When it comes to the name of my trip, Germany and surrounds, this portion, part three of four, is the surrounds. It is my chance to see a city that has been at the top of my Europe wishlist for a long time, return to my current favorite European city, and take some time to…
Welcome to part two (of four) of my trip to Germany and some surrounding countries! After exploring western Germany - and a side trip to Paris - it is time to see some of eastern Germany. The majority of my time during this segment will be based in Berlin. This is for a couple reasons.…
This is part one (of four) of my Germany and surrounds trip. In total, I’ll be spending just under eleven weeks in Europe, most of that in Germany, the country of my ancestors - and of my recent(ish) citizenship acquisition. In this post, I will give you the basic outline of the first two and…
For the first time since the world shut down, I am finally off on a multi-month adventure, and it is one I truly couldn’t be more excited about. In December of 2019, I became a German citizen, acquiring the citizenship that had been stripped from my grandparents and great-grandparents by the Nazi regime. Now, I…
After a summer of mostly staying in Los Angeles - which has been full of cool activities and lots of great food - I am off on another trip, this time to the jewel of the Pacific Northwest: Seattle. I’ve been to Seattle several times before, but always for a specific purpose. There were three…
El Paso is a place I’ve only ever driven through. But with the city in the news so often - mostly because of its border with Mexico, one of the busiest crossings in the country - I felt it time to actually stop and explore the place. Plus, the beauty of southern New Mexico’s national…
Last summer, I got lucky. By chance or fate or skill, during my Northern California driving trip, I connected with Julie Benbow, Executive Director of Visit Redwoods, the Humboldt County visitors bureau. During my time staying in Eureka, she introduced me to some fabulous sights, and even arranged for entrance to the world-famous Carson Mansion.…
Though this will be posted on Thursday, January 13, I am writing it on Tuesday, January 11, and as of today, I am still not 100% sure that this trip will happen, though it is only two days away. Omicron has taken the world by storm, and case levels that were around 150 per day…
A bit over 18 months ago, I left Spain, cutting my trip three weeks short because a new disease was infecting a bit over 100 people a day in the country. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that I wouldn’t leave the US (and barely California) for such a long period. Well, today,…
I am beyond excited for this trip. I have lived in California basically my entire life. During those forty years, I have seen the overwhelming majority of the state. But next week, I get to spend some time exploring a part of the state I’ve never before been able to visit: gold country. At the…