Chicago is one of the (few) cities in the US that can support hostels, so due to their lower costs, excellent locations, and tourism support I decided to go that route. As is often the case, wandering the streets alone was replaced by more social activities, which certainly changes the dynamic of the experience.

In the spirit of living by one of my personal rules, “when debating multiple options, choose the more adventurous one”, I decided to go to Egypt. It wasn’t really even on my radar, but then I was looking at flights and there it was so why not. I spent the better part of the days preceding my flight getting mentally prepared for the hectic, relentless badgering that seems to take place in Arab countries.  Continue reading Listen to your convictions, even if they seem absurd to your reason. →

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 →

I’m writing this about 5 months after the fact, so expect it to be a combination of poorly remembered things and complete fabrications. But I’ve been posting on here for years, so it would be a pity if I didn’t at least make a minimal effort. At least for this one, I’ve got pictures. Continue reading If i could run across the beach into my own arms I would →

Porto is one of those popular “digital nomad destinations” due to its European culture, nice weather, low cost of living. So I decided I’d go there for a bit. I’m actually staying in Vila Nova de Gaia, the city right across the Duoro River from Porto. It’s the side with all the wine on it, where I belong. Continue reading I’m a rebel just for kicks, now →

I’ve been living in this apartment in Medellín for about 6 weeks, tallying about two months total in Medellín, which I think is the longest I’ve lived anywhere in a few years. The theory was it would be good to have some more consistency and become part of a community a bit more. Which makes sense in theory, but I think you actually need to make an effort to engage with the community for it to work. Continue reading ¿Plata o Plomo? →

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 decided to enter the social realm for a few days, booking four nights at a hostel in Riga to start off the trip. The password at the hostel was “justonebeer”. Which of course is “just one beer.” But I’ve been drinking very little and listening to questionable music, so I thought it was just a weird spelling of “juston ebeer”. Surely, a mistake anyone can make. Thankfully, I did not say this aloud so my reputation as someone with some dignity remains intact.

Continue reading Two Latvian look at clouds. One see potato. Other see impossible dream. Is same cloud. →

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 →

So Trikala is a nice town. Busy cafe bars, a grocery store, laid back hostel with good WiFi, and overall a good place for me to spend 3 nights and relax. I even got my laundry done, which makes me so happy. There were a couple people there the first night but they left and no one was going to Meteora that day, I decided to chill out a day and see if anyone came to go tomorrow. And 3 people did! Continue reading I am a little bit of loneliness a little bit of disregard →

My venture into the Balkans was on an 8-hour train ride through Hungary and Serbia to Belgrade. It was a long train ride during the day, but I somehow managed to sleep on and off for the entire trip. What didn’t occur to me is that I should buy some food, so I kind of forgot to eat the entire day yesterday (paired with the fact that it’s not easy to find vegetarian food in Serbia. Continue reading Life is and will ever remain an equation incapable of solution, but it contains certain known factors. →

Continuing my ongoing quest to use every London airport, I left from Stansted this morning and flew to Budapest on Ryanair, which went extremely smoothly. My hostel is fairly centrally located, and I quickly located the nearest Starbucks, McDonald’s, Burger King, and Hooters, so I don’t think there will be any issues here. Continue reading The plot thickens, as they say. Why, by the way? Is it a soup metaphor? →

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 →

I went to 1000 Figs for lunch and had a falafel pita.  It had a lot of asian foods in it that I didn’t know, but I enjoyed it.  Other than that, my post-Mardi Gras activities have started and ended with sitting in the apartment with a cold and headache.  Either I’m sick, or a 4-day collective hangover is literally killing me. Continue reading And I will look down and see my murmuring bones and the deep water like wind →

I’ve got 5 days to get back to Copenhagen for my flight.  Luckily, I’m pretty close so I just picked a stop or two along the way to get there.  Turns out Bremen is in the right direction, so I decided to spend two nights in Bremen.  Long train ride during my “spare” time (like 5 hours) to get there on the first day, so that night was just relaxing and a bit of work.  But then the next morning I decided to see all there was to see. Continue reading Mirror, mirror, here I stand. Who is the fairest in the land? →

My last day in Bruges I did some laundry and then set off up the coast towards Amsterdam. Rather than go all the way and it being the weekend, I decided to make a stop on the way. Since I don’t really research much, I just decided to go with Antwerp. So I spent Saturday night in Antwerp, Belgium. Continue reading Elegance is the only beauty that never fades →

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. →

My time in East London had come to an end and I was moving on to the next hostel.  Just to change things up, really.  So I checked out and spent a little time pouring over work in the coffee shop next to the hostel before setting out to find the new place I’m staying in South London. Continue reading To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often. →

Finally, I’m out of Belfast.  What a depressingly horrible place.  It should be sister cities with Rochester.  I finished it off by having a vegetarian fry for breakfast, getting some work done, then getting wasted on Irish car bombs at the Europa hotel #toosoon?, which was right next to my bus station.  JK I hung out at the coffee shop next to it.

And then I was off to Glasgow.  

Continue reading To travel hopefully is a better thing than to arrive. →

Big surprise, it was raining Wednesday morning, so I decided to forego my plans for another walk in Howth Head.  After getting a bit of work done in the hotel, I got an early start on my travels, taking the DART to Dublin and then a bus to Belfast.

Belfast is dirty.  But they have a lot of nice coffee shops and affordable places to eat, despite the fact that I have to switch back to £’s from €’s.  The hostel I’m staying in is small but nice, WiFi in the bedrooms which was great because I had a couple important calls today I needed a great connection and quiet for (which went well).  So this place has worked out well for my “working and travelling” plan. Continue reading I cook the world’s best duck flambe →