It was terrible weather the whole day my husband and I were in Húsavik, but this was the part of our Iceland trip I’d been looking forward to the most: whale-watching. Husavik is a small town on the north coast of Iceland that depends on fishing and, more recently, tourism, particularly whale-watching. It has a…
Reykjadalur hot spring thermal river, Iceland
When I read about Reykjadalur hot spring thermal river, I put it in my “must-see” list for our trip to Iceland in July. The idea that a river could flow with hot water was too oddly enticing to pass up. Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links. If you click on one and spend money, I…
Skogar, Iceland, and what to see there
When my husband, Albert, and I stopped at Skogar, Iceland, we only intended to see one thing: Skogafoss waterfall. Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links. If you book accommodations through one of them, I will receive a small commission. This will not affect your price. Skogafoss waterfall This is one of the most popular waterfalls…
Things to do in Heimaey island, Vestmannaeyjar, Iceland
Puffins. That’s why we decided to visit Heimaey island in the Westman Islands, Iceland. Heimaey is home to one of the largest puffin colonies in the world. We had to see that. It turned out, though, that there were other things to see and do in Heimaey as well. Heimaey Island is part of Vestmannaeyjar,…
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…