April 2024

Wonder of the Western World

We took the one hour flight from Stockholm to Helsinki - traveling a tad north but mostly east, to not only a new time zone (Eastern European Time) but also to a new country for us. One of the two Nordic countries we had yet to visit, as Iceland was still looming out there, te...

Kicked off the morning with a repeat visit to Queen Victoria Market for breakfast from Bratwurst Shop, and checked out the various food and produce stalls housed within.

On one morning in early September, Mom and I hopped in the car and headed for the border with Canada. It is, as I knew, surprisingly close to home. Other than a brief look at Montreal a few decades back, French Canada, but specifically Québec City, would largely be a new exper...

I have a massive backlog of writing to get through. Instead of holding back to post the pictures, I'll update this story as a blog post. It may not make sense at first, but I trust the process. We spent two full weeks whizzing around Japan in bullet trains - from Tokyo, to Kyo...

Day 1: Arrive in Picton from the North Island Ferry. Pick up the car rental and head to Kaikōura for a late lunch. Finish the day in Christchurch and sleep at AirBnB.Day 2: Depart from Christchurch and head to Lake Takapō for a hiker-style lunch and coffee followed by day hike...

I stare at a tea vendor's steel kettle, waiting for it to boil. ""I trust you!" she yelled at me earlier that morning as I promised that I'd stop by her tent on my way back down from the Monastery, Petra's furthest point. I welcome the shade; even though it's not 11 am yet, I'...