travel

Norway: the Lofoten Islands

The part of our trip I was looking forward to the most was the part north of the Arctic Circle, four days in the Lofoten Islands. The Lofotens form a big, mountainous wall in the middle of the ocean, and are speckled with lakes and fishing villages. These islands receive six weeks of constant sun … Read more

Norway: the Hurtigruten

Alternate title: Watching the sun set in a hot tub on a cruise ship in a fjord One of our many modes of transportation around Norway was the Hurtigruten coastal steamer, a big old passenger and cargo ship which runs up and down Norway’s west coast in 13 days, transporting goods and tourists into every … Read more

Norway: Oslo


Our trip to Norway was 10 days long, and we split our time between its cities, fjords, and islands as we made our way up and down this comically long, skinny country. We visited Norway’s three largest cities, all of which felt tiny and adorable compared to, say, Munich (which feels tiny and adorable compared to, say, Berlin or New York). Much like Swiss cities, they were all very clean and safe, and full of friendly yet reserved folks who tended to speak English better than I did.

Read moreNorway: Oslo

Back in the land of yummy, cheap, plentiful beer

Whew, that was fun! Our trip to Norway went very well, despite my ridiculously disorganized last-minute planning. It is an insanely gorgeous country, full of more natural beauty than you can shake a stick at. We covered a whole lot of ground, sleeping in eight different beds (two of which were moving) in 10 days. … Read more

Kick the baby

Hi there! Having a fabulous time in Norway, but spending less time with internet access than expected. All in all my last-minute trip-planning frenzy seems to be paying off splendidly, although sometimes the best moments are those that one cannot plan for. Such as the country western festival we just encountered in a remote little … Read more

The worst travel planner in the world

OK, there, my secret’s out. I am a horrible travel planner. Dreadful. Borderline incompetent. Obsessive, compulsive, indecisive, lazy, whiny, and just plain bad. Hard to believe, given how much traveling I actually do. I should be an old pro at this by now, right? Alas, no. While I love love love the actual traveling part, … Read more

Cologne: a city full of beer pansies?

While I admit that nearly 8 months in Munich has possibly skewed my perception a bit on such things… doesn’t 2 dl (less than 7 oz) seem a little too small to be considered a ‘beer’? (Note the fork I placed in the photo to the left, so you can appreciate just how ridiculously diminutive … Read more

10 things to do in Munich for less than $5

Oh, that pesky dollar, more and more worthless every day (currently around $1.56 to the euro). I know, I know, I feel your pain – I have earned the wrong currency at several points in my life. At any rate, for those Americans still hoping to enjoy a European vacation this year while exchanging their … Read more

Travel writers born, not made?

If ever you were in doubt that nepotism is alive and well, you’d need look no further than the travel writing industry to see that it is. Who knew guidebooks were the stuff of travel royalty? Take Arthur Frommer’s daughter, Pauline, for example. She has her own line of guidebooks. Incidentally, I learned about her … Read more