I started the year where anyone dreams of being in January: the cold, dark capital of Finland. As affordable as the flights are to get there from New York, it isn’t enough incentive to get me to stay long.

Ah, Macedonia, the second to last Eastern European country I haven’t been to. Had to visit before they changed their name to North Macedonia to appease Greece. They voted on it while I was staying there, and the vote failed. So Macedonia it is, and no NATO. Continue reading Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love. →

After I got dad on a plane (actually he got himself there via tram super early so I didn’t even wake up), I decided to stay in Prague for another week since I liked it better this time. The apartment was really nice, and having a beer garden a 5 minute walk away is handy too. Continue reading Wanna thrive in the dust of the universe →

Since this is primarily for my family, I’ve been really bad about writing this one, because after all they were all there. So here I am, like 8 months later vividly and accurately recalling all the good times we had without aid from anything but my memory. And by that, I mean reconstructing what we did from these pictures (most pictures that I have stolen from the family). Continue reading You write, I tour, we make it work →

Return trips for me are rare, but Edinburgh is a nice place. Forget all that sunshine, beaches, and warm weather in Spain – not sure how anyone tolerates all that. I’ll take this constant sea of 60 degree mist any day. After arbitrarily choosing a hostel, upon arrival I realized it was the same one I stayed in over three years ago. I get older and the kids in here stay the same age. JK it’s an old person hostel. Continue reading Wherever I wander, wherever I rove, The hills of the Highlands for ever I love →

After three months in Colombia, it was time to move on to a whole new world. Ecuador, a Latin American country that just uses US dollars. If you’re wondering where all our Sacagawea dollars went, the answer is Ecuador. They have a rich appreciation for Native American culture here. Continue reading I was told that I could listen to the radio at a reasonable volume from nine to eleven →

Ok, so I actually stayed in Panama City for a few more days. And I went for a walk along another thing and took some pictures of it. It had a lot of water, and yachts, and pelicans, and a view of the city. There are some little islands in “Panama Bay” or something. It has a little wildlife reserve too. Continue reading He did not dare approach her for fear of destroying the spell →

Why wait? I figured I’d start the year in a new place, so to Costa Rica I went. With a few days before my family arrived, I stayed in San Jose for a couple days, which isn’t nearly as bad as people said it was. Stayed in the University Area and there were a couple very nice hostels. Mostly people landing and then leaving in the morning, but the WiFi was good, so that’s fine by me. Continue reading See, here I am now by myself, talking to myself. That’s Chaos Theory! →

This is post #100! Didn’t realize I’d even done 100 things. All this traveling apparently hasn’t made me any smarter, because this week in the hostel I made the brilliant move of dropping my glasses behind the shower wall. They dropped about eight feet to the inaccessible area behind the showers into the abyss of random clothing, shampoo bottles, and other items lost forever. I climbed up, and luckily could see them. So I Macgyvered a contraption with the towel hooks and some medical wrap and fished them out. I’m sad to admit it was the greatest sense of accomplishment I’ve had in a while.

Continue reading History shows that there are no invincible armies →

I’ve been sick for more than a couple weeks now. Not terribly sick, just a cough, mildly soar throat and runny nose, and the occasional minor headache. Pretty annoying, and my “red eye” flight to Tbilisi didn’t exactly help. I left at 9:45pm, had to change in Riga, and arrived in Tbilisi at 4:25am which included a 2-hour time zone change. Not exactly a good night’s sleep, and then I was too early to check in (even after waiting at the airport until 9am) so I had to leave my bag and wander around the streets of Tbilisi for a few hours.

Continue reading The people who cast the votes decide nothing. The people who count the votes decide everything. →

I flew into Portland for a little vacation on my way to Seattle this time to see if it lived up to the show’s hype, and it more or less did. Hipster, but not as comically so of course. But it’s the land of craft beers and not real jobs and tattoos, as far as I can tell. Continue reading I guess people are just cropping out all the sadness →

Finally back home to Seattle. Home this time being a Hacker House in Wallingford, which turns out to be a fairly nice area between the hipster lounge that is Ballard and Fremont and the University of Washington. It’s an annoying 10 minute walk anywhere, but past that I don’t have any complaints. The common room of the house has a bunch of nice desks, and it overlooks Lake Union. Continue reading Let’s drive to the country side, leave behind some green-eyed look-a-likes →

I had planned on staying in San Pedro another week, but after a Spanish class that wasn’t ideal and a notification that there would be no power in San Pedro for an entire day, I decided to just head back to Antigua.  So I did that, stayed in a nice hotel to get some work done, and planned out the rest of my life. Continue reading But second chances are rare. Right? And that’s worth celebrating →

Because you can never climb too many volcanoes in one week, I decided to go up Volcano San Pedro with a friend of a friend to see what that was all about. I’ve been sleeping under its shadow for weeks, so I might as well see what’s up there.

Continue reading Everyone is the age of their heart →

My lack of updates is due to normal life setting in. Most days I’m pretty sure I’d trade the beautiful backdrop for a reasonable Internet connection, but I’d like to be at the point where I wouldn’t make that trade, but it’s difficult to get there with a bad connection. Vicious cycle, right? Continue reading Ten cuidado con el fuego (It’ll burn you!) →

The three hour shuttle from Antigua to San Pedro La Laguna wasn’t exactly a fun one, but we got there. Up and down a volcano. Around a lot of windy roads. I sat next to a Montanan (?) and chatted with her the whole time, one of those free-spirit types that was going to San Marcos, the next town over, for a yoga training and retreat. Continue reading I’m tired. I thought I just needed a night’s sleep but it’s more than that. →

A rainy day in Berat kept me cooped up most of the day getting some work done, then I took a bus from Berat to Gjirokastër at 2. The bus driver took two breaks, one to sit down and eat, on the 4 hour journey (in the middle of the afternoon, mind you). So because I didn’t get in until 6, I decided to stay two nights here instead of one to give me enough time to look around a bit. Continue reading Because when all was said and done that was the price one paid for sincerity →

Worked most of the day in Kotor since there was only one bus that went, and it was at 3:15. So I took the nearly 4 hour ride in a small bus that seats about 20 with a group of locals through the Montenegrin countryside. Apparently Zabljak is not a popular destination this time of year. As I dozed in and out of conscience staring out into the dark, it occurred to me how comfortable I had become with a situation like this, which not long ago, and to most now, might seem rather concerning.  Only way to get around though, if you ask me. I mean, they’re on the Euro, how bad could it be? Continue reading Every Allied country gave me a medal, even Montenegro →

After picking dad up at the airport around 7am, we had about 2 hours to burn before we could go to the Blue Lagoon.  I decided to drive the peninsula the long way and check out the coastline, and then we arrived in Grindavik and got coffee while we waited.  The owner of the coffee shop, Bryggjan, was as nice as he was adverse to putting vowels in the name of his business.  He gave us some local tips to see some cool things. Continue reading We’re still pioneers, we’ve barely begun. Our greatest accomplishments cannot be behind us. →

Got up early and decided to walk to the airport, taking a stroll through some neighborhoods of Reykjavik I hadn’t seen before. Flight was less than an hour long, so the puddle jumper dropped down in Egilsstaðir around 11:30, on the other side of the island.  My orange Kia Sportage was ready to go, and I was on my way. Continue reading Walk up to me and erase my memory →

Reykjavik is a small city with a townish feel, so it’s not as if there’s an absolute ton to do here. So I’ve predominately spent my time working, actually getting things done on time that is, and almost getting ahead a bit as I look to do more traveling over the next few weeks.  Don’t want to start that from behind.  So this is largely a story of working in Reykjavik. Continue reading I do not allow that a being gifted with thought and will can allow himself to despair →

After a couple weeks in Seattle, we decided we would rent a car and drive the Cascade Loop around Washington State. I remember trying quite successfully to miserably tire my sister out. Anyways, we started with a couple nights down at Mt Rainier (technically not on the loop), and then circled back up to drive through the mountains. Continue reading Now don’t you worry we’ll all float on alright →

Wednesday was a work day, but I balanced things pretty well.  Worked from early until around 3pm, and then I met up with Laurens and we rented bikes for a few hours and rode down to Ojo de Agua, some natural spring on Ometepe.  It was a serene place, just hung out in the water, read for a while, and relaxed. Continue reading I had nothing to offer anybody except my own confusion. →

After a full day of toiling to get my phone case off, which was successful Thursday morning (finally), it turns out the SIM card is just behind the volume adjustments on my phone.  Figures.  Anyways, I bought a new SIM card, added some minutes, and I now have a working Nicaraguan phone number. Continue reading Violence has been Nicaragua’s most important export to the world. →

As a seasoned traveler, my bravado has apparently gotten out of hand and I arrived in Granada rather unprepared when it came to actually getting to where I needed to be.  Of course I don’t know any Spanish, but I had the address on my phone and showed it to the taxi driver.  We headed towards Granada (which is like a 45 minute drive), speeding around in his deathtrap with a dysfunctional seat belt. Continue reading It’s no big sin to stick your two cents in If you know when to leave it alone →

Since Bruges takes a day or two to see everything, spending 7 days here is a bit of a challenge.  But I’m trying to provide an update, even if it’s just me looking at the same things again.  It’s getting increasingly cold throughout the week, which is not pleasant.  And I did pace myself here, so I do have things to do.  Wednesday morning I actually made the trip up the tower. Continue reading We shall strike a balance between culture and fun →

Thursday did not involve anything special, as the weather was terrible and I wanted to get some work done.  I did walk over to Partenkirchen to see what that half of the town had to offer, and it was much in the same as Garmisch.  Some nice little shops.  With the cold weather and rain, more and more snow had accumulated on the mountains, making it a very pretty time to be there.

I checked out of the B&B fairly early on Friday and hopped on a train to Munich.  I’m staying at a hostel a few stops from the main area, so it was a bit of a walk.  Once I was checked in, I used the rest of the day to work, only straying a little ways from where I was and making plans for what to do in Munich. Continue reading I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious. →

On Thursday evening I was attacked by a nasty sinus headache and cold.  I don’t know what any of the words are here (which I feel is especially dangerous when dealing with drugs), so I opted to go without.  Bad idea.  My pounding headache kept me up for until like 3am when I realized I had a bottle of whiskey under my bed.  I took enough to reduce the feeling in my face and then actually slept for a few hours.  The wonders of not-so-modern medicine. Continue reading Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar →

It’s work week, which means some casual sightseeing in the morning followed by work in the evenings.  I decided to make Wednesday Mozart day, as there were a couple attractions around the city about him since he was born here and lived here for a while. Continue reading If it bleeds, we can kill it. →

It’s the weekend, so now I have to do things.  After not being able to find a place in Belfast, I booked my rooms in advance this time, which unfortunately meant my touring options were limited.  There are a lot of 2-day to 5-day tours up to the Isle of Skye (a 2-day or 3-day would have been nice), but I had to settle for the 1-day intensive course for the Scottish highlands.

The day started at 8am and ended at 8pm and involved about 8 hours on the coach.  I took lots of naps. Continue reading I would walk five hundred miles And I would walk five hundred more →

Sadly, it was time to finally leave Galway this morning.  I relaxed a bit in the morning and took the 9:00 express bus to Limerick, then transferred to the bus that took me to Killarney.

It’s kind of a cool little town.  Lots of shops.  Lots of restaurants. Lots of pubs.  All more or less copies of each other, expanding out down a few different streets.  I circled through everything this evening but just decided to go to Tesco and buy some things to make for dinner. Continue reading For everything that’s lovely is But a brief, dreamy, kind delight. →

I’m ending my 3-day tourism run with a tour to Connemara National Park.  Bought some nail clippers and finished my left hand before they broke.  So I went Dr. Jeckel & Mr Hyde all day. Continue reading The world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper. →

At the Philadelphia airport, I had a little extra time so I sat down and ordered a $9.25 Yuengling and watched half of a women’s college basketball game.  What was the worst hour of your life? That was mine. Just two days ago I purchased a $6 pitcher of Yuengling and was able to drink it without being affronted by such atrociousness.

Then I boarded my flight from Philadelphia to London at about 10:35pm. And they started by serving dinner. Who eats dinner at 11pm? So I just had wine for “dinner”. Continue reading Go to the Winchester, have a nice cold pint, and wait for all of this to blow over →