Curated Fernweh
From the citadel of Victoria, you can see nearly the entire island of Gozo, Malta's smaller island. I thought this was a neat trick considering the fortified city is only about 400 feet above sea level. Fields already green in early March rippled across the landscape like so many inbound waves. Through notches in the distant hills, I could see slivers of the Med. It called to me. I texted back and said I'd be there soon.
Busan is an unexpected delight. From my window seat high above, South Korea's second-largest city was half a forested seaside paradise and half a fever-dream of identical skyscrapers. Homes with blue and green roofs filled any spaces in between, and tucked themselves all the way up to the foothills. A distant highway took the really... Continue Reading →
Some uncommon things to do in Andalucia, Spain
Once, I went to a Van Gogh light show in Paris. Of course I've known Van Gogh's work since childhood, but this show turned all those familiar static pieces into brilliant illuminations that drifted and swam all around me as I sat spellbound on the floor. This is what the whole world looks like in the Faroes.
Lost up a valley in the southern Swiss Alps, a series of old shepherding villages stand frozen in time.
The second chapter of my 2024 Thai adventure was full of Khaos - Khao Lak and Khao Sok, that is, southwestern destinations near the ocean and jungle.
French Alsace’s medieval villages are an archipelago scattered across a sea of vineyards.
The perfectly-square Old Town of Chiang Mai is a compact 1.5 miles on each side, yet the density of temples apparently rivals the concentration of churches in Rome.
I'm a firm believer in letting myself be surprised by a destination rather than doing too much research beforehand, which can have either disastrous or amazing results depending on whether I happen to miss or find the highlights.
“Is it me you’re looking for?” the gondolier greeted us, his arms spread as wide as the grin that was tucked underneath his impeccable winged moustache.
The following things are firmly on my "Would do again" list. Most are also on my “Have done again” list!
Photograph-and-prose love letters to some favorite places in North America.
By air It was dark and frigid when I woke up, a winning combination that would send most rational people scurrying back to bed. However, the promise of surreal adventure drove me out of my warm room and out into the night. The sky was just beginning to brighten from gray to pale lilac when... Continue Reading →