If summer has a perfect sweet spot, it can be found in Finland. Forget the gray, rainy, temperamental weather of London, Paris, Limerick, and Cologne, the days that could easily have appeared during any other month of the year. Forget the sweltering days of Dubrovnik and Ljubljana, where going outside was akin to hurling yourself into a […]
Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival: Sweet Notes in a Warm Finnish Summer Read More »
“Rauma? Why are you going there?” Again and again, Finns asked me this question. Rauma is a nice place, surely, but would you go out of your way to go there? “Two World Heritage Sites,” I’d reply with a smile. Rauma’s old town is famous for being the largest wooden old town in the Nordic
A Magical Journey Through Rauma, Finland Read More »
There’s a place in Croatia that I love even more than the old city of Dubrovnik, the saltwater lakes of Mljet, the architecture of Korčula, the colors of Rovinj, the beaches of Pučišća, and the waterfalls at Krka. My favorite place in Croatia is Zadar, a small city on the Dalmatian coast. I first visited this
A Place Like Zadar, Croatia Read More »
After spending a few days in Ljubljana for the fantastic Ana Desetnica festival, it was time to hit the road! I knew I wanted to see more of the country, so I planned to spend four days road-tripping through Slovenia with my friend Peter, the blogger behind Travel Unmasked. Now, if you’ve been on a
A Road Trip Through Slovenia Read More »
I’m spending this summer visiting quirky and unusual festivals throughout Europe. My first festival trip took me to Ireland and Limerick, City of Culture. My second took me to a very different destination and a country I had yearned to visit for years: Slovenia. Allow me to introduce you to Ana Desetnica, the street theatre festival
Ana Desetnica: Ljubljana’s Incredible Street Theatre Celebration Read More »
If you love waterfalls, Croatia is a fantastic country to visit. Thanks to a jagged coastline and mountains flush with rivers, waterfalls thrive in this beautiful nation. Plitvice Lakes National Park in particular is world-famous for its waterfalls (in fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if 25% of the waterfall photos on Pinterest were from Plitvice alone!),
The Waterfalls of Krka National Park, Croatia Read More »
Every afternoon, without fail, I crave a cup of coffee. Not for the caffeine jolt, though. Coffee is how I punctuate my day. I use it as an excuse to stop what I’m doing and reflect as I enjoy the pleasure of sipping a latte in solitude. It’s become so important to my day that I get antsy
Meet My Favorite Cafe in London: Lavish Habit Read More »
When you think of capital cities, what comes to mind? Embassies. Bureaucrats. People in suits. Endless meetings. People so protective of their government-oriented careers that they wouldn’t dare rat out an enemy — well, unless they were Frank Underwood. Forget money. Power is the primary currency here. That may be the case in Washington or London or Singapore or Brasilia…but
Vintage Valletta: The Least Capital-Like Capital Read More »
A survival guide? For Dubrovnik?! Is that even necessary? I’m totally serious. Dubrovnik is a fantastic place to visit — a walled, orange-roofed old city perched above the Adriatic, islands in the background. George Bernard Shaw once said, “If you want to see heaven on Earth, come to Dubrovnik” — and believe me, he was a very well
Dubrovnik Survival Guide Read More »
Two years ago, I visited Croatia for the first time. I spent two weeks in the country in total, the first week on a road trip from Pula to Split, and I was blown away — first by how madly I fell in love with Croatia, and second, by how it had been the easiest road
Don’t Let Croatia Slip Through Your Fingers Read More »