Portugal, Day 7: The Algarve

The Algarve is full of beautiful sights, and if you tried to jam them all in for the sake of it, you’d kind of be missing the point.

Portugal, Day 6: Sintra to the Algarve

We knew that a “beach vacation” in Portugal in March probably wasn’t going to be a thing, in spite of Daina packing three tank tops.

Portugal, Day 5: Óbidos and Sintra

This place is a virtual Disneyland of castles and palaces, with each one having its own specific design quirks.

Portugal, Day 4: Azulejos and Architecture

So I learned today that Daina wanted to be a seismologist growing up and that I can readily be mistaken for a Portuguese waiter if my tan has come in.

Portugal, Day 3: The Many Miradouros of Lisbon

This is a city of hills. Lots of them.

Morocco to Madrd: Wrap Up & Highlights

On our last night in Madrid, while we were enjoying some amazing Iberian ham, I mentioned something to Daina that … More

Morocco to Madrid 27: Toledo

So after the craziness that was yesterday morning, it was nice to be able to just head to Atocha, get … More

Morocco to Madrid 26: Segovia

Today started with a massive stab to the wallet. Now, our past two vacations, I’ve brought my “old” iPhone 4 … More

Morocco to Madrid 25: Royal Madrid

I want everybody to realize that, if I had wanted to, I could have probably jacked up the hit count … More

Morocco to Madrid 24: Centro de Arte Reina Sofia & MuseoThyssen-Bornemisza

So, yes, we did two of Madrid’s “Big Three” galleries back to back.  In retrospect, good idea not to do … More

Morocco to Madrid 23: Museo del Prado & Parque del Buen Retiro

Well, we got the big one out of the way. Madrid has three big art galleries, and the biggest most … More

Morocco to Madrid 22: Granada to Madrid

TRANSIT DAY!!! Going to give some credit where credit is due.  Past two cities, we’ve been staying in 1-Star hotels … More

Morocco to Madrid 21: Alhambra

I find there can be a bit of a Law of Diminishing Returns for popular tourist sites.  The more popular … More

Morocco to Madrid 20: Granada

Before leaving Malaga this morning, we hit a city institution, Casa Aranda, a place so well known for churros that … More

Morocco to Madrid 19: Gibraltar

I am a gross, sweaty mess right now. Backstory. One of the best indicators of a great travel partner, platonic, … More

Morocco to Madrid 18: Malaga

We hit Malaga pretty hard yesterday, covering a lot of distance, so we figured that today was a day to … More

Morocco to Madrid 17: Malaga

“Change of Pace” sums things up nicely today. Daina and I had an interesting conversation about how, if our trip … More

Brussels, Belgium

So how in the hell is Sri Lanka easier to figure out than Brussels? I might give fatigue some credit. … More

The Cliffs of Moher, Ireland

Limerick is fine, but definitely not a city you can sightsee in for more than a couple of days.  Fortunately, … More

Limerick, Ireland

In terms of vibes, Limerick definitely has a different one than the other European cities I’ve stopped in. You’ve got … More

Castlebar, Ireland

Home stay! Dublin was a day for tourism, but my big reason for visiting Ireland was to check in with … More

Dublin, Ireland

So a bit of crazy-awesome before I even got here. MASSIVE storm moved through Belgium last night, thunder, lightening, heavy … More

Ghent, Belgium

So “yay” to Snuffel Hostel in Brugge for somehow pulling off the feat of being a party hostel where you … More

Brugge, Belgium

So now that Sri Lanka is done, it’s time to branch off! Gonna note that, for the next few posts, … More

Retro: Sinaia, Romania

Travel Date: July 21st, 2010Built around and named after the Sinaia Monastery, which itself was named after Mount Sinai, Sinaia … More

Retro: Bran, Romania

Dracula never lived here. Okay, technically Dracula never lived anywhere, being made up and all.  Vlad the Impaler, though?  He … More

Retro: Brasov, Romania

They built a Hollywood sign. It’s sad that, in a town that’s one of the main Transylvanian tourist hubs, and … More

Retro: Sighișoara, Romania

You’d expect the place that “Dracula” was born to have some good, but kind of disgusting, eats. Right on both … More

Retro: Biertan, Romania

Fortified Churches.  Makes sense, when you think about it. Biertan is another one of those “little stops” you can find … More

AC Italy 3 & 4: Rome

So, I’m covering two days of travel in one post here. Much like Rome, it’s kind of overwhelming. Let me … More

AC Italy 2: Monteriggioni & San Gimignano

Big day today.  Breakfast matched up. If there was one thing I wasn’t a huge fan of in Turkey, it … More

AC Italy 1: Siena

So, a bit of backstory on the next four posts. When I first booked the trip to Turkey with Alitalia, … More

Turkey 40: Wrap Up from Istanbul

What a difference 40 days makes. When D and I first got here, Taksim square was a source of protests, … More

Turkey 33: Bergama to Safranbolu

TRANSIT DAY! Not just being on transit, but also planning, getting frustrated by and, ultimately, conquering transit.  All with a … More

Turkey 29: Chora Church

With this being Daina’s last day of the trip, and with souvenirs that need buying, we decided to keep things … More

Turkey 28: Ramadan in Istanbul

Up early today, five am, in order to catch a flight to Istanbul.  After finally seeking out a shuttle and … More

Turkey 4: Istanbul, Modern Palaces, Modern Art

After two big days (and a big opening evening, if you think about it), we went a little smaller today, … More

Turkey 3: Istanbul, Byzantines and Bosporus

We’re definitely not running out of things to do, but we seem to be running out of days to do … More

Turkey 2: Istanbul, Hot in Pants

First thing first, though not the first thing that happened today, I GOT MY LUGGAGE!  Walked into the hotel lobby, … More

Turkey 1.1: Istanbul

This city is going to be epic. After checking in to the hotel and washing off the scent of airplane … More