Vienna was not on my original itinerary for The Great European Adventure, but when I told people that I was visiting Prague and Budapest, a number of friends replied, “and you’re not going to Vienna?!” Prague, Vienna, and Budapest seem to be the quintessential trio of central European travel destinations, and who am I to argue with quintessential trios? Well, I’m so glad I added Vienna to my trip because I love art museums, and Vienna is full of them! When I visited, I went to 4 art museums in 3 days. 1. The Belvedere Palaces: Most importantly, I wanted to see that masterful Austrian painter whose works appeared so…
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Tea Tuesday: Fresh Ginger Tea
Tonight’s Tea Tuesday post was going to be about a chai concentrate E and I concocted. But that post will have to wait for another day because the mixture we made includes 8 bags of black tea, it’s 10:30 at night, and that’s a lot of caffeine before bed. Rather than leave you with no Tea Tuesday post, I’m sharing a cuppa that’s a bit more appropriate for this time of night. This unappetizing-looking beverage is fresh ginger tea. And it’s delicious, so back off. I’ve been feeling anxious (lots of work to finish before I leave for my road trip on Friday), and I’ve had a stomachache for most…
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Weekly Travel Inspiration: Adventures in Travel Vlogging!
This week, I am proud to bring you your weekly travel inspiration in video form! Press play to hear about whales and the two months I spent living and working at an organic farm on Maui. Joyful discussion of humpback whales by me, filming by my boyfriend, E, editing was a joint effort. I hope this will be the first of many travel vlogs and videos to come. Let me know in the comments what you think.
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Upcoming (Mis)Adventures!
Remember my first blog post? Well this is my 100th! What?! I know, I’m excited, too. You know what else I’m excited about? My travel plans for the month of May! After six weeks spent crisscrossing New England (Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Vermont), I’m heading a bit farther afield by going on a… Road Trip! On May 10th, I’m heading down to DC to meet up with two of my best friends from college and begin a week-long road trip to Miami! Places we intend to stop along the way (but which are subject to change and subject to your input, fair reader) include: Williamsburg, VA Virginia Beach,…
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Tea Tuesday: German Chamomile
See this plant? This is German Chamomile growing in the tea garden at Hana Farms, the organic farm I worked at in Hawai’i. This sad scraggly thing is also German Chamomile: This particular specimen is looking pathetic because I transplanted it to the garden bed in front of my cabin, and, at the time this photo was taken, it was still adjusting to its new home. The farm manager told me that when you transplant something, it helps to pick off any flowers so that the plant will focus on growing stronger roots instead of wasting energy on keeping its flowers from wilting. So, when I saw my German Chamomile…
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Prague: Last Look
In this photo, taken in Prague’s Jewish Quarter, you can see a portion of the Old Jewish Cemetery, which is home to approximately 12,000 tombstones and was in use between the early 15th century and 1787. You can visit the cemetery along with five preserved synagogues (notably Pinkas Synagogue) and historical buildings, which together make up the Jewish Museum in Prague. This Museum was founded by Dr. Hugo Lieben and Dr. Augustin Stein in 1906, but was closed to the public after the Nazi Occupation began in 1939. Dr. Stein hoped to preserve Jewish artifacts that were being confiscated and destroyed by the Nazis all over Central Europe, and, along…
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Weekly Travel Linkspiration: language learning tips, “off the beaten path” travel, and small backpacks
Here’s what you may have missed around the internet this month. terribleminds shares 25 Things Writers Should Know About Traveling, and makes me want to forget all about blogging in favor of writing fiction influenced by my travels. (Don’t worry, I’m going to keep blogging… I might start writing fiction on the side, though.) You know how my sidebar bio says, “I wish I were a polyglot,” well, Almost Fearless suggests we stop thinking about studying new languages as an obligation, and start doing things we love in the language we’re learning. She’s learning Spanish by reading magazines about cooking and celebrity gossip. Katie Aune says that common stereotypes about…
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The Hana Highway and Hana Town: A Pseudo-Local Perspective
I lived in Hana, Hawai’i for two months while working on an organic farm, and, as such, I have some insights into what life is like there. I want to share my pseudo-local perspective with anyone considering a visit or a more extended stay like mine. These are the insider tips you learn from living in a place, and knowing people who have lived there longer, but they are not the lifetime of understanding that comes from being born and raised in a place. Hence “pseudo-local.” I’ve mentioned the Hana Highway twice before (here and here), but I’m dedicating a post to it now because it’s one of the main…
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Prague via Instagram
In my post Prague: First Impressions, I mentioned that it is a beautiful city. While I was there, I even tweeted (wryly) about how lovely it was, and I sent a postcard to E that began, “Prague is like a fairytale.” When I looked at the photos I took in Prague, though, I was disappointed. They didn’t reflect the city’s atmosphere, the stunning architecture looked like any other collection of buildings, the colors were drab… I suppose it was cloudy for most of my visit. Hell, there was a freak snow storm while I was there! Enter instagram — the easiest way to edit and manipulate photos. For everyone who…
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Tea Tuesday: Does tea get better with age?
Does tea, like a fine wine, or a delicious cheese get better with age? This Tea Tuesday, E found a plastic bag full of well-aged tea bags in his parent’s kitchen cabinet, and we decided to find out. So, how did my 23-year-old cup of tea taste? Like a piece of history! (Actually, it started out sort of artificial, but, after steeping a while longer, had a strong sweet flavor with a hint of sour blackberry. I guess it takes longer for old herbs to steep?)
