The Liberation Route Europe: WWII battlefields and more
The Liberation Route Europe, its WWII battlefields and museums: it’s important to stop and acknowledge the world-changing events of WWII.
Blog
The New York Transit Museum in Brooklyn
With its bewilderingly complicated passages, dank smell, bare concrete floors, tangles of pipes and conduits, and the rumbling roar that shakes the ground and then fades, the New York City subway system doesn’t win any prizes for beauty. It’s immense, though, and remarkably fast and efficient, and can take passengers within a few blocks of…
Nuremberg Documentation Center
Click to read about Nuremberg Documentation Center, one of the best museums on World War II in Germany, home of Hitler’s Nazi party rally grounds.
Sustainable air travel: What you can do
Have you ever been offered to buy a carbon offset when you booked a flight? If so, did you buy it? We all know that flying is bad for the environment. According to Our World in Data, aviation produces about 2.5% of all CO2 emissions, a greenhouse gas which contributes to global warming. Making it…
A weekend in Atlanta: Beyond “Gone with the Wind”
If you mention Atlanta to me, I picture Gone with the Wind: stately rows of homes in the city, antebellum mansions in the countryside. Fragile, pale white women wear corsets and bell-shaped skirts. They fan themselves in the sticky heat while they gossip and complain. In the background, enslaved blacks work ungodly hours to help…
Things to do on Marco Island, Florida
Work is exhausting, you need a break, and you have some vacation time coming to you. You decide you want a nice, relaxing beach vacation: nothing to do but lie on a beach lounger with a drink in your hand. After some googling, you hit on a place you’ve never heard of before: Marco Island,…
Free or cheap things to do in Santa Cruz, California
Read this list of free or cheap things to do in Santa Cruz, California, to help you keep to a budget and have a great time!
Heeswijk Castle near Den Bosch
I’ve written about two contrasting castles in the Netherlands before: Muiderslot and Castle de Haar. Muiderslot is the archetypal medieval castle: square with towers in each corner and crenellated walls between them. Castle de Haar, on the other hand, is far more ornate. Meant to look medieval, only more so, it was actually built in…
Falun Copper Mine UNESCO site in Sweden
“It’s a big hole in the ground.” I think “underwhelmed” is a good word for my first impression of the Falun Copper Mine in eastern Sweden. We were on our way south on a road trip from the northernmost part of Norway back home to the Netherlands after our Hurtigruten cruise up the Norwegian coast….
11+ Best things to do in Martinique
Martinique has it all – pristine beaches, secluded bays, scenic hikes, and panoramic views. Here are the 11 best things to do in Martinique! Read about all the best sights to see, hikes and activities on this beautiful Caribbean island!
The Decorated Farmhouses of Hälsingland, Sweden
A collection of farmhouses with unique interiors filled with folk art decorations.
7 Things to do in Thingvellir National Park, Iceland
7 Things to do in Thingvellir National Park (properly: Þingvellir), a UNESCO-listed site with historical & geological significance for Iceland. Home of Iceland’s first parliament and also the place where the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates meet on dry land!
Exploring the Brunei rainforest: Ulu Temburong
The Brunei rainforest in Ulu Temburong National Park was probably one of the most – to use the cliché – off-the-beaten-path places I’ve ever been. Especially when you consider there’s no actual “path” to get there! Brunei, a tiny country on the north coast of Borneo, is surrounded by Malaysia on three sides and the…
How to be respectful when you travel
5 tips for respectful travel: advice on how to interact with local people and communities in a way that respects their culture and traditions.
Free walking tour of Reykjavik by City Walk: A review
A review of the free walking tour of Reykjavik offered by City Walk. Such tours are a great introduction when you first arrive in a new city. walking tour | reykjavik | iceland
Ostia Antica: The Perfect Day Trip from Rome
Ostia Antica was an important ancient port city, supplying goods to Rome. Its extensive ruins are a perfect day trip from Rome.
Troll Expeditions Iceland glacier hike
The Troll Expeditions Iceland glacier hike was, for my husband, a highlight of our trip around Iceland. Read here about his experience, including a first try at climbing an ice wall.
Zwarte Piet (Black Pete) updated
In the five years since I last wrote about Zwarte Piet (Black Pete) things have changed, mostly for the better. Black Pete is disappearing.
3-week Iceland itinerary: the best Iceland road trip!
This comprehensive, extremely detailed 3-week Iceland itinerary is all you need for the best Iceland road trip!
North Beach neighborhood guide: Favorite things to do
This guide to North Beach, San Francisco, is a local’s account of North Beach’s strange history, its charm and amazing Italian food.
Iceland waterfalls that are easy to reach from the ring road
There are so many Iceland waterfalls that you couldn’t possibly see them all. Here are 12 that are easy to reach from the ring road.
Best hot springs in Iceland and how to choose
Iceland has lots of pools and baths that are heated geothermically. Read here about the best hot springs in Iceland and how to choose which one to visit!
Icelandic turf houses: Laufas, Glaumbaer and others
Few Icelandic turf houses still exist, but the few that do give a glimpse of how Icelanders used to live. Read about two special ones here: Laufas and Glaumbaer (and a few others)!
Husavik whale watching with North Sailing
Our Husavik whale watching trip with North Sailing didn’t go quite as I’d hoped. The weather was terrible, but I’d do it again in a heartbeat!
Reykjadalur hot spring thermal river, Iceland
Reykjadalur hot spring thermal river is without a doubt worth the hike. How often do you get a chance to experience a hot river?
Skogar, Iceland, and what to see there
Travelers stop in Skogar, Iceland, to see gorgeous Skogafoss waterfall. But there are other, equally worthwhile things to see in Skogar! Read here about the other, less-known waterfall, and a surprisingly good three-part museum.
Things to do in Heimaey island, Vestmannaeyjar, Iceland
Things to do in Heimaey island, off the southern coast of Iceland: a small place with dramatic scenery and a dramatic history to match.
Aviodrome Lelystad, an aviation museum
For a fearful flyer like me, airplanes hold a certain fascination. It can seem an absolute miracle that something so big and heavy can actually get off the ground. And then, of course, there are flying enthusiasts. Those fortunate people actually enjoy their time aloft, taking pictures out the window or just dropping off to…
What to do in Den Bosch, a.k.a. ’s-Hertogenbosch
Our first bit of travel, as the pandemic seemed to subside here in the Netherlands, was a simple weekend away in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, generally referred to as Den Bosch. It’s only a few hours from home, and I had to be near there for a couple of days to lead a workshop anyway. My husband and…
MOCA New York City (Museum of Chinese in America)
With so much focus on #BlackLivesMatter, it can be illuminating to look at other ethnic groups in the US. I visited MOCA New York City last year, and it’s high time I published my review. I used to teach an American Studies overview course here in the Netherlands. Every year I made sure to point…
The Polar Museum, Tromso, Norway
The picturesque harbor town of Tromso (spelled Tromsø in Norwegian), lies more than 300 kilometers / 200 miles above the Arctic Circle. It has a history of serving as a jumping-off point for varous polar activities like trapping, hunting and fishing, as well as polar exploration. Nowadays, it is home to a fascinating little place…
Kinderdijk or Zaanse Schans?
You’re visiting Holland, so of course, you want to see windmills. While windmills dot the countryside all over the Netherlands, Kinderdijk and Zaanse Schans are two popular places for viewing windmills and seeing inside them. I wrote about a visit to Zaanse Schans a couple of years ago. North of Amsterdam, Zaanse Schans has a…