When I first used packing cubes, my motives were for one reason and one reason only. I wanted to bring more without taking up the extra space. I would load up packing cubes until they seemed more like packing bowling balls, heavy and cumbersome. At times I worried they would burst open due to the overloading. As these cubes ended up being more of a hindrance, I wrote off packing cubes, concluding they were actually space hoarders and that simple and careful placement of items in a bag could allow you to bring more instead. As I prepare to spend three months in Europe this summer, I am Continue Reading
Heraklion, Crete Wishes You Were Here
Crete’s most famous writer, Nikos Kazantzakis, best known for his novel Zorba the Greek, wrote in his work Report to Greco, “Since we cannot change reality, let us change the eyes which see reality.” I arrived to Heraklion as most travelers do, by ferry. What I read about Crete’s capital prior to setting foot on its docks was nothing truly praiseworthy. Most port cities are plagued with the ugliest of realities. The grease and grime of shipping infiltrates every inch of these cities’ characters. As I peered out of my hotel window, I saw the reality of Heraklion. A concrete jumbled mess of Continue Reading
The Root of The Matter: How To Pack For Your Mane
For most women, travel can take its toll on our heads of hair. From weird curls that spring up without warning to hair dryers that take down the electricity at your bed and breakfast overseas, traveling and packing for your mane can end up being your main packing problem. At the same time, packing for your hair can take up a great deal of space in your suitcase. From hair appliances to bottles of shampoo, I wanted to get to the root of the matter. For my upcoming three months in Europe, I need to be as compact as possible. This week I’m sharing how I go about packing compactly and smartly for Continue Reading
Ruined Ruins: The Trouble with Knossos
“Handmade, you see?” He knocks a vase with an innocent dolphin on the side against the counter top. “See, it will not break!” The gray haired man behind the market stall of mass produced pottery has a hard sell on his hands. He continues to slam his own product against hard surfaces to show me how well made his pots and vases are, ones that are no doubt produced in factories and not in some local potter’s kiln. A theme I would later discover at the archaeological site Knossos, I understand his imagination is far different than mine. He is selling me a lie, but I can imagine it to be something Continue Reading
The Ideon Cave on Crete Wishes You Were Here
Some words are never lost in translation. As we arrived to the small town of Zaros on the Greek island of Crete, I quickly learned “coffee” is one of those words. Down the narrowest of alleys and past plenty of Cretan men’s stares, we parked in front of our hotel for the night. The night before was spent sleeplessly worrying about the bed bug sighting. We departed Rethymno faster than we arrived and headed for the hills of Crete to hole up in essentially the next closest thing to grandma’s house. Walking through the threshold, we were greeted by Katerina and her Greek. She chatted and chatted Continue Reading
Avoiding Bankruptcy When Shopping For a Summer Flight To Europe
As I shopped for my flight to Europe this upcoming May, I read article after article about how to score the best-priced flight. Some experts told the day, the very hour in which you should book your flight overseas. Others recommended going in the off-season. The flights will be cheaper and so will the accommodations, car rentals and meals. I didn’t want to go in the off-season. I wanted to experience Europe in the summer, when places are actually open and the scenery can be at its most bright and vivid. The true challenge of shopping for a flight to Europe is scoring a good deal in the Continue Reading
Roasting Over Hot Chicken in Nashville
“The path to paradise begins in hell.”--Dante Alighieri “I’ll take the hot,” I casually reply to the woman behind the counter. She stares back at me with a look of wonderment meets stupidity. “Have you been here before?” she asks. I quickly assure her that I can handle a little heat. In fact, I don’t mind spicy food. My husband smartly asks for his chicken to merely be in the medium range. I, on the other hand, am no chicken. As we passed through Nashville on our way to Louisville that day, I realized lunchtime would be set perfectly in Music City. After a little searching, I discovered Continue Reading