Tag Archives: travel
Porto: you can skip ahead to the sardines
Every country has what I call “the circuit.” The circuit is the travel itinerary most tourists follow (Rome-Florence-Venice-eat lots of gelato-fly home). When I put together our Portugal itinerary, I stuck to the circuit much more than I usually do. HOB was having problems with his foot and I couldn’t anticipate if he’d be able […]
Getting our ya-ya’s out in Vila Nova de Foz Côa
Our only reason for stopping in Vila Nova de Foz Côa was to see to nearby prehistoric rock art in the Côa Valley. As we were leaving the archeological site to walk the 4K back to town, a nice couple who shared our hike to the petroglyphs offered us a ride, so we ended up […]
Food and fado in Coimbra
We’re in Portugal. Current location: Coimbra. Current occupation: eating. (I politely request that anyone who notices the food stuck in my teeth refrain from mentioning it). This was today’s lunch, from a bar inside a food market. (I hope you been a good student of this blog and have noted that the best food is […]
Your budget traveler’s favorite souvenirs are…(hint, real estate agents)
I don’t buy myself souvenirs when I travel, mostly because I’m cheap. I love clothes and lipstick, but otherwise I’m not a “thing” person. I am a food person, but most of what I want to bring home is liquid; local honey or you know, about twenty bottles of olive oil, which certainly would exceed […]
The icons of Svaneti are Sumerian and I can prove it (sort of)
If I were to pick anywhere in the world to hide Sumerian art in plain sight, I would choose Svaneti. Svaneti, the Republic of Georgia’s mountainous northwest region, is so remote that it was often used as a kind of safe house for art during times of conflict. Back in 2016, after two flights, an […]
I’m just here for the gift shops in the Aztec pyramid: a visit to Disney’s Epcot
A few nights ago I was in Norway, eavesdropping on a guy looking for a place to smoke. The attendant told him “You can’t smoke here but there’s an approved area over by Italy.” I was at Disney’s Epcot Park, which costs $114 a day to visit. But hey, that price includes the whole world […]
Money belt monoboob and other travel complaints
You’re lucky if you have the chance to travel, so going around complaining is pretty lame. That said, nothing brings people together like shared whining. So, in the spirit of solidarity, I give you my travel complaints: Glass coffee tables. Being able to rent an apartment for a few nights is an affordable luxury. The […]
Big Goose Pagoda is just a backdrop for the sexy dancing seniors of Xi’an
When HOB and I got on a bus in Xi’an we were unclear about when we should get off. “Just look for a big pagoda” I said—this seemed logical since we were on our way to see something called the Big Goose Pagoda. And that turned out to be a good idea—-we saw this out […]
The gods at Shuanglin temple are caged panthers
Before visiting someplace I’ve never been, I need to first project myself there in my imagination. I do this by picturing one essential cultural experience. It could be seeing an artwork, walking through a cathedral or listening to a particular sort of music. Without this initial mind-travel, I can’t conceptualize doing something so strange as, […]
Pingyao: a dozen boring museums and one magical city
Pingyao, in the Shanxi province of Northern China, combines two of my favorite things: a walled city and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Normally we don’t go walking around on city walls because HOB has a fear of heights. However, Pingyao’s wall, which was built in 1370 during the Ming Dynasty, is low with a […]
Picnic at the Cathedral 