It was several years ago when I first began reading about the Balkans. I immediately became a Balkans junkie, dreaming of sailing Croatia’s islands, hiking Slovenia’s Julian Alps, partying on Belgrade’s river barges. But the place that captured my imagination the most was a little island off the coast of Montenegro called Sveti Stefan. Look […]
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If ever I had to banished to a small town for the rest of my life, never going beyond the city walls, there would be no better place than Kotor, Montenegro. I fell in love hard and fast with this beautiful little town. Kotor is brimming with things that I love: interesting architecture, an incredible
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Ah, Montenegro. I knew I’d love it. I knew it would be beautiful. But I had no idea that it would have the kind of beauty to knock me off my feet and render me speechless! The scenery in Montenegro was tantalizing: the Bay of Kotor from every direction, storybook-perfect walled towns, mystical islands, a
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“What’s the secret, Max? You seem to have it figured out.” “I guess you’ve just gotta find something you love to do and then do it for the rest of your life. For me, it’s going to Rushmore.” –Rushmore I often get asked what the secret is. So today, on my 28th birthday (the sexiest birthday!),
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When I got invited to join a food tour through New York’s Little Italy and Chinatown, I was excited — but a bit skeptical. Isn’t Little Italy a giant tourist trap? I thought. Meanwhile, if you’re looking for authenticity, shouldn’t you leave Manhattan altogether and head to the Bronx and Flushing? I was wrong. Little
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After seeing the remnants of war all over Sarajevo, I thought I had seen my fill of Bosnian devastation. Little did I know that Mostar — beautiful, tiny, freshly rebuilt Mostar — would be even worse. This post was published in 2012, based on a June 2012 visit. Shortly after arriving at Hostel Nina, our
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I’m in a midtown nail salon, watching as my toenails are layered in iridescent fuchsia. It’s been a while — since leaving Southeast Asia, I can’t justify paying more than $5 for a mani-pedi. And it shows. For most girls, a pedicure is just for decoration; for me, this time it was more like reconstrutive surgery.
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The Faroe Islands are famous for their exquisite beauty and isolation. Yet of all the islands and villages and regions, one place stands out as the most unspoiled, most unique, and perhaps even the most beautiful. That place is a little island called Mykines. Mykines (pronounced MEE-chin-ness) is the westernmost point in the Faroe Islands,
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How do you go on after living through hell? This was the question I asked myself again and again as we toured Sarajevo, Bosnia’s capital and a city synonymous with destruction during the 1990s. Constant bombings; lack of food, water and electricity; and being surrounded by Serbian forces led to a violent isolation. Before arriving,
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It’s not very often that I get to experience the best restaurant in a country — but in the Faroe Islands, I got to do just that. KOKS is the restaurant at the excellent Hotel Foroyar, famous for hosting Bill Clinton a few years ago. (It’s also not very often that I get to stay
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