Home in Oman
Abdul Hakim drove like gas was super cheap, the roads were paper smooth, and traffic almost non-existent. Granted, all of that was true in Oman, plus his engine roared with competency when he… Continue reading
Category Archive: traveling
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Adding Oman to the Family
The main thing tourists do in Muscat is visit the souq, or marketplace, in nearby Muttrah. Given how hot Oman gets (50C / 122F in summer) they share the latitudinal tradition of resting… Continue reading
An Omani Gift
The first two steps would be easy, but the third may have disturbed my sleep the night before. (Or it could have been the chilis.) Phase One was catching the bus from Sur… Continue reading
What I Found in Luxembourg
I wasn’t sure about Luxembourg. I enjoyed it as a largely clueless tourist, but would it satisfy the discerning Europhile I had in mind for a tour member? I’ve lived in and love… Continue reading
The Northern Lights Taught me About Tourism
I woke up with the rest of the bus when we stopped somewhere in the frosting darkness two hours north of Reykjavik. Being on a tour makes me feel like a spy, but… Continue reading
Climbing into Winter on Day 6
Romania is a place of endless human stories, kings and autocrats and invaders and defenders and the people caught up in all of it. But the day after walking on a church’s rampart… Continue reading
Walking with a King on Romania: Day 5
Grand clashing tides of history shaped our world, but it’s hard to feel the normal humans within them. How do you get a feeling for Napoleon when he first woke up in the… Continue reading
Timisoara is Calling
On that late September day in Timisoara, summer had dumped the last of its heavy heat into the afternoon hours, like the hardest teacher who surprises you with a brutal final exam. But… Continue reading
Parisian Sidewalk
It’s possible hell is being a dog walked by someone wearing ear buds. Paris today offers a succession of such tortured pooches I’d love to pet, all proudly Parisian. Or maybe it’s the… Continue reading
Plimba Ursul! Or Better Yet, Plimba Peter, Day 4
Romanians curse a lot. My favorite of their more playful profanities is when they tell someone to go away. We might use two simple words to form an expression that makes very little… Continue reading
