There has been a recent spate of travel writing about North Korea, once of the most secretive and brutally repressive countries in the world. I’ve found some of the stuff I have read unusually naive and glossy, but just ran across some welcomed developments casting always needed light, starting with […]
A quick aside about the U.K., a country I like quite a lot. The juxtaposition of the original British place names versus their American equivalents fascinates me. Camden was the hometown of my former boss, Senator David Pryor, down in South Arkansas and it bears absolutely no resemblance to the […]
Switzerland has a lot going for it. One of the world’s safest and most stable countries. No bad history with any of its neighbors (though that whole “we stole millions from Jews in WWII” thing is a pretty large cultural stain). A strong currency. Chocolate, clocks, and fondue. Banks that […]
The historic city of Berlin is one of the most popular European destinations for those that are traveling to Germany, and it has so much to offer visitors whether they are there for a weekend or a week. There are historic buildings aplenty in the German capital, but many people […]
I’m going in the winter. So instead of the Land of the Midnight Sun, I think I’ve signed up for the Land of the Midnight Dark-as-it-should-be. Not much Sun. A lot of snow and cold. And somehow I am still really damn excited about the whole thing. I’m going to […]
While I was in Bolzano a few months I stayed at the Hotel Laurin, a traditional luxury hotel in the region and an absolutely wonderful place to stay. I loved the place for many reasons, but as I sat in the smoking room one night with a cigar in one hand […]
“You best watch out for that car, missy. My friend broke her toes on this street yesterday!” The woman’s voice was high pitched and nasal; an American tourist I would’ve spotted a mile off, despite the fresh-from-a-stall hippy pants and the Buddhist prayer beads hanging from her neck. The throng […]
With all the cameras, lenses, and photo software on the market today, it’s truly a great time to take pictures. But same as it always has been, the camera doesn’t make the picture… the photographer does. And simply owning a DSLR doesn’t ensure you’ll triumphantly return from a foreign land, […]
