King Zog’s Villa and Skanderbeg’s Bust

The 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 […]

From Toilets to Temples: Revealing Japanese Surprises

Never before for this blog have I struggled so mightily to choose from so many options of what to write about for a trip. Japan is such a startlingly unique (and fun) destination, with many unexpected aspects, so I decided to highlight just some of these for you here, and I’ll definitely provide more in […]

Malbork and Westerplatte

While Gdansk itself offers plenty to see and do, there are many destinations close by, but outside the city, which are also worthwhile visiting, including both the world’s largest castle and the site where World War II was initiated. Malbork Castle, a 30-minute train ride from Gdansk, may be my favorite castle I’ve ever visited. […]

Warszawa, Polska

Warsaw, Poland’s capital and most populous city, is surprisingly approachable and fun. Nowy Świat, the main street leading to the old town, is very pedestrian friendly, with dozens of high quality restaurants, bars, and stores along a stretch of over a mile. And the old town itself, with not a single building left standing by […]

Lithu-WOW-nia!

Ironically, while Lithuania has been the most frustrating, especially in terms of walking, at the same time it’s also been my favorite Baltic state! It’s the one I definitely wish to return to (in the summer), and it’s where I have the most I want to share stories about but have the least time because […]

Riga, Latvia

Riga, the largest city in the three Baltic states (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania), is not quite as polished and romantic as Tallinn, but it’s an engaging and interesting place, full of good food and drink. Lonely Planet summarizes the spirit well: “People here fancy themselves to be the least pragmatic and the most artistic of the […]

Bless Bless

The Icelandic language retains more of a relationship to Old Norse than do other Scandinavian languages, such as Norwegian. Modern Icelanders can even read the old medieval sagas without too much trouble. Their language hasn’t evolved as much as other Scandinavian languages which were influenced by other European languages, such as French. And even today, […]

State Pharaoh

Many of the ancient Egyptian pharaohs ruled over a united Egypt (both upper and lower), controlling a vast area along the Nile. We could understand the huge distance covered because we had taken an hour-long flight from Cairo to Luxor, traveled farther south along the Nile by ship to Aswan, and then flown on another […]

Czechmate

This nine-week trip is winding down now, with just a few days left. Prague is the only city I’ve visited during these weeks where I wish I had more time. Everywhere else I’ve felt sated, and comfortable to move on. That said, I’m excited to return to Asheville, mainly to be able to see Colleen, […]

Around Lisbon

As I got my bearings better, I found myself enjoying Lisbon more, especially after finding additional good food options and not walking through the worst areas of town. As it turned out, near my apartment was a great collection of diverse restaurants, and not just Nepalese! Though I ate Nepalese four times (two different restaurants, […]