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
Tag Archive: travel
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Better Travel Tip
I don’t remember where I was when I realized I was grumpy. Some airport. But the seed of what I want to harvest now was when I realized I was cranky as usual… Continue reading
What is Benelux? (And why you should go there)
When I mention my tour of Benelux, people sometimes ask “What is that?” This is understandable, since Benelux, like Holland, is not on any map, even though most of the people asking the… 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
Personal and Continental Redemption on Day 3
The obvious highlight on Day 3 of our Tour of Romania is the opulent yet intimate royal palace of Peles. I’ve written about it before and there is much more to say, but… Continue reading
Romania Day 2, the Power of the Athenaeum
Initially, Bucharest’s Athenaeum looks like just another nice neoclassical building of columns in front and a dome on top. Very European. So European that it’s familiar everywhere they sailed, ubiquitous in statehouses around… Continue reading
