March 2011 Intro Already in love with Brazil after visiting in 2002 and again in 2009, I couldn’t wait for an excuse to go back — especially to Rio de Janeiro, one of my favorite cities in the world, and in my opinion the most beautiful. This time, I thought, let’s go back for Carnaval! And […]
Journeys
Europe + the World Cup
June – July 2010 Intro World Cup Fever! What an “event”-ful year — first there was the Olympics, and now the once-every-10-years Passion Play in Oberammergau, and the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa! My first stop was Munich, and from there drove to the Bavarian Alps to see the famous “Passionspiele” in Oberammergau […]
London. Lisbon. Helsinki.
April 2010 Intro Yes, if you don’t know me, I am crazy. I decided on a whim to go to Portugal for the weekend. I’d never been to Lisbon, and I didn’t want to wait until my next trip to Europe! I needed a break! My travel mantra: 3-day weekends — I’m out of town. […]
Vancouver Olympics
February 2010 Intro After my first Olympic experience in Beijing, I vowed I’d never miss an Olympic Games again. The experience is so exciting, the atmosphere so international, and the memories are unforgettable. Oh, and the architecture — crazy cool! This would be my first Winter Games, and with Vancouver being just up the coast, […]
Arabia Felix
November 2009 Intro Not having been to the Middle East since 2001, it was definitely time to visit family in Jordan and Syria again. I revisited some sights like Petra and Damascus’ Old Town, but also saw new places like Aqaba, Wadi Rum and the newer areas of Amman + Damascus. I swung by Dubai […]
Western Balkan Weekend
August 2009 Intro Excerpt from my first journal entry of the trip: “I’m not even on the plane yet and this ridiculous little ‘weekend’ trip to Europe is already starting to be eventful — but let’s back up a minute… I’m heading out on a Friday afternoon from work to go to Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia […]
Perú, Bolivia + Brazil
June – July 2009 [ssba] Intro From the Pacific capital of Perú to the Atlantic capital of ‘Carnaval’ – Lima and Rio are easily two of the most beautiful cities on South America’s coasts… From Machu Picchu’s glorious green fog-covered hills to the outstretched arms of Cristo Redentor – the final two of the ‘New 7 Wonders […]
America’s Heartland
May 2009 Intro Wanting to escape from work for a few days, I decide to explore another part of the United States and took my yearly get-away road trip to the Heartland of America. Architectural highlights included Philip Johnson’s Merchants Bank Building in Grinnell, David Chipperfield’s Figge Art Museum in Davenport, and the Des Moines […]
México, Colombia + Venezuela
November 2008 Intro It’s Thanksgiving holiday again, which for me usually does not mean a few days off eating great food and spending time with family and friends. What it does mean, however, is I get two extra holiday days off to go somewhere new (and eat great food there instead)! This year, it’s time for a […]
Great Silk Road
July – August 2008 Intro Ever since the Soviet Union crumbled back in 1991, I’ve had an itching fascination for the newest countries in the world at the time — the unknown, unpronounceable, underappreciated… ‘stans. Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan. How cool. Of all the countries in the world, these were the hardest for me […]