Imagine standing on thin air, more than 1,300 feet above the ground. Now imagine you’re not standing on thin air, but on three layers of half-inch thick pieces of glass jutting out from the 103rd floor of what once was the tallest building in the world. Now imagine not just standing on that glass, but […]
Win 2 Free Passes to the Skydeck at the Willis Tower! Read More »
The longer I’ve been home after my 13 month journey through the former Soviet Union, the more I’ve been thinking about the places I want to go back to. As I ponder my future travel destinations, I am torn between discovering new places or returning to some of those that I am dying to explore
The Places I Long to Return To Read More »
After finding Helsinki to be heaven for those who are gluten intolerant or have Celiac Disease, I was a little concerned that my first stop in the former Soviet Union – the true kick off of my year traveling through the former USSR – would be a bit more difficult. I was partially right about
A Gluten Free Goose Chase in Tallinn Read More »
I felt a little out of place when I first arrived at Graceland, the famous home of Elvis Presley. I had been warned of the Elvis impersonators who would be roaming the grounds and the women who would be shedding tears over Elvis’ grave. I felt like an imposter, visiting this sacred rock’n’roll landmark when
4 Reasons to Visit Graceland Even if You’re Not an Elvis Fan Read More »
I started off slowly, shyly uttering just a few words at a time. I was unsure of my pronunciation and lacked confidence that I remembered the right word or the right case or tense. My attempts at speaking Russian in those first couple months of my travels through the former Soviet Union were often met
The Value of Learning the Language Read More »
Before I embarked on my career break trip, I heard that Finland, my first stop of many, was a fairly gluten free friendly country. I only had three days to explore Helsinki, but it was enough to determine that everything I had heard was correct – eating gluten free in Helsinki was heaven! Nearly every
Gluten Free Heaven in Helsinki Read More »
Do you believe in ghosts? I don’t. At least I don’t think I do. Nonetheless, when I learned of a ghost tour while I was in Memphis, I jumped at the opportunity. I wasn’t really interested in ghost hunting; rather, I thought it would just be an interesting walk around the city in
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Dasha knocked on my door around 8:20, asking if I was ready to go. She had shyly asked me the night before if I could come to her school that day. Her English teacher was excited that a real live American was living with her and wanted me to visit the school to meet the
A Day in a Russian School Read More »
Put on my blue suede shoes And I boarded the plane Touched down in the land of the Delta Blues In the middle of the pouring rain W.C. Handy, won’t you look down over me Yeah I got a first class ticket But I’m as blue as I boy can be I was sporting silver
Walking in Memphis Read More »
Two and a half years ago I wrote about my thoughts on Egypt as I watched the Egyptian people take to the streets to protest and eventually overthrow Hosni Mubarak. I followed along on Facebook as the tour manager who led me around the country in 2008 gave a continuous account of what was happening
On Egypt, Democracy and Why We Shouldn’t Judge Read More »
