What not to do as Americans in Europe: Christmas edition
Rainbows of Gran Canaria
The late-afternoon sun already touched the mountain behind me and I stood in shadow, but below me the entire eastern coast of the island blazed as a golden wave that flowed from my feet all the way down to the Atlantic.
Hut-to-hut in the Swiss Alps
A deep inhalation spurred by exertion brought crisp alpine air into my lungs, and I used it as fuel to continue on up the Via Alpina, a 2,000-kilometer-long hiking trail that curls from one end of the Alps to the other.
The valleys of Lago Maggiore
Lost up a valley in the southern Swiss Alps, a series of old shepherding villages stand frozen in time.
Alsace Wine Cycling Route
French Alsace’s medieval villages are an archipelago scattered across a sea of vineyards.
Tulip Pedals
Picture spending a long weekend biking through the Dutch countryside when it’s absolutely blanketed in blooming tulip fields. You pause wherever you want along the route, maybe for a cappuccino at the seaside, or a family-farm-made gelato, or a thousand photos of hypersaturated blooms that nestle right up against the bike path. Horses and ducks wander over to see what you’re up to. Squat wooden windmills wave cheerily at you from a distance.
Touring Edinburgh
Once upon a time I rarely took guided tours since I tend to be both a cheapskate and a lone-wolf wanderer. Then I realized that the most foolproof way to get locals to hang out with me is to pay them to do so. Talk about subversion of the captive audience!
Edinburgh: Harry Potter tour
I confess I’m a bona-fide Potterhead. I have the Deathly Hallows tattooed on my back and have taken more Sorting Hat quizzes than I know what to do with (Raven-puff, for the record, since I’m nerdy but also miscellaneous). I’ve been to the Leavesden studio tour near London and the Universal Studios theme park in... Continue Reading →
Edinburgh: Whisky & Folklore
As evidenced by my illustrious undergrad career, I do not need any help with drinking whisk[e]y. My sophistication, on the other hand, is always in dire need of a leg up. I’m one of those people who can tell you if wine is made from red or white grapes, or whether I like the taste... Continue Reading →
Scotland: West Highlands Tour
This time, I was in luck. Before I even boarded the tour minibus, the driver/guide Brian* offered me the copilot's seat right at the front and directly next to his. I accepted before he'd even finished explaining the footnote that my seat folded down to block the bus entrance so I'd always have to be... Continue Reading →
Pre-Ankara-wedding disaster time
Or why being anywhere near Copenhagen gives me anxiety.
Sheep fight in the Faroes
Somehow, I knew what was going to happen from the moment I laid eyes on the ram, even though it all began innocently enough. He was just standing on a boulder above my head, facing away from me and chomping on some grass. His stringy wool was pitch black and it was falling off in... Continue Reading →
Taking the Healing of the Sea in Croatia
Dates of visit: July 5 - 11, 2021 On the third day, I made my peace with the salt. You could say it was only a matter of time, considering I’d arrived on the Mediterranean coast in the middle of a July heat wave, but given my history as a heat-phobic woman I’d say it’s... Continue Reading →
Ideas for Iceland : A travel guide
A travel guide and honorable mentions
What to pack for a midsummer carry-on-only Icelandic road trip
Iceland is a country to be experienced outdoors. Bring layers, expect rain and wind, and you're good to go!
A taste of Iceland
The Land of Fire and Ice, they call it, which could only be more fitting if they mentioned the rest of the elements too.
A Traveler without travel
Where some people have hoarded toilet paper for comfort, I have hoarded unspent travel dreams.
A series of ridiculous events
True short tales of absurd things that have happened to me around the world
Greatest Hits: Europe Edition
A series of abstracts on my favorite European places
Welcome to Venice
The scent of fresh brine wafts in through the window, a seabird's cry carried upon its back. I crack an eyelid and see a patch of pre-dawn sky, curiously watching me back. Fragments of human conversation drift up from street level through the cool humid air. The words are too quiet for me to even... Continue Reading →
Not From Around Here: A thousand tiny mistakes
This is the fifth time I've moved to a foreign country. I've been an expat for almost four years, bouncing from country to country with whatever possessions will fit into two suitcases, trying to figure out the whole world by savoring disparate bits and pieces of it. I love it, but I'll admit that it... Continue Reading →
Relaxing adventures on the island of Madeira
“Hold out the back of your hand, like this” the portly produce man tells me, showing me his fist with his fingers curled under. He picks up a small passionfruit with its top cut off: a tiny natural bowl filled to the brim with gelatinous seeds. He takes an appropriately tiny spoon and fishes out... Continue Reading →
Hiking Madeira
Waiting in line to board the plane from Basel to Funchal, I suddenly found myself engulfed in a sea of Germans in peak physical condition. Their feet were clad in hiking boots and their were bodies covered in Jack Wolfskin adventure gear (which is Germany’s answer to Columbia or Carhartt). While “Wolfskin Germans” are something... Continue Reading →
That’s a weird balloon: A tale of two traditional Black Forest Carnival parades
Spectators dressed as pirates and Mickey Mouse line the sidewalks, waiting with nervous energy for the parade to start. A gang of children stands warily in the street, staring ahead at something I can’t see; their stances suggest they’re set to flee at the slightest hint of danger. They stand motionless for so long that... Continue Reading →
A year abroad in 1600 words or less
I’ve always been a runner. Not in the actual foot-on-pavement way (who has time for that crap?), but in the sense that I always need to be moving. Whenever I get bored with a place, or if life takes an unexpected turn, or even just if I’ve been in the same place for too long,... Continue Reading →
Emerald Isle
I’m not convinced this place is real. I thought this so many times during this trip, it became my unofficial motto. There’s an untamed and ancient magic here that bleeds from every landscape we come across, an enchantment that seeps into the air and fills our lungs. “The Emerald Isle” is a nickname as fanciful... Continue Reading →
Prague and the Bone Chapel of Kutna Hora
How the hell did I end up here?! I’m standing in the bowels of the Earth surrounded by the ancient remains of 40,000 humans, and suddenly I'm questioning every decision I’ve ever made. I’d always been that person who heard stories about the catacombs in Paris and thought Nope, not for me. I’ve walked through... Continue Reading →
Pisa and the Cinque Terre
Our graffiti'd train is swallowed by a long tunnel almost immediately after we leave the platform in Pisa. I keep staring at the blackness outside the window anyways, hoping for something more interesting to look at than the featureless back of the gray seat in front of me. Within a few minutes I’m rewarded with... Continue Reading →
Falling in love with Istanbul
Big cities and I have a complicated relationship. Despite my desire to like them, we’ve never gotten along. I know many people who love cities and are drawn to their vibrancy, centering entire vacations around thriving metropolises and then encouraging me to do the same. I always try desperately to make it work: eating the... Continue Reading →
Mastering Life: Excursion to the Bayerischer Wald National Park
Once upon a time, I dove headfirst into a graduate program in a foreign country with no idea what to expect. Even though I’m now in the sixth and last class of my first semester, I still feel a bit like I was tossed overboard during a voyage across the Sea of the Unknown. Luckily,... Continue Reading →
Window Seat Odyssey 