly regaining ground. It’s even ranked as one […]
Read More Bucharest, not BudapestTwo of the most interesting destinations on this two-week trip were definitely Gjirokastër, in Albania, and Corfu, in Greece. I loved it in Gjirokastër, and wish I had stayed for a night or two, instead of just visiting for a few hours. It has tons of good ingredients, like a giant castle, an old Ottoman […]
Read More Gjirokastër and CorfuThe most unique (and somewhat frightening) place I’ve explored in Albania so far was King Zog’s former villa in Durrës. It was worth visiting Durrës for this attraction alone, despite it not even being on my original list of places to see while there. The archaeological museum in Durrës was closed for renovations (as was […]
Read More King Zog’s Villa and Skanderbeg’s BustI’m celebrating the conclusion of the Czech language course with a vacation to the southern Balkans, visiting three countries new to me: Albania, North Macedonia, and Kosovo. First up: the land of the eagles, as the Albanians themselves call it, Shqipëria! Albania is admittedly a country I formerly knew very little about, and I still […]
Read More Shqipëria (Albania) IntroThe previous post on Sarajevo described some of the highlights from a visit to Sarajevo, and this current post provides additional insights into this great city, with focus on the Ottoman side and on the annual Sarajevo film festival, which was coincidentally finishing up during my visit. If you plan to visit Sarajevo one day, […]
Read More Sarajevo (part 2)
Major Meander 