Up and Away.

The road is long and winding, and the adventure is never easy. I've learned some interesting things along the way, and I'm always down to try anything once.

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Death by lobstah

I think the first time I ever heard of Cape Cod was when I watched Legally Blonde and wondered what she meant when she requested “mixers, formals, clam bakes, trips to the Cape!” From that moment on, Cape Cod became a permanent fixture on my bucket list.

Finally one day, I got the opportunity I was waiting for: a good friend of mine was getting married in July just south of Boston. I knew I…

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A marathon trip to Tallinn

A marathon trip to Tallinn

The bus ride to Tallinn this morning was short and blissfully uneventful. For the second time, I got really lucky and had the row to myself, which basically always ends up meaning my electronics get their own seat. One must take advantage of luxuries like free charging on a bus, and with a converter that has 4 plugs (5 if you have an iPhone, which I do not), I can charge me some electronics. Once…

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Hollywood & honey beer

Hollywood & honey beer

Well, I definitely can’t say that I’m not living the full experience of my Eurotrip (side bar: “Eurotrip” is such a common expression here and refers to those who backpack through Europe for a couple weeks or a couple months. It’s so much more efficient than saying “trip to Europe”).

Honestly, I’m completely surprised by this trip. Last time, I only really met people two of the nights, Salzburg…

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American fried chicken—Latvian style

American fried chicken—Latvian style

So I haven’t died from food poisoning yet.

I didn’t even get an upset stomach, although I did sleep soundly for almost 4 hr thanks to all the wine I drank. Where we left off, I had missed my train to the Hill of Crosses, and was going to decide whether to backtrack today, or go to the castles. Well, I slept during the entire bus ride, so that decision will have to wait until later.

My first…

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I definitely [maybe] might die from salmonella poisoning

I definitely [maybe] might die from salmonella poisoning

Well, it finally happened. After all these days of staying up late and barely making my morning connections, the sleep deprivation caught up to me and I missed my train to Šiauliai.

The original plan for today was to take the train from Vilnius to Šiauliai, which is home to Lithuania’s most famous landmark: the Hill of Crosses. From Šiauliai I was supposed to catch a bus to Riga, Latvia.

When I…

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Fried bread cures most emotional turmoil

Fried bread cures most emotional turmoil

I’m not gonna lie, today is a hard day for me. I got some news from my home world that put me into a funk all day, and the weather reflected that by dumping rain, wind, and cold on Vilnius. I allowed myself to mope for the better part of the morning, and then I eventually ventured out around 12 pm.

My first priority was food, but after walking into town a ways I couldn’t find anything that…

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I can't believe what we're herring!

I can’t believe what we’re herring!

There are some cities I remember so distinctly from my first trip to Europe, and some that are hazy at best. There are a few stunning views that stand out, or interesting experiences (i.e. a salt mine tour) but for the most part the difference lies in interactions with people. In those cities where I had a unique interaction with locals, I always remember the city, and Lithuania has turned out,…

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Copenhagen

Here is a summary of my current status: sitting on the floor of the Copenhagen airport in sweaty clothes with wet hair and no makeup on, waiting for a flight to Lithuania that is already an hour late. I got 2.5 hr sleep last night, and almost slept through my flight today (which explains the wet hair, sweaty clothes, and no makeup). I finally got a chance to eat, so that was a highlight. I am a…

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Ålesund: the surprise highlight of Norway

Ålesund: the surprise highlight of Norway

Let me tell you, the sound of an alarm clock ringing at the early hour of 4 is not a pleasant way to wake up. Especially if you then immediately panic trying to turn it off so the other 10 people in the room don’t murder you. And then accidentally fall asleep again.

This is the part where I hand out some travel advice: if given the option to arrive sooner or later at the airport, choose sooner…

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Sometimes on a trip like this it’s quite pleasant not to have to leave first thing. Today, my boat to Bergen didn’t leave until 3:30 pm, so I had the morning and early afternoon to stroll at my leisure. I had a great breakfast sitting in the morning sun with the food I picked up in Oslo, and then I checked out of the hostel and wandered back to town.

On the way, I finally solved a challenge I’ve…

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The train to the fjords is a Scream!

The train to the fjords is a Scream: a day filled with waterfalls, fine art, and a forest siren.

When I bolted awake this morning, I was certain it was 10 am or so. The bolting was because I wanted to see the Munch museum before catching my train at noon, and it opens at 10. Plus I still had other things to do like pack and pick up food to for breakfast and lunch tomorrow.

Suffering from major anxiety, I peeked at my phone…

6:30.

Whew! Plenty of time! As a bonus for waking up so early I…

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My flight from Stockholm to Oslo was uneventful, and I slept the whole way. When I got off the plane, I was greeted with a very pleasant surprise —the weather is absolutely perfect [for me]. It was in the low 60s with a storm brewing, but there was no rain. I can hear you all asking yourselves why I would consider that perfect weather, so I’ll explain: ( am a cold weather person. Or I suppose…

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Quick hop across the pond

Quick hop across the pond

Public poll: what is the most polite way to stop someone from talking so that you can go to sleep?

I have not yet found an answer to this question, and I’ll come back to why I ask it in a minute.

So today is the first day of my Scandinavian adventure, and it’s also (hopefully) the longest. I left DC at 2pm, then flew to Reykjavik, then caught a flight to Stockholm, then on to Oslo. The first leg…

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Mexican for dinner means Mexican flag toppings, right? #yum #nachos #vivamexico

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I recently watched the thriller “No Escape,” which is about a family that gets caught in an Asian country during a coup. It sparked a pretty extensive family discussion about what we would do in their circumstances. Run or hide? Fight? Head for the embassy or bolt for the border? Since this is the beginning of peak travel season, I thought I would answer the looming question of what you should do if you suddenly find yourself in a travel nightmare.

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You may think that we’re the only country who celebrates the end of harvest with jelly in a can and an oversized bird. We probably are. But the history of our annual holiday spans thousands of years—as long as humans have been cultivating the land.

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Do you think holiday travel is miserable? It doesn’t have to be.