What it means to be an American
I was sitting on a small cushion on the floor of a tea house in Olomouc, a medium-sized city in the Czech Republic whose population increases by a third whenever university classes are in session. We had joined our couchsurfing hosts at a meeting of their English-speaking group. I sipped my tea, the heat from the cup thawing out my hands, as I listened to the harsh bubbles of someone inhaling from a hooka behind me. Japanese-,...
A Viennese New Year
Our time in Vienna was quickly coming to a close. The holiday markets had been great, and it was really interesting and fun seeing all the palaces and big churches that occupy most of the 1st district. I liked the city. It’s nice, and the metro system is great. But I wasn’t in love with Vienna. As New Year’s Eve arrived, I found myself a little hesitant. So far our experience of Vienna and the holidays has been that basically...
Things that are surprisingly hard to find
When you’re traveling to new places and new cultures, it’s rather obvious you’re going to miss some things. Items that are popular in Australia may not be popular or even known elsewhere. When in Mexico, one isn’t surprised they can’t find Thai food. However, some things you just innocently think should be common only to find out they’re actually rather hard to find. Food and Flavors So it may not be very difficult to imagine that...
Visiting the Schonbrunn Palace in Vienna
I really like seeing palaces when we trvael. I find them intriguing with their lavish trappings and grandeur. I like to imagine what it would have been like to live in such an incredible structure. Additionally, coming from a country with no royalty, I’m curious about the structures of court life and some of the unusual traditions built around living with and among the nobility. Vienna is rife with amazing, old buildings, and walking...
Looking back at 2013, our year in review
Sometimes it’s fun to do a year in review and look back at all the things you’ve done, experienced, and seen. Doing so for us was really quite fascinating, and it’s no wonder we decided we needed to slow things down and have a few months to just chill! I hope you enjoy looking at our snapshot, remembering some things with us, and looking at the photo highlights from our crazy year. 12 different countries visited (10 in the first 9...
