On the southern tip of Croatia’s Istria, you will find a lion missing his feet. The lion continues to watch over Pula’s Roman Amphitheater. And like that lion, I entered this part of Croatia without my feet. A bad hospitality experience left me immobile and yet courageous at the same time. I wanted to leave, however the lion within this redhead knew I couldn’t fault a place just because of one person. To let them ruin it for me would be more cowardly than courageous. Pula is home to some of the best Roman ruins in Europe. As the wind whipped me into a dizzying dance, I entered the town’s Continue Reading
In Search of Schnitzel in Vienna
It is so quiet you could hear my fork drop on the plate ever so lightly, that is, if I ever put it down. My waiter makes certain to place my Erdäpfel-Vogerlsalat, a vinegary potato salad with lamb’s lettuce, down in such a manner that I wouldn’t ever have to give my fork a rest. My dining companion tells me this is customary in Germany and Austria to place your fork in your left hand and your knife in your right at all times. Almost like dinner gloves, you wear these tools until the plate is clean. My plate tonight is a golden dream, a Viennese specialty, Wiener Schnitzel. The traditional Continue Reading
Szeged, Hungary Wishes You Were Here
A distant dyke collapsed and flooded the city of Szeged back on March 12, 1879, a town set up in southeastern Hungary. Ruining much of the city, Szeged received the help of its neighboring European countries to rebuild, redesign and resolve after such devastation. And like Szeged’s great flood, I was forced to resolve to change my plans to explore Romania. It just so happens Eastern Europe decided to freeze over for my visit. Szeged is mostly known for being a university town peppered with paprika and salami. The two edibles are praised in Szeged. And like most of my Eastern European trip Continue Reading
Trim, Ireland Wishes You Were Here
When I reach the last few days of a trip, I tend to look at these remaining destinations with finality. On my way to the Dublin Airport, I decided to spend that finality in Trim, a place where many spent their own end. The small town just west of Ireland’s capital used to be a major player in the middle ages. Elizabeth I even considered placing Trinity College here. Home to the county jail, ironically Trim was where you could say the herds were also trimmed and thinned. I check into my hotel just across from the Trim Castle, obviously the showpiece to this now snoozing town. The Castle Continue Reading
Vicksburg, Mississippi Wishes You Were Here
In the late afternoon light of Mississippi, an eerie silence takes hold of a tragic and yet beautiful piece of land. Set up in the northeastern portion of Vicksburg is the Vicksburg National Military Park, where in large part the north won the south during the Civil War. The 16-mile driving tour of the park follows Union and Confederate siege lines. The Siege of Vicksburg ended on July 4, 1863, after well over 40 days of battle. Those battles would later lend the Union forces control of the Mississippi River south to New Orleans, cutting the Confederacy in two. No wonder President Abraham Continue Reading
Goodland, Kansas Wishes You Were Here
I saw the sun rise over the plains of Colorado on my way to completing a secret goal. This past June, I drove from Denver to the California Coast. In September, I drove from Fayetteville, Arkansas out to the Carolina Coast. The only missing piece to this great American road trip, truly going from coast to coast in a year, was the lonely, often forgotten stretch from Denver down to Arkansas. And so when the opportunity presents itself, I joined an impromptu ride from Denver to Fayetteville and saw the sunrise, something I hadn’t seen in years. While I could say this completion of driving Continue Reading
Connemara, Ireland Wishes You Were Here
I turn the handle on a squeaky blue painted door in Clifden, hoping for a simple meal. That simple meal quickly turns into a complex conversation with the owner about the state of Ireland. As she laments the country’s recession, she says with a hope, “But it will get better.” Her words are simple, and yet so complex. Most worries are only temporary and believing in their passing is the best we can do. Post dinner and discussion, she bids me good luck on my travels and I enter the colorful streets of Connemara’s capital. Clifden decorates in brightly painted shops and restaurants, generally Continue Reading