With all of their winding canals, flower-boxed brownstone homes and ever present blue and white Delft pottery, even the largest cities in the Netherlands can seem to be charming in a small town sort of way. You may arrive in Amsterdam at their large, construction-choked train station, then shuffle past loud, garish “coffee shops” and chain… Read more
“So, are you more of a city person or a country person”, I asked my friend Pam, the other day when I was visiting her in London. We were just casually talking about life and living and where, if money were no object, we’d like to buy a home. We both agreed that we are city… Read more
This last month (Gasp!) of my travels I am doing a lot of quick stops. For my itinerary (which is still a bit in flux) I am usually maxing out at 3 days in a city. Suddenly I feel like I’m part of a concert tour and like I should have a t-shirt with tour dates… Read more
In my last post I wrote about the excitement of seeing my first live event at the London Olympics. That event was held at the ExCel center, a large venue that houses multiple Olympic events under one roof. But the ExCel building is not in the Olympic Park itself. The main Olympic Park can only be accessed… Read more
For me, travel is often about the little moments. Finding an intimate out of the way art gallery instead of queuing in line at the “famous” large museum. Getting a history lesson from a local shop owner over a hot cup of tea. Sharing a belly laugh with a stranger over a mispronounced word in a… Read more
I looked at the calendar this morning and realized something a bit unnerving….as of today I have exactly one month left of my Round the World adventure. My adventure to see the world, to welcome new experiences, to step out side my comfort zone and to meet new people and reunite with old friends. While I have… Read more
I touched down in London yesterday just in time for the big day…the 2012 Olympic Games kicks off here this evening. While I did not score tickets to the opening ceremonies (that probably would have cost more than what I payed for my entire Round the World airline ticket) I am super excited just to be… Read more
Tokyo, Seoul, Sydney, Istanbul, Beirut, Madrid, Barcelona…I have certainly not had a shortage of big cities on this Round the World trip. Luckily I feel quite at home when I’m surrounded by metros, buses, nightlife, tall buildings and diverse people. Even though I did grow up in the ‘burbs (North Hills, PA…whoop whoop), I find I… Read more
ALONE is sitting by myself in my hotel room while planning the next leg of my journey. LONELY is realizing I am the only person sitting by myself in a youth hostel common area full of laughing and partying friends.ALONE is having dinner by myself and enjoying it because I can eat what I want, when… Read more
While not an obscure city, I rarely hear Madrid mentioned as “a favorite city” or “a beautiful place to visit”. But as I wrap up my second visit to this city, I have to say I’d happily describe Madrid with both of those descriptions. I found Madrid to be fairly easy to navigate even for someone… Read more