In Which I Didn’t Plan to Hike

The sun had barely crested the top of Mt Tampa when I walked out of the door of my hotel to begin exploring Braşov. The city was hushed around me, especially in the old part of town where I was staying, and few cars interrupted my reverie. The morning was cold and the gelid air […]

The Patriarch Drives a BMW

I snapped a picture of the church and was surprised when a man approached me – the second person to do so today. The first didn’t speak English, but this one inquired as to whether I had taken a picture of him, and I averred that I hadn’t. I hadn’t knowingly done so anyway – […]

Bucharest Outdoes Florence

I’ve mentioned before that I frequently come across at least one day during a week of travel upon which all the museums are closed. For example – much of Florence seems to be closed on Mondays. Well Bucharest has done them one better – Most things here are closed on Monday and Tuesday. I’m not […]

It’s a Long Way from Detroit to Bucharest

“Hanu Lui Manuc is the oldest operating hotel building in Bucharest” (I stole that from Wikipedia), and that’s the restaurant I was sent to by the driver who picked me up at the airport. He told me it is very traditional, and the concierge at my hotel confirmed it would be a good choice for […]

Nobody Knows Where I’m Going

It’s 1056 PM on a Saturday night, my plane just left the gate at JFK en route to London, and I’m excited for the next few days. I don’t remember what I’ve told you, but this year I cut back on my workload, increasing my time off. I have, on several posts, mentioned the burnout […]

In Which I Don’t Really Learn to Cook Mexican Food

The van carried the group of us through the streets of Oaxaca, leaving the more affluent center with its luxury hotels and expensive restaurants, and into the parts of town normally reserved for the locals. We careened past places where dirt, debris, and all sorts of litter lay along the edges of the unkempt roadway […]