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.
Rainbows of Gran Canaria
Finding my style in Rome
Some days during my European life, there is little to disabuse me of the notion that I’ve slid sideways into a rom-com.
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.
A deep dive into Southeast China
We went to China's Fujian province to look at trees, and ended up also seeing tulou and tigers and geoparks and...
An Unexpected Invite to Shanghai
Accepting an unsolicited invitation from a complete stranger to speak at a Shanghai conference after I published one single scientific article was objectively crazy.
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.
Alsace Wine Cycling Route
French Alsace’s medieval villages are an archipelago scattered across a sea of vineyards.
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.
A Dubrovnik travel guide
The following things are firmly on my "Would do again" list. Most are also on my “Have done again” list!
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 →
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.
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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →
Change
There are countless travel destinations in the world - sprawling cities, adorable villages, stunning national parks, brilliant white beaches, etc. etc. I can't find the statistics to support this statement because Google doesn't know either, but it's a fair assumption that you could travel every day for your entire life and still not see even... Continue Reading →
Window Seat Odyssey 