Editor’s note: ramen occupies a place in my heart and in my soul. And while I prefer gourmet ramen, even the instant variety still has meaning in my life. While I have not been to Yokohama, I’ve had incredible ramen experiences all over Japan, but now Sam Spector has inspired a ramen pilgrimage for my…
There is something magical waking up in Toulouse. I emerge from my apartment in the Saint-Etienne district, one of three that makes up the historic Toulouse center, and walk outside. I am immediately greeted by blue skies, briskly moving white clouds in the wind (Toulouse gets almost 300 windy days per year, a result of…
Editor’s note: I’ve never seen an episode of Ozark, but I’m still always game for a beautiful lake and some cool caves. Our resident rock hound. Morgan, offers even more in this awesome glimpse at a place most of us have heard of, but few have visited. For more of Morgan’s writing, click here to…
Toulouse, France isn’t exactly the first city that comes to mind when it comes to places in the world with interesting churches. Rome? Sure. (Click here to read about the churches of Rome.) But Toulouse? Not really. And yet, France’s pink city has some of the more fascinating - and huge - churches I’ve seen…
This is the center of Toulouse. That statement is true both from a literal standpoint - the Place du Capitole is about halfway between the Saint-Etienne cathedral and Saint-Sernin basilica, the two most important religious sites (arguably) in the city - and from a practical one. This is, after all, both Toulouse’s current city hall…
Editor’s note: Like Sam, I was also in Hong Kong for a single day, although mine came after ending a cruise more than ten years ago. It was a time before the current ongoing political saga with mainland China cracking down on some of the city’s freedoms. In that light, while I would love to…
Traveling around Europe is neat. More importantly, it is efficient. Between public and private train lines, affordable budget airlines, and buses, I have never had an issue getting between cities without renting a car. (I hate driving in other countries, and to be honest, if I never had to drive again, even at home, I’d…
Sometimes, I get nervous about returning to a place. More often than not, it is because on an original visit, I did not enjoy the experience. So the thought of going back is a sort of dread, wondering how poorly my time will go on this next go around. (To be fair, my return trip…
Nice is nice. That’s something I said at least a few times a day during my month in the unofficial capital of France’s Côte d’Azur. But the reality is that Nice is more than just nice. It’s a really lovely city with natural beauty, good food, and some surprisingly cool history and culture. The odds…
Before coming to Nice, this was not an article remotely on my radar. The only Nicoise food I’d heard of was the same-named salad, a monstrosity of a thing with canned tuna, egg, green beans, tomatoes, and olives. I figured the rest was basic provencale, generic Mediterranean, or cliche French. Heck, even after being here…