Very rarely do places actually live up to their expectation that I have in my head. That’s what I reminded myself as the car door muffled shut. I climbed up a grassy embankment to the main road, and back down the other side. Lake Bled lay before me. Immediately I was hypnotized by the tall […]
Ljubljana: Europe’s most Romantic Best Kept Secret
Caption (above): I’ ll start with a love story, or lack thereof. The Prešeren statue stands in the center square of Slovenia’s capital. The square, has the same name as the nations most famous poet. The muse of inspiration stands above him holding a laurel. Across the square there is a relief of his lifelong love, […]
Ich Liebe Dich: I Love You SWITZERLAND!
I’d just rolled into Switzerland as the sun shared it’s last rays over the most prominent wall of mountains and the greenest valley I’ve ever seen. There’s a reason I saved Switzerland for last in the region. But I figured, with a one night stand, surely a one night love affair in Europe’s most expensive […]
Grossglockner: Europe’s Most Scenic Drive
Austria wasn’t a new country count for my collection, but with the limited travel these days (Corona Virus 2020) I decided to take the scenic route on a roundabout around the world summer backpacking tour. The decision didn’t make sense logistically as I tried to make my way East. Meeting border closures and dead ends, […]
Getting In the Backdoor: How I Legally Got into the EU during the Corona Virus Lock down
American passport– I’ll preface this article by saying that I know I will get lots of hate mail after publishing. Let me just squash all of the “You’re so irresponsible” comments now. Take a look at the photo below for a look at what European Social Distancing looks like as of June 18, 2020. Please […]
Scenic Bear Viewing at Lake Clark, Alaska
Very rarely do I come home and immediately start writing– but I can’t contain myself . . . you won’t believe what I did today! All my life I have been an animal lover, fascinated by wildlife behavior on nature shows. I had never actually seen a brown bear in the wild. Today my inner […]
An Ancient Ache in Ireland
What happens when you’re sick over wanting to be back in a place where you don’t belong? An ache. That’s what Ireland was to me. It wasn’t leprechauns, luck, pots of gold, or Guinness Beer. I avoided those things like the plague. I didn’t even kiss the Blarney Stone. Upon arriving in Dublin, after a […]
Romania, So Much More Than Vampires
Can we begin with a creepy, exaggerated laugh of a villain? I’ll be the first shmuck to admit that the reason that we visited Romania was to see Bran Castle– hit Bucharest, tackle some vampires, and get out. But Romania has a way of slapping around silly tourists with this inappropriate attitude. My favorite memories […]
An Entirely Maddening Time in Dubrovnik
Let me just preface this by saying that I loved the Dalmatian Coast. Visiting a new place is similar to dating. You’re both trying to figure out if you like each other, if you fit together. Dubrovnik was the equivalent of dating an international super model. Despite her beauty, I couldn’t get to know her. […]
14 Photos of Montenegro That Will Make You Want to Visit
A week before my Balkan road trip I sat in a meeting. I didn’t know the man sitting across from me. I didn’t know his name or his official job title, but I knew he outranked me because of the way he carried himself. We scoffed at the latest news about Trump shoving the prime minister […]