I haven’t seen as much of Italy as I had hoped to by now. Recent visits to Tuscany, and Lake Ledro & Lake Garda, motivated me to make more of an effort to explore and learn more about the country. Increasingly, I found myself relishing Italian food, despite being the only person I know who avoids pasta and sweets (something I had always attributed to Italian cuisine). That’s just to say that I’m having a fun time figuring Italy out, bit by bit. What has kept my attention most is the regional differences. Italy feels bifurcated between north and south. In Sicily, a tour guide told me that Sicilians see themselves as Mediterranean, rather than just Italian. The divide isn’t hostile, just deeply ingrained, which might be similar to the divide in the USA between the North and South, or the East Coast and the rest of the country. This dynamic has reminded me a bit of Germany’s regional diversity with different spoken dialects (Sicily has its own regional dialect) I only had a week in Sicily before meeting my sister at a yoga retreat in Sardinia, and Palermo felt like the right place to spend it. Just enough time […]
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I begrudgingly returned to Oktoberfest this year after my friend Kevin and his wife, Joy, said they’d be in Munich for a weekend in late September. I say “begrudgingly” because, while I do love Oktoberfest (thirty days on the weisn is a spiritual journey), finding a place to stay in Munich during Oktoberfest ranks high on my list of things I hate. There’s barely enough housing for the people who live there, and those of us visiting during Octoberfest get absolutely fleeced by the locals when securing housing. The last time I stayed in Munich, a housing authority official knocked on my door at 7 a.m. to inform me that I was “illegally residing” in an Airbnb; apparently, my landlord had skipped a few forms. Anyway, this woman was a menace and did her best to shame me for renting an Airbnb as a tourist, visiting Munich. Nothing like Bavarian hospitality. This time, Marce and I managed to book a convenient place near the festival grounds. The host raised the price twice before confirming the reservation, which felt appropriately Munich. Nothing like Bavarian hospitality. Once the logistics were handled (again, begrudgingly), the festival itself was as fun as ever. I’ve […]
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The yearly pilgrimage to Dalmatia continued unabated again this year, as I sought the holy waters of the Adriatic Sea to cleanse my spirit, a tradition I have kept over the past ten years. This year’s itinerary included a handful of days in Split, a return to the island of Vis, where I last visited six years ago, and a new, more remote island destination for me, Lastovo. Part of this plan is an intention to discover new reasons to continue returning to Croatia each year, as my friends here are dwindling, and so too are my reasons to return, amid the adoption of the Euro, post-COVID inflation, the joining of Schengen, rising tourist numbers, and increasing rental prices. These sacred waters have soothed me for ten years, but it might be time to pursue other horizons. While in Split, I tried to keep up with acquaintances. My friends David and Marketa, who will soon move to the Czech Republic to raise their first child. They hosted me for dinner, and Marketa made her world-famous Bún bò Nam Bộ. Really must learn this recipe because very soon I will not have the ability to eat it :(( I invited David, […]
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This was my second time visiting Berlin, and I thought it was great. Unfortunately, the Pergamonmuseum was closed for the second time I attempted to visit it. This is after visiting Pergamon, Turkey, and being unable to see the ancient relics that were looted by the Germans. The museum is currently closed to visitors and is expected to remain closed for 12 to 18 years, between 2037 and 2043, for the execution of comprehensive renovation works. Every other consideration regarding my visit to Berlin is secondary to that disappointment. I waited ten years to visit the Pergamonmuseum, only to discover I will need to wait another 15. –Germany I had a lot of work the week I visited and was unable to attend the KitKatClub, a famous nightclub in the area. Maybe I will pay it a visit when I am sixty years old, returning to see the Pergamonmuseum. I visited Berlin’s Zoo, as well as some other blasé landmarks; e.g., Jewish memorials do not interest me in an age of Israeli genocide. Which you can see in the photos. Going just about anywhere is fun when I bring my camera with me, because the ordinary becomes a fun challenge […]
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Every time I stop in Mexico City for a week on my way somewhere else, I’m reminded I should stay longer. The food’s incredible, the city’s endlessly walkable, and I get to use my Spanish. I think I’ve reached the point where there are simply too many places I’m happy to be, and that makes choosing where to stay harder than ever. Maybe that’s the quiet success of all this movement: I’ve already found what I was looking for. So why keep traveling if everywhere I return to already feels like a home? It’s possible that I am actively avoiding feeling at home. As usual, Montezuma found me in Mexico City. I didn’t touch street food this time, so I’m blaming the store-bought lettuce from the homemade salads I’d become obsessed with (see here). At this point, it feels inevitable. Montezuma always knows when I’ve crossed the border. There’s no hiding, not even in my own apartment. Let’s just say I haven’t made a salad at home since. And that’s all I’ll say about that. Thank you, Marce, for saving my life. The rest of my time in Mexico City was great. I also solved a medical mystery that started […]
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Curitiba struck me as one of those cities where I could actually live comfortably, walkably, and peacefully. My friend Jeff, who’s spent more time in Brazil than I have, told me before I went, “Curitiba is one of my favorite cities in Brazil. It’s safer than almost anywhere else, and it actually feels like it was designed for the people who live there.” Maybe that shaped my expectations, but he was right. The city boasts excellent museums, thoughtful infrastructure, lush parks, and traffic that never bothered me. People seemed relaxed and content everywhere I went. I even found a solid rodízio spot for about $30, which is all-you-can-eat, and in my book, that’s a steal. Curitiba is located within the state of Paraná, Brazil, and I spent some time trying to understand the cultural relevance of Paraná within Brazil. I didn’t really get a sense of those distinguishing aspects that make it special in relation to other places within Brazil. I’m reading the Wikipedia article I linked above right now, and it seems to say that industry and farming are defining aspects of it. Seems like I have some more room to learn and explore. I cooked most nights as […]
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After my first visit, I can confidently say that Trancoso is a must-see destination. It’s already popular among Brazilian travelers, yet it still feels like a secret. People clearly know about Trancoso, but when you’re there, it’s as if no one else does. The town has somehow managed to avoid the over-commercialized vibe that plagues many popular beach destinations. Thankfully, many of my favorite destinations within South America continue to fly under the radar by avoiding hype and attention. Fortunately, it’s a good thing that my mother doesn’t read this blog, so don’t worry, I won’t be the one changing that. The beach here is lovely, but the real magic lies in the historic town square, which dates back a few centuries. Around its edges, restaurants and boutiques sit beneath enormous trees hung with lanterns that glow at night, casting a warm light over open-air tables and cobblestone paths. It creates a magical environment and ambiance that I haven’t experienced elsewhere. If I return to Trancoso, I’ll put more effort into capturing that in my photos. Another key ingredient to what makes Trancoso a great place to visit is the food. Trancoso has great food. Trancoso is part of the […]
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Belo Horizonte has been on my radar for a while. It’s the capital of Minas Gerais, one of Brazil’s biggest states, often described to me as the Midwest of Brazil. The people, mineiros, are known for their warmth, and the food has a reputation to match. Minas is comfort food heaven: think pão de queijo, that chewy, gluten-free cheese bread made with cassava, which is probably the most famous Brazilian food. Unfortunately, I didn’t have much time to explore Belo Horizonte during my 13-day stay, but I did enjoy maintaining a balanced routine, which included work. I found a great gym across the street from my Airbnb, along with a branch of my favorite Japanese coffee brand, which I imagine will inevitably make it to the USA (the best iced coffees I know). I’d be up for staying in Belo Horizonte again. My time there was comfortable, and I found it easy to navigate. I’m sure there will be more things to explore and discover the next time around. This time, my pursuits were elsewhere. Marce was the highlight of Belo Horizonte and made the routine an adventure. I celebrated my 45th birthday at an Airbnb with her, and she […]
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I’ve been intentional about seeing more of Brazil, and inevitably, that led me to its capital, Brasília. No Brazilian I know has ever said, “You’ve got to visit Brasília.” And I get why — this city isn’t like anywhere else in Brazil. It’s orderly where others are chaotic, planned where others are organic. Built from scratch in 1960, Brasília was designed to be a symbol of modernity and unity, a capital in the country’s heart meant to pull power and people inland from the coast. Its airplane-shaped layout, the Plano Piloto, was supposed to represent efficiency. Government offices line the fuselage, neighborhoods fill the wings. But the city’s modernist ideals came with a tradeoff: Brasília is built for cars, not people. I stayed in Asa Sul, a district with a nice mix of cafes and apartments. My gym was a 25-minute walk away, but I loved it. Shaded sidewalks, big trees, and almost no one else walking. Each morning, I’d stop for breakfast on the way, grab a coffee coming back, and settle in to work from my apartment. By the end of the first week, the walk had become a ritual, meditative, even. Music, thoughts, or just quiet autopilot. […]
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This was just a short 24-hour stopover in Lima between Colombia and Brazil to satiate my need for Peruvian ceviche and leche de tigre. I’m annotating it here to remind myself to do it more often.
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