Greece has been on our wish list for a long time. Obviously, it goes without saying that visiting the land of the love of Lena and Kostos from Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants is the stuff of my adolescent dreams. You can only see so many pictures of blue-domed rooftops and white stucco houses before you finally sit up in bed one night and say, “That’s it, we’re going.”
Read MoreGreetings from mountainy Snoqualmie! After a long layover in Chicago, I landed last night at Seattle-Tacoma airport about 8:10 pm. Lagging from the time change and long day, I found my second wind as soon as I hopped in my rental car. “Kiss” by Prince blared from my open windows as I drove away from the airport.
Read MoreGooooood morning! I’ve been quiet on the blog lately but over the next few weeks I’ll be posting more regularly. Today marks Day 1 of my first big trip off work in nearly two years (remember Europe?), and the first big solo trip of this year.
Read MoreThere are places like Washington, DC, where I live, that are fast, packed, and full of things to do, new places to see. It’s an exciting place to be, especially to live.
Then there are spots like Charleston, where the moment you step off your docked cruise ship, sundress flowing in the warm breeze, mimosa in hand, a wide-brimmed hat shielding your face (if only…), drinking it in makes you sigh with pleasure. Charleston has an unmatched charm to it.
Read MoreAppropriately, due to COVID, trips out of town have been to the most charmingly remote of places. And near the top of my destination list as long as I live will be this quiet little cottage tucked away amidst cornfields and a sloping treeline…
Read MoreWith all of quarantine’s inconveniences, I’ve had plenty to be grateful for. Most of life may have come to a grinding halt, but the flexibility of working from home has stretched out new opportunities to enjoy a bit of relocating.
Read MoreI loved all my destinations of choice, and each visit warranted a collage. The Lord knows my heart, and to think that He wanted to make it leap and sparkle by showing me the vastness of the world around me - and yet, at the same time, how much smaller it is than we think - by showing me new corners here and there, makes me want to burst.
Read MoreAs a writer, it’s easy to slip into such self-absorption when trying to create something. For me, working full time adds the challenge of creating time, space, and energy to receive inspiration. When I’m tired from a full day, often I find I have nothing to write about (even when I know that’s not true.)
Consequently, stepping outside my own mind to learn from writers of times past is, I’m finding, worthwhile.
Read MoreLet’s get right to it and talk about 1) where I went and 2) where you should go next time you’re in town:
Read MoreThe first word that came to mind, uncontested, matter-of-factly, was grit. Chicago is gritty. From first step off the plane to shutting the door of my hotel room, everything had a distinct sharpness to it, from the whipping wind jolting me out of (and quite far away from) DC’s gentler slide from one season to the next, to the unmistakable accent of the airport police officer that fell into step with me, asking what brought me to town as he helped me with directions.
Read MoreDays 2 and 3 here I ventured out for a few lil hikey hikes: Spur Cross Trailhead and Devil’s Bridge, respectively.
Spur Cross was relatively easy, though if I’d go again I’d do it at sunrise or sundown for less brutal heat. Still was able to catch some cool shots, though. And don’t ask me why, but whenever I’m out in major hikes that also house certain wildlife I’d rather not run into unarmed and alone, I forget that possibility until I’m at the farthest point away in my route…someday I’ll learn.
Read MoreAdventure numero dozen or so this year now takes me cross-country today. And while today may not have been my best travel day "(being barked at by TSA to throw away my peanut butter, on five hours of sleep - believe it or not - is not my favorite thing…my roommates watch me propose to my hallowed jar of peanut butter every day when I come home from work), still worth it.
Read MoreLet Fun-Employment Week begin! This splendid long weekend was my first visit back to North Carolina’s capital for 2019. With several friends we celebrated birthdays, new jobs, and my college best friend acquiring her US citizenship. Hitting milestones is a lot sweeter surrounded by your people who sweep you off to Cornerstone to dance off all the Cookout.
Read MoreAfter a restful night in Yonkers, New York, the night before, Allison and I arrived to Montreal about six hours later. We chattered in between outrageous Bachelorette recap podcasts, speculating how crossing the border would go once we reached border patrol. Neither of us had ever done so by vehicle before, but we’d done our best to read up prior. I learned that contraband included fruit, of all things, so we packed accordingly.
Read MoreIn capping off my 2019 Eurotrip, I returned from my two-day jaunt in Budapest to stay in northeastern France. I had one last full day before my flight home, and it could not have been better spent. Having landed a mid-morning flight from Charles de Gaulle airport, I quickly hopped on a bus to catch a train that zipped me from Paris to Metz, a smaller city 30 minutes from where I’d be staying that night.
Read MoreWhat’s the first thing you notice when visiting a new place?
For me visiting Budapest, Hungary, my first trip to Eastern Europe, it was the language. Hungarian is guttural, clanging, and utterly foreign to me. I remember thinking if aliens existed and had their own dialect, it would have to sound exactly like Hungarian. (The eery female voice announcing each stop on the tram seemed to compound this observation.)
Read MoreVisitors to France will quickly find that French culture does coffee differently than American. Portions are far different (forget your large iced coffee!), they don’t use cream, and their purpose for drinking it differs from ours. While “America runs on Dunkin’,” the French prefer to sit, relax, and sip their café with leisure, enjoying the art of a quality cup of brew. C’est la vie.
Read MoreOn Valentine’s Day this year, I left my hostel early to catch a mid-morning flight connecting in Switzerland, and landing in the grandiose city of Budapest (which the Hungarians pronounce “Buda-pesht”). Flying over the Swiss Alps, any fatigue from a short night’s sleep was completely eradicated by the adrenaline rush I only get before visiting a new place I’ve never seen.
Read MoreToday is Tuesday, February 19th, and I’ve just returned from the best trip of my adult life. As I’m reflecting back on all of it - the fantastic memories, the wonderful people I met, and of course…all the food - I’m also thinking back on the first solo trip I took post-college, to London, for the internship of a lifetime at a magazine.
Read MoreJó reggelt from Budapest, Hungary! Today is day six of vacation, and today is Valentine’s Day. What a wonderful day to embrace what we’re made of, how God knit us together in His image, and to celebrate that factor that brings us all together: love.
I’ve come to love Valentine’s Day, but not for the reason people often do.
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