I bit my upper lip and turned my face away from the driver as he announced that we had arrived at the house I would call home for the next month. I didn’t want him to see my disappointment, although when I snuck a glance at his face, I could tell he felt bad for […]
A Rough Start in Russia Read More »
My Big Adventure (or perhaps, more appropriately, my “Soviet Sojourn”) has been two years in the making. Along the way, I developed a mental list of the experiences that I absolutely had to include along the way. I meant to post this prior to my departure but, well, life got in the way. So, better
My Soviet Sojourn: What I Don’t Want to Miss Read More »
Tallinn is the capital of Estonia and a European Capital of Culture for 2011. As the second stop on my big adventure, it brought me one step closer to Russia but was also a delight to experience in its own right (when I wasn’t busy getting lost). It was easy to choose my five favorite
Five Favorite Things in Tallinn Read More »
Wow, has it already been a month? In some ways, it feels like the last month has flown by. In other ways, it feels like it has been forever since I was in Chicago, enjoying last meals of Mexican food and margaritas and tapas and sangria. If you haven’t been following along
One Month on the Road! Read More »
As I lay in bed, I can feel soft black fur rubbing over my face and tiny claws batting at my hair. I glance at the clock on the nightstand, easy to see by the faint light coming in the bare window. It is just after 6:00 a.m. and the kitten who shares my room
A Day in My Life in St. Petersburg Read More »
As an animal lover, I often make a point to stop by the zoo in any major city I visit. Yes, I know the idea of zoos can be controversial to some, but I think generally the positives outweigh the negatives. I had the opportunity to visit both the Helsinki Zoo and the Tallinn Zoo
Helsinki vs. Tallinn: A Zoo Showdown Read More »
I discovered a new game while I was in Tallinn. It’s called “How Many Times Can Katie Get Lost in One City?” I have always prided myself on having a very good sense of direction and being able to read a map quite well. Typically, when I visit a new city, I get my bearings
How Many Times Can I Get Lost in One City? Read More »
When I signed up for the Tallinn Marathon last spring, I promised myself I would run it just for fun. I wouldn’t worry about my time; I would just enjoy the scenery and the experience of running my first international marathon. Nonetheless, I trained hard over the summer – at a faster pace than in
26.2 in Tallinn: My First Marathon Abroad Read More »
This will be a bit different from my typical blog post as I wanted to do a brief update now that I have been in Russia for a week but you haven’t seen any posts since before I reached Estonia. I have a lot to share about Estonia and those posts are coming very soon
Checking in After One Week in Russia Read More »
“America’s under attack” Unbeknownst to me at the time, that was the message that Andy, my Contiki tour bus driver, received shortly after the first plane hit the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. We were on our way from Florence to Rome, just a week into a three and a half
Experiencing 9/11 Overseas Read More »
