Chess and Cheese in (C)armenia

After nine nights spent in Georgia, I next visited neighboring Armenia, a calmer and better-organized country. Yerevan, the capital city, was a very welcome respite after the insanity of Tbilisi. Kinder and gentler people, ample sidewalks and crosswalks, and perhaps best of all, no stray dogs. But not as many jaw-dropping sights in the region. […]

Georgia (still) on my mind

This is a continuation of a previous post regarding my visit to the country of Georgia. The place is still on my mind, and not for the best reasons! Here I share several additional insights and experiences from my time spent there. The rubble seen in the post header photo is representative of the kinds […]

The North Carolinian Went Down to Georgia

Ah, but not the US state. The country where Stalin was born and raised. Aka, in Georgian, “Sakartvelo” — land of the wine makers. The place where 8000-year-old evidence has been found of winemaking, the oldest in the world. The land where Jason and the Argonauts came for the golden fleece. Georgia is a dynamic, […]

Prague’s Housing Unaffordability

When we first began spending time in Czechia in 2021, I envisioned that a possibility would be to purchase an apartment in Prague to use while in town and then maybe rent out while elsewhere. For various reasons this is no longer realistic for me, including the huge price increases which continue every year. In […]

Czech Hiking Trail Markers

As many readers know, I really love to hike. It’s relaxing and connects me to nature. I particular enjoy mountainous, or at least hilly, routes to get the legs stronger and the heart pumping. Sometimes I hike solo, but I particularly like to hike with a group for the socialization. And hikes and walks help […]

Bohemian Rhapsodies – Part 1

Over the past several months I’ve been recording notable Czech insights I’ve learned. Some of these apply only to Prague, which is in Bohemia, but many are generally Czech and so are applicable to other regions of the country, including Moravia and Silesia. In this post I describe a few of the highlights. ANGLO-AMERICAN UNIVERSITY […]

Malaga (Spain), and 74-km March

Sofia and I hadn’t taken a father-daughter trip, just the two of us, in several years. That had to be remedied! So we booked budget flights and headed to Málaga for sun, sand, sea, flamenco, Picasso, and tapas! This was actually my third time to Málaga, but Sofia’s first to Spain in general, so she […]

Singapore, a fine city

Fine dining, fine views, and hefty fines — this is Singapore! Keep your gum at home, and properly dispose of your litter. Singapore (a city-state) is definitely worth a visit for a few days. English is spoken well, there’s lots to see and do, and it’s memorable and even a bit strange. It’s full of […]

G’day from Australia

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 […]

Macau: it’s not Hong Kong, but had ping pong

On 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 […]