Montenegro is a small country — smaller than the U.S. state of Connecticut — but its beauty packs a punch much larger than countries 50 times larger than this jewel of the Balkans. For years I had heard that Montenegro is one of the prettiest nations in Europe, […]
Before this summer, I had two distinct early memories of Sarajevo and Bosnia–Herzegovina. My first memories of watching the Winter Olympics were in 1984 as a child witnessing Katarina Witt and Scott Hamilton win figure skating gold medals in Sarajevo. Later during the 1990s, I remember watching CNN’s […]
What I am about to say is difficult to write. I had outrageously high expectations of Venezia, the city of canals. I had always wanted to visit La Serenissima because of its legendary Carnival and the world’s most glamorous film festival. I had seen movies such as Casino […]
Exotic — it’s one word that you may hear frequently to describe Budapest. The name alone is a portmanteau — a mix of the names of two great cities, Buda and Pest. From its past connections with the Ottomans, or as former capital of the Austro-Hungarian Empire or being immortalized in […]
I find it fascinating when I step into any Catholic Church around the world, there are often subtle artistic differences in the way that the Mother Mary is portrayed in paintings, tapestries and sculptures. During my recent visit to the magestic Monastery of the Basilian Fathers in Zhovkva, […]
Think about all of those travels where you venture high above ground level. Chances are, you fly above 30,000 feet to arrive at your destination. When you get there, you often climb a hill or building for a great view. I have lost count of all the spectacular […]
Almost all travelers will agree that experiencing a place through travel is much more powerful than reading about a destination or seeing it on television. In most travels, this is the great blessing: the sights, the sounds, the smells and the vividness that you take with you. But […]
I will be the first to admit that I had some preconceived notions of Ukraine before visiting recently, and they were almost all very wrong. I thought of Ukraine as the land of Chernobyl where citizens consume huge quantities of vodka, only eat borscht and wear big fur hats. It turns out […]
My eyes slightly opened to a uniformed and somewhat agitated conductor in a white shirt speaking downward to me through the half-opened door of my train’s compartment. Through my earplugs, I heard a slavic language I didn’t understand, but I did recognize body language and a few words […]
Tuesday, March 22, was a historic and terrible day for the city of Brussels and all of Belgium, as terrorists struck Belgium’s capital. But I feel like this tragedy should not stop you from visiting this wonderful country. Today had me reflecting on the first time I visited […]
I am an American and proud to be born in the land of the free. It’s not a citizenship I would ever relinquish. What if a new country came along that followed many of the same principles established more than 240 years ago in the U.S. Constitution? A […]
Come along with me as I tour the capital of the Czech Republic. Take in the sights and sounds of Prague, one of Europe’s most beautiful cities.
You may have a compelling reason to cross the Atlantic more often in the next few years. Ryanair, Europe’s largest budget airline, says it is developing a plan for transatlantic service between Europe and North America for as little as US$15 each way! The Ireland-based budget airline plans […]
If you are not a Briton, you may not be familiar with Runnymede, England. But on June 15 this year, the eyes of the world will be on the small town as the United Kingdom marks the 800th anniversary of the signing of the Magna Carta at Runnymede […]
Spend some time with me on my layover as I explore Zürich in 24 hours.
For the first time in 15 years, I return to a city I called home. Join me as I explore one of the world’s greatest cities: London! I’ll show you some of the main highlights if you only have two to three days.
Watch a brand new episode of Latitudes. Come along as I explore southwest #Norway.
Saturday, September 7 – You may not know the Preikestolen and Kjeragbolten by name, but if you have ever seen a tourist brochure for Norway, you will immediately recognize these stunning natural wonders. Today we would be traveling by two of the most photographed overlooks in Scandinavia. This […]
Thursday, September 5 – What can be better than killing two birds with one stone? How about hiking to two glaciers in one day! That’s exactly what I would be doing today near Olden, Norway. The Crown Princess arrived in Olden around 7 a.m. Olden is a very […]
Wednesday, September 4 – How many times in life do you wake up to the sights and sounds of enormous waterfalls tumbling off monumental fjord walls? That’s how I woke up this morning when I opened the door to my balcony on the Crown Princess and stared in […]
Tuesday, September 3 – Despite the incredibly popular Disney movie it inspired, there is so much more to Norway than “Frozen.” Tourism from the U.S. to Norway may have jumped 37 percent after the movie was released this year, but the appeal of this Nordic kingdom remains timeless. […]
Sunday, September 1 – Today I would be leaving for Norway, one of the most beautiful countries in the world. I would be cruising to Scandinavia from Southampton, the largest city in Hampshire on the south coast of England. The cruise would last nine days and eight nights […]
Saturday, August 31 – Do you fancy yourself a student of democracy and history? If so, no visit to London is complete without a visit to Parliament, Westminster Abbey and Buckingham Palace. But did you know you can see them all in one day? When I previously lived in […]
Friday – August 30 – For the first time since I lived in London during my university years, I reunited with this city that I love. It reminded me of a famous quote by the English author, Samuel Johnson: “when a man is tired of London, he is […]
Luxury watches, fine chocolate, meandering street trams, distant Alps and a majestic blue lake – these were the images I associated with Zürich. A visit to Switzerland’s largest city will confirm these images and impress you with even more. I have visited Europe a number of times, but […]
Watch another episode of Latitudes as we journey to Greece and Turkey. We sail on the msy Wind Surf to the Greek and Turkish isles of the Aegean.
Sunday – October 16, 2011 – Unfortunately, I didn’t have a lot of vacation this year. Therefore, today I had to fly back to the U.S. while Mom, Dad and Jeff would continue their Turkish travels to Cappodoccia and back to Greece. I was definitely jealous, but I […]
Saturday – October 15, 2011 – After a full day and a half of sailing, this morning we arrived in one of the world’s greatest cities: Istanbul. We woke up early to watch our arrival in the only city in the world to straddle two continents (Europe and […]
Thursday – October 13, 2011 – After sailing down the Turkish Riviera during the evening from Bodrum, we arrived at 8 a.m. this morning in the Turkish city of Kuşadasi. The weather was beautiful today and sunny. Upon finishing breakfast, Mom, Dad, Jeff and I disembarked the Wind […]
Wednesday – October 12, 2011 – This morning the Wind Surf anchored in Bodrum, Turkey. This was the first time I have ever visited a Muslim country although Turkey is the world’s only secular Islamic country. The separation of Mosque and state was established in the early 1900s […]
Tuesday – October 11, 2011 – Around 8 a.m. this morning, we arrived at the Greek Island of Rodos, or Rhodes. For centuries the island has been at the crossroads of history where western and eastern civilizations collided. I studied about Rhodes in college and was curious to […]
Monday, October 10, 2011 – After a great visit Sunday to Mykonos and Delos, we cruised south on the ms Wind Surf to where the Aegean almost meets the Mediterranean. We went upstairs for breakfast as our ship approached one of the most beautiful islands in the world: Santorini. […]
Sunday, October 9, 2011 – After my first night ever sleeping on a cruise ship, I woke up very relaxed. This morning I woke up for the first time in the Greek Islands. We anchored offshore the classic Greek isle of Mykonos around 8 a.m. Jeff and I […]
Saturday – October 1, 2011 – Today was my first full day in Greece, a country I have always wanted to visit. I couldn’t wait to see what the beautiful ancient city of Athens had to offer. After getting up this morning, Dad was nice enough to bring Jeff and me […]
Friday – September 30, 2011 – After leaving Atlanta last night, I slept during most of my Air France flight before waking up over the English Channel Islands of Guernsey and Jersey outside my window. I enjoyed a delicious breakfast of eggs, ham and baguettes – this was Air […]
Thursday – September 29, 2011 – Sun-drenched beaches, blue Aegean water, Greek ruins and exotic Istanbul. Those were the dreams that I have always longed to see in southeastern Europe. Today was the day I would have these dreams come true as I headed out on the trip […]
Monday, July 31 – Unfortunately, today was my last day in Spain. I had to arise early, so I tried to be quiet as possible and not wake my brother up since he would leave out of Madrid the next day. Eventually he woke up and I gave […]
Sunday, July 30 – The next morning we ate our free breakfast of jamon, croissants, queso and orange juice before heading into the train station. We decided to take a day trip outside Barcelona to see some spectacular scenery in the mountains around Catalunya. A Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat […]
Saturday, July 29 – This next morning we awoke to the sounds of handsaws and hammers, but we slept okay. We ate our free breakfast before grabbing our bags and checking out. We had already booked our other hotel for the next two nights We left our bags […]
Friday, July 28 – This morning we arrived by overnight train in Barcelona Sants station around 9:05 a.m. from San Sebastian. We left our luggage at the train station before beginning a walk around the city. First, we needed to find a hotel. After striking out at several […]
Thursday, July 27 – Today we were going to set out on a tour of San Sebastian, the cultural capital of the Basque Country. We ate our free breakfast and the walked to the Playa de la Concha (Kontxa Hondartza) – one of the most famous city beaches […]
Wednesday, July 26 – Today we would be leaving to experience another ethnically distinct autonomous region of Spain: Euskadi in Basque or Pais Vasco in Spanish – the Basque country. This morning, we took an ALSA (Interurbana de Autocares S.A.) bus leaving at 8 a.m. for the Basque […]
Tuesday, July 25 – This morning we walked to San Cristóbal Station and took the train to Santiago de Compostela. The train covered the 45 miles in about 40 minutes. Santiago is the capital of Galicia, which is an autonomous region of Spain. Santiago means Saint James in the Gallego […]
Monday, July 24 – You know that famous line “the rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain” from the musical, My Fair Lady? I learned today that it’s all a lie. In fact, the most rain in Spain falls directly on its head. That’s because it rains […]
Sunday, July 23 – After leaving Philadelphia last night, I woke up on my USAir flight this morning over Portugal and admired the plains of Castilla Leon before touching down at Barajas International Airport. What a joy to be back in Spain! Back during my first trip to […]
Saturday, July 22 – After my first year of being “out in the real world,” I had earned time for my first paid vacation. I longed to travel overseas some more since I worked in the international department at my company in Atlanta, so I decided to meet […]
For four months, I studied abroad in London, England. These notes are select entries from my experiences in the United Kingdom and Western Europe from that time. Wednesday, December 9 – I woke up for my final day in London around 6:50 a.m. I finished packing my gear, […]
For four months, I studied abroad in London, England. These notes are select entries from my experiences in the United Kingdom and Western Europe from that time. Tuesday, December 8 – Today marks my last full day in Europe after living here since August. It also marks the […]
For four months, I studied abroad in London, England. These notes are select entries from my experiences in the United Kingdom and Western Europe from that time. Monday, December 7 – I woke up around 6 a.m. and went to the bathroom in my railcar to brush my […]
For four months, I studied abroad in London, England. These notes are select entries from my experiences in the United Kingdom and Western Europe from that time. Sunday, December 6 – I woke up around 6 a.m. for a big day ahead. I have learned some Norwegian words […]
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