Continue readingLatvia beats US to win bronze in world ice hockey championship
"Latvia! Latvia! Latvia!" By chance we are at the Dome Square in the Old Town of Riga as the Latvian national hockey team beats the team from the United States in the world hockey tournament! Even though our team lost we were delighted to be part of this excited crowd! Check out our video: https://youtu.be/Ynkyd4PSj0k
Passage through Patagonia: breathtaking sights from a special tour
Patagonia is one of the most dramatically beautiful places on earth.
Continue readingPassage through Patagonia: breathtaking sights from a special tour
Encountering Crime in Chile: A Lesson Re-Learned
It was bound to happen sooner or later. In our case, it was later. After decades of safe international travel to more than 70 countries, we had a violent encounter. Walking down a sunny street in Santiago, Chile, mid-day in a nice neighborhood, we felt safe. Big mistake. And we should have known better. I …
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Croatia Redux: a beautiful country gets more visitor friendly
Our last trip through Croatia was 17 years ago. At that point, just 10 years after its devastating but triumphant War of Independence from the former Yugoslavia, Croatia was still finding its footing. Many roads were nearly Third World; the buildings pockmarked from bullets and missiles; the memorials to the war dead front and center; …
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Inundated in Italy: tourist crowds pack the Amalfi coast
The travel industry is in overdrive in 2022, and it is not handling it well. Flight cancelations, lost luggage and airline employee shortages are throwing wrenches left and right into long-dreamed-of post-pandemic travel plans. Italy’s beautiful Amalfi Coast was apparently much lusted after, as an always popular destination. But currently, it’s 50% more popular. Folks …
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Packing your travel essentials for the great wide world
Over two decades of travel to ~70 countries, we've uncovered some tips and tricks for packing that can make the difference between comfort and complaints. If you’re a bit “high maintenance” like me, you should put some thought into your packing. It could lead to you having your own “travel drawer” of invaluable and quickly …
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China Travel: Observations from booming China
China Is Booming. At least that's how it looks as we wind around the outskirts of Xi'an. Endless miles of new 35-story apartment buildings look like a giant boy bought out the giant Jenga factory and is placing the pieces on their ends toward infinity. He’s filling gaps literally on a daily basis. The Chinese …
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Visit to North Macedonia: Tracing Mother Teresa’s childhood wanderings through the streets of Skopje
We came to Skopje, the capital of what is now called North Macedonia, in early morning with cold dew drops still dotting all surfaces. This was to be an attempt to see the city as Mother Teresa saw her birthplace. Though of Albanian descent, the woman who would become St. Teresa of Calcutta was born …
Captivated by Croatia: yes, it looks just like ‘Game of Thrones’
Croatia has a stunningly beautiful coastline with cities like Dubrovnik and Split that are well worth a visit. But I’ve got to say, this was a country where the people we encountered were not overly warm – at least they weren’t to us. We kind of pride ourselves in meeting, engaging and befriending locals. It’s …
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The Beauties of Bulgaria: traveling the land of the well-shod women
Here’s what struck me most in Sofia, Bulgaria: shoe stores. Shoe stores. Shoe stores. Shoe stores. We have never even imagined seeing so many shoe stores in such close proximity. We thought at first we just happened to be in the shoe store district. But no. As we moved further, we saw that every district …
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