December 2022 I recently boarded The Canadian to accomplish a travel goal – to ride the transcontinental scenic route between Toronto and Vancouver. Travel was to be simple: I board the correct train and chug Read more…
December 2022 I think of gophers. They maneuver just below the surface within an elaborate tunnel system. Their tunnels represent a series of underground areas leading to various broad openings such as a main living Read more…
Since my 10-week solo “Grand Tour” of Europe in 1972, traveling has become a passion. To awaken in a new city in some new part of the world, to wander its streets and absorb a Read more…
October 2022 I fly through Frankfurt at least a couple times a year. I like it less and less. Landing Turkish Airways from Istanbul, we deplaned from the rear. Not good when I am seated Read more…
12 October 2022 No Call to Prayer this morning, just my iPhone telling me to get up. My flight boards at 5:30 am. This is pure wonderful. I leave the YOTEL at 5:10. My walk Read more…
11 October 2022 Call to Prayer, Fajr, blasted to the heavens at 5:27 this morning. I briefly contemplate prayer time. And with everything else, there’s an App for that. I check out the times for Read more…
10 October 2022 5:47 am – a cacophony of prayer calls stream over the city battling for the airwaves from every direction. I suspect the large Melike Hatun Mosque just around the corner is winning. Read more…
9 October 2022 Breakfast: the usual wide selection of olives, cheeses, eggs, breads and jellies, a bunch of stuff. No yogurt and no coffee. I’m not wild about tea on the best of days and Read more…
8 October 2022 The Call to Prayer is at 5:36 this morning. It is a recording with a terrible scratch at the end. The wind Is SSW 6mph. When in Cappadocia, these two morning events Read more…
7 October 2022 It’s calm but cloudy. No stars. Wind 1 mph out of north. 46° with rain expected about 2pm. In this arid land I don’t expect much. Vans can be heard zipping about Read more…
6 October 2022 The Call to Prayer woke me at 5:28; the unmistakable roar of burners blasting a flame into balloons got me out of my room before 6:15. Walking outside, I was met with Read more…
5 October 2022 It may be confusing how to spell or pronounce where I am, but there is no confusion as to how spectacular this region of Turkey is. I quick ride past wind-sculptured bluffs Read more…
3-4 October 2022 The next two days will be a mix of flight and fantasy. Some final beautiful views of Khiva’s gates and fortifications as we drive to the airport; experiencing Uzbekistan security and airplanes; Read more…
2 October 2022 Ichan-Qаl’а is the walled inner town of the city of Khiva. In 1990, it was recognized as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. A day visiting its sites, wandering its narrow streets Read more…
1 October 2022 Mosques, madrasas, museums, meals, walks…it is becoming a blur. Don’t ask me where I was two nights ago and expect a quick answer. I drag myself into breakfast at a slower pace. Read more…
30 September 2022 Directly across from our Hotel Asia is the magnificent assemblage of architecture known as Lyab-i-Hauz which has survived unchanged since the 16th century. This area once served as a caravansaray along the Read more…
29 September 2022 We travel by bus for 175 miles west from Samarqand through green agricultural land, quiet sunbaked villages and towns to Bukhara, fifth largest city in Uzbekistan. I am introduced to this major Read more…
27-28 September 2022 We arrive late to the Asia Hotel, our lodging for the next two nights. Traffic and narrow surface roads are challenging, or as our guide says: “Samarqand is very special for the Read more…
26-27 September 2022 Tashkent is a city of very modern buildings interspersed with some ugly Soviet relics, green manicured parks, fountains, and a very organized traffic system. Except for closing down the streets and having Read more…
26 September 2022 I keep reading about colorful straws served with beer. Haven’t been able to confirm this. No straw with beer because no beer. But did get a bright blue flex straw with my Read more…
25 September 2022 It’s hot as Hell and I’m not going to take it anymore! We’re on the road again. Today, we drive 50 miles southwest through the foothills to the ancient city of Istarafshan, Read more…
24 September 2022 After breakfast in Kokand, we face the short drive and possibly grueling border crossings from Uzbekistan into the fourth of the Stans: Tajikistan.
23 September 2022 What a difference a border makes. Although it looks chaotic, was a bit slow and bureaucratic, and the temperatures were heating up, it was clear we had entered into a new country Read more…
22 September 2022 This morning I am flown out of Bishkek’s Manas International Airport for Osh, the second largest city in Kyrgyzstan. With a population a little over 208,000, Osh is located in the Fergana Read more…
20-21 September 2022 This morning we depart lovely Lake Issyk Kul and retrace some of our route west before turning north to Bishkek. There are not a lot of roads here, basically up and down Read more…
18 – 19 September 2022 It’s Sunday and after a hearty breakfast we board our large and comfortable bus and drive to Issyk-Kul Lake. The road travels west within the valley before rounding the mountains Read more…
17 September 2022 The day begins with a large, delicious breakfast including flaky pastries, potato pancakes filled with cheese, honey and raspberry spreads, bread, quiche and more – homemade and from their gardens. I’m not Read more…
16 September 2022 I am spirited off, by van, to the Kazakhstan border with neighboring Kyrgyzstan. Except for the spelling, how does the history and culture of this country differ? Kyrgyzstan flies a brighter national Read more…
15 September 2022 Last night, we joined ElderTrek. Having previously cancelled this trip twice as per Covid, the third time is the charm and for this trip I invited my adventurous niece along (guess all Read more…
14 September 2022 Almaty – what used to be the capital of Kazakhstan before it picked up its skirts and moved 750 miles north to Nur-Sultan, the second coldest capital city in the world. I Read more…
14 September 2022 I have arrived into the ninth largest country in the world. One would think I might know something about its culture and history. I know little. Its geography situates it in a Read more…
14 September 2022 In Greek mythology, Hermes was the god of trade, wealth, luck, fertility, animal husbandry, sleep, language, thieves, and travel. What an interesting mix of blessings. This messenger god, also known under the Read more…
11-13 SEPTEMBER 2022 Sometimes it takes a lot of preparation to travel to distant places. And yes, it will take me three days to arrive at my destination of Almaty. In the case of what Read more…
18 May 2022 One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things. Henry Miller My adventure to Cinque Terre has topped my expectations. Though I do not believe I will challenge Read more…
15-16 May 2022 Standing in front of the kiosk at the train station, one must remember there are different ways to spell my destination – Genoa or Genova. Genoa is the English spelling and Genova Read more…
13-14 May 2022 Squeezed between the villages of Cinque Terre and jet-set Portofino, Sestri Levante is like a poor cousin one visits in the suburbs. A stroll takes me among the shabby and Art Nouveau Read more…
12 May 2022 On a clear day, there is no panoramic point on the Cinque Terre that equals Punta Mesco, a promontory to the west dividing the village of Monterosso al mare from that of Read more…
11-12 May 2022 Learn from yesterday – Live for today – Hope for tomorrow I depart Vernazza by train destined for my fifth and final official Cinque Terre village of Monterosso al Mare. At over Read more…
10 May 2022 I would not want to disabuse anyone from hiking the national park trails of the Cinque Terre. However, I will be honest and say the trails can be challenging. I witnessed those Read more…
9-10 May 2022 Life on the Cinque Terre is made up of alternating periods of rest, strenuous trekking, and moving from one cafe to the next. Pace yourself.
7-8 May 2022 Steve woke me this morning. He was rather persistent at 7:20 am, like I was missing breakfast of something. The day was bright and sunny, I could hear the waves splashing against Read more…
Leaving one sole in Corniglia, the other in Vernazza 7 May 2022 The Azure Trail is mostly an easy upper trail connecting Corniglia to Vernazza. It is an easier climb because I start out at Read more…
5 May 2022 The Cinque Terre has a way of distracting you from reality. Emphasized in the brochures about the area are the 377 steps that one must climb from the train station to reach Read more…
4-6 May 2022 My second stop along Italy’s Cinque Terre is small Manarola, a collection of pastel buildings tumbling down a ravine to the sea. Trains depart Riomaggiore three times an hour and the ride Read more…
I won’t let the vertical terrain intimidate me! 3 May 2022 My first trekking day along the Cinque Terre went from Will Wheaton’s “No, no, Hell no!” to “I think I can, I think I Read more…
2-3 May 2022 One can ride a bus, train or ferry; I chose to ride the ferry from La Spezia to Riomaggiore. To say arriving at the Cinque Terre by ferry is spectacular is a Read more…
29 April – 1 May 2022 La Spezia – southernmost entry to the famed Cinque Terre: it has taken me three years and three tries but I have finally arrived. No rush, no stress, no Read more…
26-28 April 2022 I have visited Pisa on several occasions, most often not further than its famed Leaning Tower. It wasn’t until I wandered into some of its smaller, quieter streets that I discovered Pisa’s Read more…
26 September 2021 Travel is muscle memory. At least it was. Much has changed because of Covid. I can’t utilize all the little perks of travel that once made the experience faster, easier and more pleasant. Read more…
22 September 2021 I can’t help it. When eating a delicious slice of pork shoulder, my server thought I was leaving the best part, the layer of crispy fat. “Das ist gut” she points out. Read more…
19 September 2021 “ I may not meet a Brockmann cousin….” I previously wrote. Among my family’s papers were four mysterious envelopes addressed by my grandmother Dora Brockmann to Brockmanns in Germany. One of those Read more…
19 September 2021 Walking Celle is like strolling through a Brothers Grimm folktale. Walk Celle’s streets, ogle its magnificent architecture, enjoy the statues and fountains, and stand in the Markt Plaza when the Glockenspiel rings Read more…
17 September 2021 Two major events explain why I visit Celle. In the winter of 1911, my grandmother Dora left her home and family in Celle to emigrate to the United States. I don’t exactly Read more…
17 September 2021 I have almost had to revise my positive opinion on DB because of dreaded gate changes but with a smattering of German and helpful English speakers, I am able to catch a Read more…
16 September 2021 The Nuremberg Residenz is too groß and grand, Bamburg Residenz too small and simple, but Würzburg Residenz is just right. Würzburg Residenz From its entry foyer where carriages debarked its elite passengers Read more…
15 September 2021 Training through Germany I love the tradition of dining on the sidewalks and in plazas. Weather here is perfect for outside seating. Dining in the fresh air and surrounded by the ongoing Read more…
14 September 2021 I suppose I could say all rail lines lead to Bamberg because my train is transiting southeast to reach the city of Bamberg, some 45 miles north of Nuremberg. The train travels Read more…
12 September 2021 One reason for immediately liking Nuremberg is I love old walled cities. Nuremberg Castle and city walls represent a formidable medieval defensive system. During the Middle Ages, the castle was one of Read more…
11 September 2021 It’s an easy walk to U1, getting a ticket and then figuring direction of travel. About 10 minutes later I arrive at my destination: Memorium Nuremberg and Palace of Justice. It is Read more…
10 September 2021 When traveling, one so often discovers ways we, meaning my own country of the United States, could do better. Certainly when it comes to mass transit and trains, there is a lot Read more…
9 September 2021 Pan’s grimace is indicative of my aching feet after four hours of touring the sprawling Munich Residenz and Museum. Of its more than 150 rooms, a large part is open to visitors Read more…
8 September 2021 I have visited Munich several times in the past so looking for new experiences and sites. Munich is more than beer and English Garden. And a lot of the best museums are Read more…
8 September 2021 I have to admit travel planning is NOT what it used to be. And being a solo traveler, I might be getting too old for this worry. I am used to 50 Read more…
Getting a Mile High in More Ways Than One Since becoming a first state to legalize marijuana in 2012, its residents have taken it to heart. Walking this mile high city is a great but Read more…
There is the old adage that “You can’t go home again.” It comes from Thomas Wolfe’s 1934 novel of the same name. There are many reasons why this adage probably is true. “Home” will never Read more…
Illinois – The Land of Lincoln: 18-22 June, 2021 NAPERVILLE Travel writers love to make up lists of the “10 Best” be it for living there or just visiting. I have been fooled before by Read more…
Yooper Blooper: June 16 “Why would anyone build the most spectacular bridge in the world at the top of Michigan instead of at Detroit where everyone could see it?” —letter from an irate “troll” taxpayer Read more…
Yooperland: June 13-15 “The best thing that could happen to the U.P. would be for someone to bomb the bridge.”—John Voelker, former Michigan Supreme Court Justice and the author of Anatomy of a Murder and Yooper resident— Read more…
Da Yooper: June 11-12 “It’s an edgy place… it still hangs on out there like a rawhide flap of the old frontier…The U.P. is a hard place. A person has to want to hurt a Read more…
Wisconsin: June 8-10 Flâneur is a wonderfully descriptive French noun referring to a “stroller, loafer, a lounger,” or as the Italians describe it, enjoying a “passeggiata.” In any language, it describes the passionate wandering traveler. In Read more…
Since Covid rudely smacked The World down a size, my travel calendar has never been so bare. But travel is like riding a bicycle – you never forget its nuances. At least, it’s pretty to Read more…
If the grand entrance of Covid-19 in the early weeks of 2020 didn’t prove Robert Burns correct, that “the best laid schemes o’mice an’ men” often go awry,” I don’t know what would. Covid would Read more…
Creating podcasts came from my desire to decrease the weight of paper and guide books and increase my information and enjoyment while traveling. My first podcast, Poland, also came about because I was well aware that Read more…
5-6 December 2019 Thursday – feeling surprisingly good for being dragged 50’ by a pack of huskies We meet this morning at 9:30, just at the dawn of civil twilight. The southeastern sky is a Read more…
2-4 December 2019 Visiting Lapland in winter, I have come to understand why Santa lives here. There is a stark beauty in this all-white landscape, brilliant starry skies, and moving waves of Aurora color.
1 December 2019 I remember in the early 1950s on a clear and extremely lucky night in Northern Indiana, the skies were actually unpolluted enough to see slight colorings of the Aurora Borealis. Sometimes, faint Read more…
Thanksgiving 2019 There are exotic destinations haunting the lists of traveler’s dreams: Antarctic, Africa, Panama Canal, Galapagos Islands, Easter Island. Another list topper is Lapland. Lapland is associated with Father Christmas, a close relative of Read more…
Some General Observations – October 2019 I have traveled to the European Continent each year during the fall. Surprisingly, I was unprepared for fall in France. What were my surprises?
29-30 October 2019 Sleeping soundly in Toulouse. Message from SNCF, definitely NOT something I want to wake to find. I believe France is the only country in the world with a mobile APP monitoring strikes. Read more…
28 October 2019 I like Toulouse. I can’t be much more enthusiastic than that. It is well-located for visiting some great sites in this southern part of France, like marvelous Carcassonne. It is on the Read more…
27 October 2019 I could not have chosen a better day to visit Andorra.
26 October 2019 Just 60 miles southeast of Toulouse is the picturesque hilltop village of Carcassonne. I love old fortified cities and Carcassonne is absolutely one of the best! Carcassonne has dominated this hilltop since Read more…
24-25 October 2019 Snow! Yikes! The jagged peaks of the Pyrenees, just a few miles to the south, are covered in snow. The view, as our train approaches Lourdes, is spectacular. I expect cold.
21-23 October 2019 Jumping back on the Euskotren, we return to the Basque stronghold of Donostia, or San Sebastián as we call this fabulous city curling around the Bay of Biscay. With the Pyrenees Mountains Read more…
19-20 October 2019 Traversing the southwestern region of France and getting to my destination in Spain taught me a new lesson: train travel in Europe is not perfect. I found it convoluted and less than Read more…
17-18 October 2019 It is a pleasant, slightly misty, train ride through southwestern France. We arrive in Bayonne, a smallish city situated where the rivers Nive from the south and the wider Adour from the Read more…
14-15 October 2019 About twenty miles north on the “Left Bank” of the Dordogne and Gironde Rivers, I learn my first lesson in French wines. It is pretty much “crickets” around here in mid-October. My Read more…
12-16 October 2019 One mentions Bordeaux and one immediately thinks “wine.” There is so much more! There were several statistics which prove we are in the right city. There are almost 300,000 acres of grape Read more…
11 October 2019 I visited this historic site in the spring of 1980. At that time, the climb to the top and visit of the cathedral was pleasant and uncrowded. Times have changed but, because Read more…
11 October 2019 I may have left my tears in Normandy, but I definitely left my heart in Saint-Malo. I drove past it’s huge port with fishing boats, yachts and catamarans, but once over their Read more…
8 October 2019 What Caen lacked in charm is more than made up for by the city of Bayeux. Unlucky Caen suffered heavy bombardment, destroying over 70% of its buildings; Bayeux was one of the Read more…
5-10 October 2019 In peace, sons bury their fathers. In war, fathers bury their sons. – Herodotus Listening to Beethoven’s Fifth Sympathy as background music for opening scenes of The Longest Day is an appropriate Read more…
4 October 2019 I admit, I am underwhelmed with the city of Caen. However, it’s an easy reach by train from Paris, it has some historical sites, one terrific museum, and is a good location Read more…
October 2-3, 2019 Walking Rouen has all the makings of meeting a fantastic, memorable city. It seems to have it all: history, architecture, parks, squares, cathedrals, and cafes. And brazen little sparrows who clean up Read more…
Cambria is equal distance between Los Angeles and San Francisco along beautifully scenic Highway One. It is small village of about 6600 residents and home to many artisans, wine makers, musicians, and surfer dudes. The Read more…
Part Three Mexico City, September 2019 INDIFERENCIA ES COMPLICIDAD For a jolt to one’s system,
Part Two Mexico City, September 2019 No one can visit Mexico City and not spend quality time with two of Mexico’s most famous personages and artists: Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera. Cortés first settled and built Read more…
Part One Mexico City, September 2019 I follow travel blogs and podcasts enough to know there is little originality in lists. For decades, I have wanted to visit Mexico City. Though I traveled several times Read more…
August 2019 Love road trips. Even rural areas of Iowa look good when driving free and easy down America’s “super highways.” I recognize a lot of cities and towns; family roots appear around many corners Read more…
8 June 2019 “We Szekelys have a right to be proud, for in our veins flows the blood of many brave races who fought as the lion fights, for lordship. Here, in the whirlpool of Read more…