This one time while eating a sandwich on the streets of Venice an aspiring seagull thief bodyslammed my head
The Venetian sandwich bandit
A long weekend in Busan
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 →
The secret of Setenil
Setenil is one of Andalucia's pueblos blancos, whitewashed towns that gleam like beacons in the desert. This one is unique because it began its life under the bedrock, where residents used natural caves to escape the punishing Andalucian sun and to age their wine. And I have a secret about how to best enjoy it...
Faroe Islands
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.
Iguazu Falls
"Waterfall" is a deeply inadequate word for Iguazu. Frankly every word is inadequate for Iguazu, this colossal chasm in our planet's surface that has been trying to fill itself up with water for the past 200,000 years.
Luleå
It was 10 below zero and I was bundled into a kicksled, propelled north along the sea ice by my obliging brother. Spectral waves of green aurora washed across the black sky above our heads, and the meter-thick ice creaked and groaned beneath us.
Europe’s Most Underrated
Nudging the spotlight towards places I think deserve some extra love.
Into the wilds of Southeast China
We went to China's Fujian province to look at trees, and ended up also seeing tulou and tigers and geoparks and...
Temple Run: 72 hours at Cambodia’s Angkor
You are presented with an endless series of open doorways. One will lead you into a slot canyon of carved walls and gnarled trunks. The next leads into a tumbledown courtyard filled with beehive temples. The next has you following the taffy-like trunk and roots of a single behemoth tree.
The floating jungle huts of Thailand’s Cheow Larn Lake
The wooden plank that served as my seat shivered in time with the longboat's naked motor as we shot across Cheow Larn Lake. Sheer limestone cliffs stabbed upwards from the jade water all around us. Every one of the hundred islands was shrouded in jungle trees that were shriveling their way through the dry season.... Continue Reading →
Holy Khao!
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.
Thailand, so hot right now
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.
Japan, Chapter III: Nara to Kinosaki Onsen
My final three days in Japan, which I spent patting wild deer amid temples in Nara, inhaling cheesecake in Osaka, and disintegrating in the volcanic hot spring waters of Kinosaki Onsen.
Japan, Chapter II: Fuji to Kyoto
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.
Japan, Chapter I: to Tokyo
If I had to summarize my impression of Japan after my ten-day visit using only one sentence, it might be this: “I imagine Japan emerged from ancient East Asian culture in a similar way to how shibas somehow evolved from wolves.”
Where do I begin?
On my panicked internal response to the ubiquitous question of "How was your trip?" after I returned from a month traveling through eastern Asia.
Collecting Goshuin: my favorite Japanese souvenir and activity
Goshuin, or hand-made calligraphic seals that are painted and stamped at Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines, are scattered across Japan like a secret endless scavenger hunt to be found by those in the know. Here I show you the 22 goshuin I collected with a map if you want to collect them yourself!
RomE-biking
The basilica of Papale di Santa Maria Maggiore, floodlit in gold, scintillated against the indigo sky. I flew beneath its lofty towers, only remembering that I sat astride an electric bicycle whenever I hit a particularly ill-placed cobble.
Gluten-Free in Italy
Italy. The promised land of cuisine: pizza and pasta, bruschetta and focaccia. Sounds amazing…unless your body has a problem with wheat. I'm here to tell you: absolutely don’t let this idea put you off of traveling in Italy. It’s 2023, baby, and we’ve got options now.
Cowboys of Venice
“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.
A Dubrovnik travel guide
The following things are firmly on my "Would do again" list. Most are also on my “Have done again” list!
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.
When airlines give you lemons
While we’re on the subject of airplane food, let’s talk about British Airways.
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 and miscellaneous). I’ve been to the Leavesden studio tour near London and the Universal Studios theme park in Florida.... 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 →
A wedding in Ankara, real original!
When arguably my two best Turkish friends invited me to their wedding in Ankara with 4 months’ notice, I only swore at them for a second before I tripped over myself to change all my preexisting travel plans to the Faroe Islands for that weekend.
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!
Greatest Hits Volume II: North America
Photograph-and-prose love letters to some favorite places in North America.
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.