Category: Travel
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Going Dutch
The cruise made a stop in IJmuiden, Netherlands, the port that services Amsterdam. I took the 45 min bus into the city, and it got stuck under a bridge. Yep. It wasn’t even close, and if you’re wondering what it sounds like when you’re in a moving bus and it jams itself under bridge, it’s…
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Bruggeing Tourism
Bruges, Belgium is a gorgeous, and it’s a miracle of history that it has survived this long in its condition. I can’t believe it’s still also a real, working, thriving city. It’s one of those places you have to go see, and I’m glad I did. That said, when you’ve heard about over tourism, this…
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A Tale of Two Cities
Another great thing about walking as discovery is noticing how the sights and feels change as you walk from one neighborhood to another. Sometimes just one street more means a drastic difference. Our cruise stopped in Tillbury, England, which gave us access to London, but only for a couple of hours, as it took one+…
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Lucky Stumble
One of the ways I love learning about a town/village/city is to just walk out the door with no real plan, to see what I can stumble upon. I get a more local feel for the place, and it satisfies my need to explore. I especially needed escapes like this on this cruise — to…
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Awfully Acceptable
Cruises make you do, eat, see, and think weird stuff that you would never find acceptable IRL: – Thinking “I’m gonna go melt some ice” before heading to pee, because they put ice in the urinals on this ship: – Having multiple in-depth discussions on techniques on how to figure out the time, and set…
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French Camino
Our cruise stopped in the tiny town of Le Verdon-sur-Mer, the port access for the Bordeaux region. I didn’t feel like doing any cruise-organized tours, so decided to just walk off the ship & see what happened. I’m gonna do a full post on the great day I had, but first a quick one on…
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Learning Tours
I’ve taken three food tours, so far, on this cruise+ trip. They’ve all been fine. I’m thinking of them as learning experiences for Drink•Eat•Walk, though, so no matter how good they are, I have some takeaways. Like what? Welp, let’s drink, eat, and walk our way through the one I took in Lisbon, Portugal to…
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Spanish Fly
I love Spain. It’s the country I’ve been in the most outside of the US. I’ve walked across it. I love that it’s Western Europe, but still a little feral. I love that I kinda understand the language, and the body language. I love that I can shop in a local grocery store and know…
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Barkcelona
Speaking of dog pics, here’s one taken by my Uncle in Barcelona, Spain: It was one of the first sights we saw on our Hop-on Hop-off bus tour of the city. No, it wasn’t a sight listed in the brochure. What’s extra funny is that I was sitting on the floor above him, saw the…
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Shipictures
One of the many strange behaviors your pick up on a cruise is constantly taking pictures of the ship: Pictures of just the ship; pictures of the ship with dramatic backgrounds; pictures of the ship doing fun things. I imagine this is what it’s like to have a dog or kid, where your phone’s photo…
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Cruise for Thought
I’m usually a healthy* eater and also pretty disciplined when it comes to what time I eat, and how much. This all changes when there’s free food, though, so cruises are all about the “free” food for me. I love it, lose all control, and have zero regrets during or after. Which is why by…
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Leaning Out
✅ Confirmed it’s a Leaning Tower ✅ Confirmed it’s of Pisa ❌ Declined taking pic pretending to hold it up (perhaps the only person there that didn’t?)
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Tim Cruise
I’m on my annual cruise with my family. I actually really enjoy cruising, with them, but it definitely takes a gentle acceptance of all that mankind has wrought and offers for that enjoyment. I highly recommend you bring your fam on one to experience it. Together.
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On Guard
I’m in Rome. Italy. It’s so hard to take pictures here, because everything you see is famous and you’ve seen 1001 pictures of all those things and those pics will all be better than anything you take. And everything is so so so old and historical and there’s so much of it around every corner…
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Searching Myself
More and more, I’ve been using LLMs to do my web searches. Some recent ones: what’s a great quote about building habits why does the ncaa still use wider hash marks for mens football how many traffic circles in dc Can you summarize this article https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/19/magazine/tour-guide-new-york.html best thing for your face after shaving why did…
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Phoenix Rising
I’ve never really like Phoenix. My folks have lived there for 20+ years, and I’ve visited a bunch over the years, but it’s never really been my thing. It’s all a big sprawl that has very much been designed for cars. You really can’t do much without riding in one (though Waymos are fantastic), so…
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Atlas Mapping
I love maps, and have lots of them up on my walls. I also have a great National Geographic Atlas that’s so much fun to browse through, or look for specific things in. It’s kinda big, though, and a tad annoying to pull off the shelf and open up. I’ve always wanted to just have…
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Drink-Eat-Walk: Origins
I’ve traveled, a lot, and mostly done it independently, just me & my backpack. But to travel alone is to only be alone when you want to — you’re always around similar-minded travelers, whether it’s in the hostels, the pubs, or on small group tours. If I’m being honest, it’s those small group tours that…
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#workabout Favorites
Reflecting back on my trip, I think a lot about what my favorites were. Lotta ways to apply that “favorite” label, but the way I’ve been thinking it the most is as it relates to my daily schedule out there. I moved fast (too fast!) on this journey, so every day/every other day essentially became…
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One Bag Gear Awards
One of my favorite things about journeys like this is the minimalism it forces. Or, if I’m being honest, that it enables — I’m pretty obsessed about traveling with a One Bag, and this was my first real chance to try out my new backpack for an extended period. It’s really not about the bag,…
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Bus Riding Review
I think I’ve been pretty honest with my assessment of busses in my posts about this journey, but perhaps I’ve come across too negative. So, let me be clear: Riding the busses was actually one of the best parts of this trip, and I’ll definitely add bussing into the mix when deciding how to get…
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Final Stats
Pittsburgh to DC was my final bus leg, which means I’m now back home! The DC Greyhound station doesn’t present well upon initial arrival — you’re in the parking garage: But you then emerge into Union Station, which makes it rank as the nicest bus station of my journey. (DC locals who dare challenge me…
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Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
With Pittsburgh, I’d mostly just be repeating myself with all the praise I heaped on Cleveland — It’s great! So, instead, I’m just going to do a photo dump from the two Pirates games I went to, as its also a great showcase for the city itself. I’d never been there before, but PNC Park…
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Cleveland, Ohio
I feel like I’m starting to repeat myself with my assessments of these midwest/rustbelt/whatever cities: Used to be great; then wasn’t; started to recover; became mostly great, but smaller, again; COVID; still mostly great, but needs more people downtown. Cleveland fits right into this, but I thought it was especially great! Good start with a…
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Princely Art
I’ve seen a ton of my street murals on this journey. With this one in Cleveland, Prince is now leading for the person I’ve seen the most in them: While I’m on the topic, here are some other faves. I like this one because it’s sweet & I find the response to be just a…
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Detroit, Michigan
Based upon all the coverage its downfall has gotten, I didn’t expect much from Detroit. However, based upon all the coverage its slow recovery has also gotten, I expected to be pleasantly surprised. In both cases, my expectations were met! Good start with the nice-enough bus station: Though the neighborhood it was in wasn’t the…
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South to Canada
A Trivial Pursuit question, from the original, Genus edition, that I very specifically remember getting/hearing, back in the day: What country is directly south of Detroit, Michigan? The answer is Canada, which blew my mind at the time. Decades later, I’ve now now officially confirmed ✅ it 🇨🇦 with my own eyes 👀
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Stopping Mall
On my two-day, 19-bus-hours journey from Minneapolis to Detroit (via Chicago), I had to transfer to a different bus in Lansing, Michigan. As I’ve been detailing, there are either bus stations or bus stops, and the stops have pretty much always been gas stations or McDonald’s parking lots. The bus stop in Lansing was neither:…
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City of Brotherly Love
I never liked the Pistons. I never liked Bill Laimbeer. But fellas born on the same day of the year are 1/365.24th brothers, so I had to take a pic when I stumbled upon this on the street in Detroit.
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Minneapolis, Minnesota
Whenever people ask about the highlight of my 1.5 year-long #workabout back in 20COVID, my answer is usually Milwaukee — it’s like mini-Chicago and an amazing place to visit & hang out. However, after spending a few days there, Minneapolis might now get my vote for “Most Underrated US City” Arriving by bus doesn’t give…
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Princely Metal
Minneapolis sure does love their Prince But it was Metallica, and their insanely devoted fans, that was ruling the city during my visit:
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Puzzles
The best libraries have a community puzzle table
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Duluth, Minnesota
After North Dakota, I knew I was headed Minneapolis, but first needed to kill a few days somewhere else in Minnesota. So, I pulled up Google Maps, looked to find city name I recognized & that was east of Fargo. Hello Duluth! Needless to say, I knew nothing about it prior to my arrival. Getting…
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My Favorite Driver (so far)
I though the most…eccentric…folks I’d experience on this #workabout would be my fellow bus passengers. They are indeed special folks at times, but it’s the bus drivers that have proven to be the most entertaining to me. Maybe it’s because they’re the ones in charge, and have all the power? I don’t know, I just…
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Random (Very) Fargo Photo Dump
Like I said, lotta bison statues in Fargo (errr, Moorhead 👯): Why did I take this picture: I noticed these sidewalk stamps everywhere in Fargo (and, Bismarck), and the companies changed from section to section. Is this something that’s in all sidewalks and I never noticed before? “High Caffeine” coffee, another thing I noticed in…
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Fargo, North Dakota
Like Coeur d’Alene, Fargo is one of those uniquely-named places that’s always stuck in my head, and that I was looking forward to visiting on this #workabout. After my dud of a time in Bismarck, however, my expectations were very, very low. But Fargo turned out to actually be kinda nice! Not the bus station…
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Bismarck, North Dakota
I knew ignorantly traveling like I am on this #workabout that I’d eventually run into a dud. Bismarck is a dud: not pretty; not much to do; uninteresting people. Nothing bad happened to me, it’s just that…nothing…really happened. Still took some pics, though, so let’s get into them. The first thing I noticed upon getting…
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Night Bus Math
I, seemingly, took the worst* bus trip of my life, a 9.5 night bus from Bozeman to Bismarck. But I emerged & arrived feeling positive & happy. Why? Let’s do the math → -1 → The bus was $191 and the pickup was @ 2 am in the Walmart parking lot (this really should be…
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ABC
Basic, core, fundamental, no excuses, travel rule in our awesomely modern world → ABC = Always Be Charging
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Random Bismarck
“Pop” instead of “Soda” (and clearly* found my burger place) → No area code → Manual skating rink in park → Roundup in their State museum → *I lied
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Bozeman, Montana
Bozeman had a similar “this is so nice” vibe to Missoula, but is pleasantly bigger. It didn’t start off so great, though, as it has a bus stop, not station, and it’s in a Wal-Mart parking lot: It was right across from my motel, though, where I first sighted the mountains & view that everywhere…
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Trip Advisor
Hahaha, the third ranked Trip Advisor “Top Attraction” in Bismarck, North Dakota, where I arrived today, is Laughing Sun Brewing. I’ve never seen a brewery or bar or restaurant ever even be in the Top Ten of any other place I’ve looked up. So, duh, that’s where I’m posting this from (and I walked by…
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Missoula, Montana
Sure, Missoula is beautiful, set on a river in the mountains. But the phrase I kept saying in my head was “Missoula is community”. No matter where I went in town, it just felt like a cohesive community. On the streets: On the University of Montana campus: On the great hike to the big M…
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Monoply Bus (con’t)
LOL, it doesn’t get much worse than the schedule & price for my next leg of this #workabout: And this is the Bozeman bus stop where I’ll be catching it: So I’ll be hanging out in the Wal-Mart parking lot at 1am Wednesday. On the positive side, I save $ by not having to book…
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Bus Tour
Here’s a pic of the type of bus I’ve been riding since Spokane — they’ve all looked like this: They’re actually clean, with comfortable seats & charging inside, though the WiFi they advertise is BS — it never works for long. The bathroom does, though 🙌. There is no real Greyhound in this region; all…
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Coeur d’Alene Library
Yep, I’m posting about a library again. But I’m not sorry, I just love ‘em, and these Inland Pacific Northwest (a term I learned on this trip) towns all seem to have a great one. Nobody would judge me if I was posting about cute & cozy little coffee shops, and that’s how I treat…
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Coeur d’Alene
The next stop on this eastward bus #workabout was Coeur d’Alene, an exotic-sounding place, and one that I’m still incapable of spelling correctly when typing it. It’s an easy 45 minute bus ride from Spokane, but a totally different world. Welcome to resort town! Well, not my motel — the atmosphere & guests were reminders…
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Bus Station vs. Stop
I threw shade at the Seattle bus station, but I take it back, as I now realize that just having an actual station might be a big deal. Ex: That’s the Coeur d’Alene bus “station” above, aka, a gas station. Adding insult to it, the stop is about three miles from downtown, and I refuse…
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Spokane, Washington
I walked from the cruise ship dock to the Seattle bus station, and quickly realized this next journey was going to be very, very different from the cruise. From a floating resort to… My first stop was Spokane, WA, a five hour bus ride. I’ll do a post later about bus-riding, but this one was…
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Unplanned #workabout
When I booked my flight home from Seattle for after my cruise, I idiotically selected my return date to DC for when the cruise was departing to Alaska instead of when it was returning. I only realized it a few days before my trip started, and I had purchased the cheap “you can’t ever change…
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Local Tourists
A heat map of where tourists go vs. where locals go here in DC → https://www.flickr.com/photos/walkingsf/4672195208/in/album-72157624209158632/ DC is a tourist town, so it’s no surprise that there’s such a dramatic difference between the stomping grounds of both groups. That said, we locals live directly next to the tourist areas, and if you click in, you’ll…
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Japanese Snow Monkeys
I don’t have a travel bucket list. Sure, there are places I’d like to go, but there’s nothing like “I have to see this, and this, and this before I die”. However, there’s one thing I’d always wanted to see since I was a little kid. Growing up in Ithaca, we had a set of…
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Metro Sledding
One of the amazing things that Oslo offers is the ability to go sledding on an incredible, free slope, Korketrekkeren. Even more amazing is that you use the city Metro to get to the slope, and to get you back up the slope after a ride. So, you start by just hopping on the Metro…
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Sauna Rescue
An update! The floating saunas I visited in Oslo made worldwide news today by helping with a water rescue → https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/02/01/floating-sauna-tesla-norway/ It’s not surprising it’s a Tesla, as they’re everywhere in the city. Also somehow nice to know the water temp aligns with what I swam in. The whole thing is kinda fun to picture,…
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Greenland Ice
Ice harvested in Greenland is shipped & sold to exclusive bars in the UAE → https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/jan/09/greenland-startup-shipping-glacier-ice-cocktail-bars-uae-arctic-ice At first glance this seems extraordinarily wasteful & stupid. But the article slightly makes the case that this ice trade is not as wasteful as you think. Luxury ice is still stupid, of course, but at least the shipping…
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Sauna Plunge
Norway is a sauna culture, including intermittently freezing yourself while in a sauna session. This isn’t limited to the countryside — it also happens in cities. In Oslo, this happens in the fjord harbor across from the Opera House, on small sauna cabins that float on the water: They’re open to the public & communal,…
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Oslo Snow
I think it’s snowed half the days I’ve been in Oslo this time
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Oslo Winter
I arrived to a winter wonderland in Oslo. The public bathrooms add to the mood: Remember this guy?
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Oslo Light
Oslo harbor treated me to an amazing light show on my first night back here. All of these pics & the video were taken on the roof of the Opera House. And here’s a pic of the Opera House across the harbor:
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Welcome Back
Thanks, Oslo library 😊
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Drop Bears
Australians invented an unique, indigenous animal just for tourists → https://australian.museum/learn/animals/mammals/drop-bear/ I’m a seasoned traveler, right? So, no way I’d fall for this, right? But I did, back in 2009, when I was taking a tour of the areas around Uluru. The guides really played it up, and it wasn’t until we “found” one in…
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2023 Evaluation: Item #1 → #walkabout
A year ago, knowing I was going to be taking some time off from formally working, I posted “Seven Things I’m Going to Do in 2023”. I’d never written a declaration like this, but it felt good, and it definitely helped motivate me through the year. It was super ambitious, though, and I in no…
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Windy City
Awfully windy in Deerfield/Hillsboro Beach this year, but still beautiful
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Flavour Trip
A nomadic DJ couple serve up smooth grooves, good food, & goofy moves → https://www.youtube.com/@flavourtrip I have no idea how I found these fools (in a good way!) but I can’t stop watching/listening to them. I listen to EDM in background whenever I’m working, and their playlists are now a staple for me. A good…
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Airplane Contrails
Airplane contrails have more climate warming impact than burning jet fuel does → https://wapo.st/3v6a2rK It turns out that those cool parallel lines we see in the sky are doing some damage. I hope they figure out how to fix this, as I still think flying is magic, and no part of me wants to do…
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Tides Inn
An amazing destination spot on the Rappahannock River & Chesapeake Bay, a few hours outside of DC → https://www.tidesinn.com/ It’s certainly not cheap, but this resort has a special spot on the banks of a creek just inland from the Bay. Was just there for a bday weekend & had an amazing time living the…
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Heart Lights
The red lights in the stoplights in Akureyri, Iceland’s second largest city, are hearts → https://www.northiceland.is/en/place/hearts-of-akureyri Iceland is in the news these days, which reminded of this charming little thing they do in Akureyri. And I have proof of it from my visit: I took the pic above when I was there earlier this year.
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Residential Library
There’s a library in North Wales that is both a working public library AND a bed & breakfast. Here’s an article about it from someone who stayed there → https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20231022-gladstones-the-uks-only-residential-library I don’t really think about or keep a travel bucket list, but this place is now on it. Maybe it’s because I’m not going to…
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Oslo Summary
OK, I need to wrap up my Oslo visit. I never know what I truly think about a place until I’ve been back home for a few weeks to let the experience sink in, and to see how I describe things when people ask me about it. Here’s what I keep hearing myself say about…
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It wouldn’t be a trip to Scanadavia without some some sculpture–talk from me, and Oslo definitely had lots of content to choose from. The city seemed to especially specialize in sculptures of giant heads. This one was especially interesting & eerie (and in a cool setting): And this one wasn’t as weird, but had itself…
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Hot Pots
For some reason I’m pretty proud that I never went to the world famous Blue Lagoon the first time I visited Iceland. I instead just like going to the local pools & hot springs, if for nothing else than they’re much, much cheaper. So my goal is to avoid going there this time as well.…
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That’s it, I’m convinced. With their latest changes moving the security area, DC’s National is my favorite airport in the States. It’s small, but does pretty much everything right: • Easy access by Metro • Logical, coherent security area • Fantastic food choices (I’ve actually eaten at places upon arrival) • Easy to get around, even…
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Iceland Bathing
There’s a big bathing culture in Iceland. Public pools are everywhere, and they’re geothermally-heated complexes with lots of hot tubs, saunas, steam rooms, slides, etc. The locals go to them all the time to meetup with friends, exercise the kids, and relax, weather-be-damned. There are also lots of private ones that are a little bit…
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Hello Iceland
Once I was done with the Camino, it was time to start heading back towards DC via another country. So I squinted my eyes a whole bunch and decided that Iceland, a place I’ve always wanted to go, was between Spain & the US. But Iceland could not be more different than Spain! • From…
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Rengejoin Monastery
Long post alert! I stayed for three days & nights at the Rengejoin buddhist monastery in the town of Kyosan, perched in the mountains outside of Osaka. Kyosan is a buddhist monastery town (and where I did my temple walk), so most of the places have a similar look – they’re compounds built right into…
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Best Japan Day
I had my best day in Japan yesterday. Why? • After three days of no coffee whilst at the buddhist monastery, I had some mind-resetting Starbucks in Nagano (The Starbucks in Japan are fantastic – huge, with tons of seats made for computer use) • I was able to find the correct train (to Yudanaka)…
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Super Bowl
I think I’ve found the best toilet ever, in the same room where I had my Super Bowl party. It’s so feature-rich & perfect, this could be my last post about Japanese toilets.* Let’s have it introduce itself to you: —————– *hahaha – nope
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Japanese Toilets
Everything You’ve Heard About Japan is True (a series) Example #2: Their toilets are amazing From department stores, to tiny restaurants, to even the cheaper hostels/hotels (pictured), most toilets have bidets. I’ve had one for years, so am already a true believer, but the ones here are a step above – heated seats, heated water,…
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