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 […]

Hong Kong, Ding Ding!

Ding dings, five-year plans, bamboo scaffolding, life imprisonment for selling CBD, and phone zombies?! Must be Hong Kong! It’s quite a unique and memorable place. This was Ben’s and my second destination, and in advance I coordinated with my niece (Ben’s cousin) Katelyn, who had been traveling solo around southeastern Asia, to meet us in […]

Taiwan, You Had Me At Ni Hao

Bao down to what may be East Asia’s friendliest and hippest country, especially the cool capital city of Taipei. Compared to other regional destinations like Japan, South Korea, and Hong Kong, Taiwan prices are much more reasonable, and English is spoken relatively well. Americans are welcomed there, and it’s not yet a tourist hotspot, at […]

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, […]