July 30 - August 20, 2009
An incredible, unbelievable adventure through the Cyclades.
Santorini. Only the start of Vespas! An archipelago of volcanic islands. Black sand beaches in Perissa. Burning my feet on small pebbles trying to reach the water. Sharing the small passageways in Fira with donkeys. Discovering the heightened colors of Ia. Mud baths for the skin. Tasting local wine at the vineyards. An introduction to a culture I've often wondered most about.
Milos. They say Milos is for lovers. But they also say all couples visiting Milos end shortly after. Sailing around the island on a pristine, beautiful catamaran. Discovering the untouched coves of the island. Snorkeling around rusted ships just beyond the smooth white rock formations. Taking in the spectrum of creatures living under the Aegean. Having faith. Enjoying Greek mass with typical, black-clothed women. Sharing ouzo afterwards. Overlooking the harbor lights.
Naxos. A meeting place of unforeseen, genuine friendship. A sandy beach only a step from the balcony. Wind and kite surfers' paradise. Rock climbing for a better photo op. Fresh caught octupi on strings outside restaurants. Greek wine beginnings followed by dancing to all the Greek hits. Discovery of THE unique, metal working artist.
Amorgos. Lengthy ferry adventure full of French campers anticipating the site of The Big Blue. Arriving into Katapola. Watching the best sunset and scenery on the ride to Aigiali, the smaller port. Seven males in a house with the best sunset-watching balcony in Greece was our home. Watching the meteor shower on the beach. Touring the tiny monastery overlooking the breathtaking cove, Agia Anna. Located just around the bend from tiny, charming Chora. Taking the path to a more secluded, rocky cove. Swimming in the crisp, clear water. Becoming family with the ones you only just met. The end of the Raki bottle went into my glass. Meaning I will have a great marriage. The whole restaurant cheered! Celebrating into the night, into the morning, until my ferry left. The island stole my heart.
Tinos. The winds picked up. Not a fun ferry ride. Walking without being blown over was difficult. Riding on the back of a vespa was the best solution. Finding the best fig trees for picking the ripened fruit. Women on their knees crawling 800 meters to the Panagia Evangelistria at the top of the hill. Virgin Mary. Marble artists flock to the island. Their works grasping everyone's eyes. Sharing my final night with Greek loves.
You can’t count on your ferry to arrive on time. Or even come at all. You can’t count on quick service. You can't count on the internet. Or phones. But you can find the freshest seafood. Cheese. Tomatoes. Peaches. Nectarines. Watermelon. Figs. The nicest, most generous people EVER. Endless flow of Raki and Ouzo. Continuous, incredible hospitality. Lax minds and lifestyle. Refreshing, salty water. Remarkable sunsets. And sunrises. The best scooter adventures. Unparalleled architecture. Discovery of the undiscovered. Faith. And love.
13 September 2009
Switzerland
July 14-20, 2009
Bern. Hometown to my cousins, Pascal & Philip. Growing up across the world but relatable in every way. Strolling along stone streets through the capital passing clock towers, churches and numerous statues. Catching up on life. Climbing to the hillside rose garden to overlook neutrality. Relaxing at the local 'beach' while sharing stories of the past years. Raclette with pickled onions! Watching local Swiss to big name bands at the Gurtenfestival. Starting as a beautiful, warm day turned to cold, pouring rainstorm. Standing underneath covered tents listening to the combination of rain and live music. Unreal. Fresh pastries from the bakery just as it opens.
Luzern. My cousin, Jill's home. A clear, magnificent sight to Mount Pilatus. Sipping on the locally brewed beer of the small town with the best of company. Looking out on the beauty from the wall of watch towers. Reading Rousseau in his home country. Made me smile. Crossing the bridges over the Reuss river. A home cooked Swiss meal ending with freshly picked blueberries with cold milk and sugar.
A drive through this country's many cantons will make you gasp at the environmental wonders our world holds. The high alps sprinkled with snow, the flat fields filled with vegetation, crisp, vast lakes and giant glaciers. All create endless picturesque views. Bicyclists are intermittently dispersed along the road every rally racer and car aficionado dream to drive on. Watching the old steam train climb the steep pass. Crossing over open bridges trying to conquer my cousin’s fears. Enjoying meringue! Watching the endless number of parasailers jump from the high peaks. Precisely choosing from the best chocolate.
Bern. Hometown to my cousins, Pascal & Philip. Growing up across the world but relatable in every way. Strolling along stone streets through the capital passing clock towers, churches and numerous statues. Catching up on life. Climbing to the hillside rose garden to overlook neutrality. Relaxing at the local 'beach' while sharing stories of the past years. Raclette with pickled onions! Watching local Swiss to big name bands at the Gurtenfestival. Starting as a beautiful, warm day turned to cold, pouring rainstorm. Standing underneath covered tents listening to the combination of rain and live music. Unreal. Fresh pastries from the bakery just as it opens.
Luzern. My cousin, Jill's home. A clear, magnificent sight to Mount Pilatus. Sipping on the locally brewed beer of the small town with the best of company. Looking out on the beauty from the wall of watch towers. Reading Rousseau in his home country. Made me smile. Crossing the bridges over the Reuss river. A home cooked Swiss meal ending with freshly picked blueberries with cold milk and sugar.
A drive through this country's many cantons will make you gasp at the environmental wonders our world holds. The high alps sprinkled with snow, the flat fields filled with vegetation, crisp, vast lakes and giant glaciers. All create endless picturesque views. Bicyclists are intermittently dispersed along the road every rally racer and car aficionado dream to drive on. Watching the old steam train climb the steep pass. Crossing over open bridges trying to conquer my cousin’s fears. Enjoying meringue! Watching the endless number of parasailers jump from the high peaks. Precisely choosing from the best chocolate.
Paris
July 11-14, 2009
Along with the Notre Dame and Sacre Couer is a desolate, yet welcoming park bench in a rose garden perfect for enjoying a novel. Or quaint French cafe to sip espresso and taste delicate pastries. Noticing the big intertwined with the small is what makes a city beautiful. Admiring the well thought out, dreamy fashion boutiques. Or just the people within the city. To untangle the crowd of a city into straight lines of beauty.
Seeing the historical sites. Appreciating the art of each time period. Whether you prefer it or not. From the art inside the Louvre. Or in the park outside. Or even the Louvre itself. Slight rain turns to thunder. The sun vanishes yet the city’s light is almost better seen. Everywhere you turn is another huge monument built many years in the past. Sight of the massive Arc de Triomphe, busy Champ Elysees and distinguished Eiffel Tower from my balcony. A true gift.
Experiencing Bastille Day. Watching the parade. Streets lined with artillery. Uniformed military representing their country. Some say a symbol of the modern nation. Flights overhead of numerous jets, planes and helicopters, different sizes and formations. Red, white and blue. It made up for missing the fourth in the USA. Fireworks!
Along with the Notre Dame and Sacre Couer is a desolate, yet welcoming park bench in a rose garden perfect for enjoying a novel. Or quaint French cafe to sip espresso and taste delicate pastries. Noticing the big intertwined with the small is what makes a city beautiful. Admiring the well thought out, dreamy fashion boutiques. Or just the people within the city. To untangle the crowd of a city into straight lines of beauty. Seeing the historical sites. Appreciating the art of each time period. Whether you prefer it or not. From the art inside the Louvre. Or in the park outside. Or even the Louvre itself. Slight rain turns to thunder. The sun vanishes yet the city’s light is almost better seen. Everywhere you turn is another huge monument built many years in the past. Sight of the massive Arc de Triomphe, busy Champ Elysees and distinguished Eiffel Tower from my balcony. A true gift.
Experiencing Bastille Day. Watching the parade. Streets lined with artillery. Uniformed military representing their country. Some say a symbol of the modern nation. Flights overhead of numerous jets, planes and helicopters, different sizes and formations. Red, white and blue. It made up for missing the fourth in the USA. Fireworks!
11 July 2009
the Netherlands slash Holland
July 8-11, 2009
Eindhoven. Small, neat and clean airport. Futuristic looking city buses. That was my entire experience. Fortunately or unfortunately, I can’t say.
Amsterdam. Bicycles. Bicycles. Bicycles. If you’re not on one, you’re cautious of being hit by one. ‘Coffeeshops’ are filled with youngsters. Cafes and pubs are filled with young professionals and hipsters.
Stroll through Vondelpark. A Bohemian’s paradise. Cruise on the canals. Or walk alongside them. Shop for vintage treasures amongst the long stalls of the many markets. Smell the fresh flowers and purchase next season’s tulip bulbs in the Bloemenmarkt. See Van Gogh’s brilliance at the museum. Admire the innovative architecture of the city. Discovering the beauty in this capital is easily possible.
Finding the hidden gems takes the help of a local eye and mind. A veteran, wooden-clog craftsman’s workshop. Canal boat graveyard turned independent art exhibit. Picnic atop the Rijksmuseum roof. Great fashion designer windows next to the ladies 'offices' in the Red Light DIstrict. Chess tips from one of the homeless, barely standing players. Bicycle street races in the Oud Zuid neighborhood. Authentic Italian cuisine in a packed basement pizza parlor. Destructed homes from the new underground being built.
Eindhoven. Small, neat and clean airport. Futuristic looking city buses. That was my entire experience. Fortunately or unfortunately, I can’t say.
Amsterdam. Bicycles. Bicycles. Bicycles. If you’re not on one, you’re cautious of being hit by one. ‘Coffeeshops’ are filled with youngsters. Cafes and pubs are filled with young professionals and hipsters. Stroll through Vondelpark. A Bohemian’s paradise. Cruise on the canals. Or walk alongside them. Shop for vintage treasures amongst the long stalls of the many markets. Smell the fresh flowers and purchase next season’s tulip bulbs in the Bloemenmarkt. See Van Gogh’s brilliance at the museum. Admire the innovative architecture of the city. Discovering the beauty in this capital is easily possible.
Finding the hidden gems takes the help of a local eye and mind. A veteran, wooden-clog craftsman’s workshop. Canal boat graveyard turned independent art exhibit. Picnic atop the Rijksmuseum roof. Great fashion designer windows next to the ladies 'offices' in the Red Light DIstrict. Chess tips from one of the homeless, barely standing players. Bicycle street races in the Oud Zuid neighborhood. Authentic Italian cuisine in a packed basement pizza parlor. Destructed homes from the new underground being built.
Belgium
July 3-8, 2009
A country known for an extensive list of local brews, delicious waffles and exquisite chocolates. Sipped walls of beers, light and dark included. Ate sugary waffles, street vendor and fancy restaurant included. Tasted the delicate chocolates, sweet and bitter included. Belgium is KNOWN for them for good reason. Trust me.
Antwerp. A 'metropolitan' city with a small town feel. The location for my cousin’s vinyl and CD store, Recycled Records. Buy music if you’re in town. Small plug. Family love. Pubs outnumber any other store type. One bar with five hundred and fifty different bottled beers line the wall. All my favorites on tap. All smiles.
Gent. An old-world village my cousin calls home. Two churches and a bell tower make up the historic center. Canals run through the cobblestone streets lined with ancient homes. Small, adorable boutiques with fantastic, specialized goods on display can be found in the tiny side streets. Cuberdon. A traditional sweet, purple fruity candy in the shape of ‘Gent’ noses. You can only by in €4 quantities. An artistic alleyway, legal for graffiti, exemplifies the talent of colorful paint in a can.
Bruges. A romantic getaway for two. Or one in my case. Every other door is the entry to the best Belgian chocolates. A massive array of every person’s specific preferences. Walk on the pathway surrounded by green grass and large trees, cross over a few canals, walk the One main street, shop the large square market and you've seen it all. Take the side streets and discover a little more. A grammar school choir and orchestra concert heightened by the acoustic sounds of the vaulted ceiling cathedral. Four course fresh seafood lunch at a family run, the same family since 1805, restaurant on a canal.
A country known for an extensive list of local brews, delicious waffles and exquisite chocolates. Sipped walls of beers, light and dark included. Ate sugary waffles, street vendor and fancy restaurant included. Tasted the delicate chocolates, sweet and bitter included. Belgium is KNOWN for them for good reason. Trust me.Antwerp. A 'metropolitan' city with a small town feel. The location for my cousin’s vinyl and CD store, Recycled Records. Buy music if you’re in town. Small plug. Family love. Pubs outnumber any other store type. One bar with five hundred and fifty different bottled beers line the wall. All my favorites on tap. All smiles.
Gent. An old-world village my cousin calls home. Two churches and a bell tower make up the historic center. Canals run through the cobblestone streets lined with ancient homes. Small, adorable boutiques with fantastic, specialized goods on display can be found in the tiny side streets. Cuberdon. A traditional sweet, purple fruity candy in the shape of ‘Gent’ noses. You can only by in €4 quantities. An artistic alleyway, legal for graffiti, exemplifies the talent of colorful paint in a can. 
Bruges. A romantic getaway for two. Or one in my case. Every other door is the entry to the best Belgian chocolates. A massive array of every person’s specific preferences. Walk on the pathway surrounded by green grass and large trees, cross over a few canals, walk the One main street, shop the large square market and you've seen it all. Take the side streets and discover a little more. A grammar school choir and orchestra concert heightened by the acoustic sounds of the vaulted ceiling cathedral. Four course fresh seafood lunch at a family run, the same family since 1805, restaurant on a canal.
Hungary
June 29 - July 3, 2009
Combine the hilly, green right bank of Buda with the metropolitan, bustling left bank of Pest and voilà, Budapest. The boardwalk along the Danube. Some days it exists, other days it doesn't. On the Buda side, the Castle district and Gellert Hill stand. Holding the impressive Matthias Church, originally built in 1015, under construction now. Fisherman's bastion providing shade for the starving musicians. Citadella park for the locals to picnic. All overlook the Pest side.
The Parliament. A giant building seen from most of the ten, soon to eleven, bridges in Budapest. Walk Andrássy Avenue and find the luxury shops, the outstanding Opera House and the best local, cheap Gulyás, often mispronounced goulash and Fozelék, thick vegetable stew, joint in town. Visit the ever-changing, soon to be all modern, Jewish quarter and find the Great Synagogue. Largest in Eurasia. Second largest in the world.
Széchenyi Medicinal Bath. Largest bath in Europe. A typical day in the Turkish baths. Different degree saunas, steam rooms and mineral baths. The local pros wearing small cloths and swim caps. I played a game of chess while submerged in the outdoor, perfectly tempered pool. Our languages differed, but our facial expressions, chess moves and hand gestures were enough. The intimidating eye of a seventy and some odd year old, Hungarian man was perfection.
Markets. Központi Vásárcsarnok, my favorite, for the building and the goods. A large three story market. All the local cuisine brought in for the chefs and women to choose. Some stands with a long queue. Others with no customers. Easily telling what is best. PAPRIKA! They put it in everything. Gyümölcs leves, cold fruit soup, often sour cherry. I surprisingly enjoyed this. Túró Rudi, a chocolate coated cheese candy only found in Hungary. I surprisingly didn't like this. Somlói Galuska, spongy cake, with rum and chocolate. I loved this. Chefs hate to make it.
And in the night...Abandoned homes and bus stations turned into bars and hangouts coupled with indie, underground Hungarian bands and djs make the nightlife scene unlike any other.
Combine the hilly, green right bank of Buda with the metropolitan, bustling left bank of Pest and voilà, Budapest. The boardwalk along the Danube. Some days it exists, other days it doesn't. On the Buda side, the Castle district and Gellert Hill stand. Holding the impressive Matthias Church, originally built in 1015, under construction now. Fisherman's bastion providing shade for the starving musicians. Citadella park for the locals to picnic. All overlook the Pest side. 
The Parliament. A giant building seen from most of the ten, soon to eleven, bridges in Budapest. Walk Andrássy Avenue and find the luxury shops, the outstanding Opera House and the best local, cheap Gulyás, often mispronounced goulash and Fozelék, thick vegetable stew, joint in town. Visit the ever-changing, soon to be all modern, Jewish quarter and find the Great Synagogue. Largest in Eurasia. Second largest in the world. 
Széchenyi Medicinal Bath. Largest bath in Europe. A typical day in the Turkish baths. Different degree saunas, steam rooms and mineral baths. The local pros wearing small cloths and swim caps. I played a game of chess while submerged in the outdoor, perfectly tempered pool. Our languages differed, but our facial expressions, chess moves and hand gestures were enough. The intimidating eye of a seventy and some odd year old, Hungarian man was perfection. 
Markets. Központi Vásárcsarnok, my favorite, for the building and the goods. A large three story market. All the local cuisine brought in for the chefs and women to choose. Some stands with a long queue. Others with no customers. Easily telling what is best. PAPRIKA! They put it in everything. Gyümölcs leves, cold fruit soup, often sour cherry. I surprisingly enjoyed this. Túró Rudi, a chocolate coated cheese candy only found in Hungary. I surprisingly didn't like this. Somlói Galuska, spongy cake, with rum and chocolate. I loved this. Chefs hate to make it. And in the night...Abandoned homes and bus stations turned into bars and hangouts coupled with indie, underground Hungarian bands and djs make the nightlife scene unlike any other.
29 June 2009
Poland
June 24-28, 2009
Krakow. Once Poland's capital. A true gem in my book. Young nightlife galore. I preferred Kazimierz, the old Jewish neighborhood. A more artsy, creative crowd. Pure fun, in a dark cellar or terrace dance floor. Beautiful architecture sporatically throughout the city, from the post office to the corner cafe. Alleyways full of original works of art, from the homeless to the known. A grand square with hourly church bells and trumpet playing surrounded by horse-drawn carriages. And golf carts, for the lazy tourists. Wawel hill holds the royal castle and cathedral. A true microcosm for the Polish. Or so they say. Great views of the Vistula river and the bridges crossing it.
I suggest to get lost in the countryside. I did, though not purposely. See the lengthy green fields with yellow-flowered patches. Find the smallest, most elaborate music store. Small towns with locals carrying baskets shopping the fresh markets. Discover a wedding. Everyone from town in attendance. An accidental discovery of true Polish beauty, at its finest.
Wieliczka. Old salt mines lie here. Ancient mining techniques displayed. Old tales hidden in the deep crevices. There are multiple churches built underneath. The grandest cathedral decorated with chandeliers and paintings, all made of salt. You can actually marry there. 135 meters below ground.
Auschwitz. Five years of history all should know, see and learn from. To save one life is as if you have saved the world.
Krakow. Once Poland's capital. A true gem in my book. Young nightlife galore. I preferred Kazimierz, the old Jewish neighborhood. A more artsy, creative crowd. Pure fun, in a dark cellar or terrace dance floor. Beautiful architecture sporatically throughout the city, from the post office to the corner cafe. Alleyways full of original works of art, from the homeless to the known. A grand square with hourly church bells and trumpet playing surrounded by horse-drawn carriages. And golf carts, for the lazy tourists. Wawel hill holds the royal castle and cathedral. A true microcosm for the Polish. Or so they say. Great views of the Vistula river and the bridges crossing it.
I suggest to get lost in the countryside. I did, though not purposely. See the lengthy green fields with yellow-flowered patches. Find the smallest, most elaborate music store. Small towns with locals carrying baskets shopping the fresh markets. Discover a wedding. Everyone from town in attendance. An accidental discovery of true Polish beauty, at its finest.
Wieliczka. Old salt mines lie here. Ancient mining techniques displayed. Old tales hidden in the deep crevices. There are multiple churches built underneath. The grandest cathedral decorated with chandeliers and paintings, all made of salt. You can actually marry there. 135 meters below ground. Auschwitz. Five years of history all should know, see and learn from. To save one life is as if you have saved the world.
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