Back in November after the Lord Mayor’s Show, I wrote this post clumsily explaining the difference between “London” and “The City of London.” I recently came across a series of videos that does a much better job than I can of explaining the history and difference between the two names. In addition, the same Youtube […]
Continue ReadingWhen it’s ok to have McDonalds
Usually I’m opposed to eating American fast food while I’m traveling. Why eat something that’s virtually the same as in the US? In Croatia, I learned differently. I went to McDonalds and ordered a “Bacon Rosti”, which seems to be quite popular. It consists of a hamburger with hash browns, bacon, and mayo on a […]
Continue ReadingCroatia
The train journey from Ljubljana to Zagreb took two and a half hours, mostly through Slovenian territory. The sunset was spectacular that evening. My through-the-window photo doesn’t do it justice. That evening I had dinner with a friend I met in Ljubljana and a few others. They invited me to come with them to the […]
Continue ReadingSlovenia
When a friend asked to pick a favorite country from this trip, I was torn between Estonia and Slovenia. After further reflection, I think Slovenia is my favorite. There’s no world-famous attractions there – just the way I like it – and the crowds are consequently small, especially in winter. Nevertheless, it’s as beautiful as […]
Continue ReadingHungary
IThe first thing I did in Budapest was go running. The city is spectacularly beautiful at night, with all the buildings, bridges, and monuments along the river lit up. I think it’s almost as pretty as London. The next morning was a good day to explore the city. We walked past the market, which has […]
Continue ReadingAustria, Germany, and Slovakia
On our first full day in Salzburg, we went to mass at the cathedral and then took the funicular to the fortress that overlooks the city. The panorama below doesn’t do it justice. There was a 360 degree view of Salzburg. Definitely the best city view on the trip, especially with the freshly fallen snow. […]
Continue ReadingThe Czech Republic
Our train arrived in Prague just before 7:30, which meant that we were walking to our hotel during the spectacular dawn light. I took a few photos of the National Museum and Wenceslas Square (named for a Polish king and national hero), which stands before it. Wenceslas Square is the heart of Prague’s tourist zone, […]
Continue ReadingPoland
My arrival in Warsaw was closely followed by my parents and sister, who flew from LAX through Moscow on a route that passed quite close to the North Pole. We spent the latter part of that day settling in. The rest of the family was really jet lagged. They’d traversed nine time zones, while I’d […]
Continue ReadingThe Baltic States
Two weeks ago, I traveled through the Baltic States – Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. Here’s some overdue photos. The Baltic States seemed like a convenient destination to squeeze into the week before my parents and younger sister arrived in Poland. Three countries in seven days was a far too ambitious plan, even for me. I […]
Continue ReadingMy Next Adventure
This morning, I’m leaving for a month of travel in Eastern Europe. I’m flying into Tallinn, Estonia, then traveling through Latvia and Lithuania to Warsaw, Poland. There, I’ll meet my parents and sister before traveling onward to the Czech Republic, Austria, Slovakia, and Hungary. Afterwards, my path is yet to be determined, but I have […]
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