The orientation meeting went extremely well, dinner was positively delicious, and my introductory walk around Bucharest was going splendidly. The after-heat evening air was hot with both the indolence of summer and the… Continue reading
Guitar cradled in front of his chest, the young man was living the dream. His heartthrob crooning filled the summer street where the evening passeggiata stroll around Bucharest was well underway. Behind him… Continue reading
The first time I came to Stockholm, things weren’t going well. Back home I’d been following all the rules, but the expression “my life is passing me by” was talking about me. Pushed… Continue reading
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
