I’ve been quiet lately, I know. My writing ebbs and flows with cycles of introversion and extroversion, contemplation and communication. I tend to go quiet when I have nothing to figure out; my mind isn't trying to solve some giant life puzzle: I am simply living contentedly. I also go quiet when I'm busy working [...]
After seven months on the road, I'd learned that I need a lot of time in nature; as much as I enjoy city life, it creates a plaque-like accumulation of tension that only the silence of water, air and lush earth can diffuse. While I was researching the Baltics I came across a little town [...]
The resistance I’ve felt writing about Riga, Latvia, is similar to that of Geneva: I didn’t want to be there. But unlike Geneva, Riga didn't give me an uncomfortable vibe. Perhaps the timing was off and I wasn’t ready for city life after my quiet time on a farm. Then I chalked it up to [...]
I'm in the little-known town of Rakvere, Estonia, about an hour east of Tallinn. With four hours until my bus to Kärde, I've already walked around the castle, eaten a dill-laced lunch on a sunny patio, and played FreeCell on my phone in the bus station to kill time. So in case you're wondering, no, [...]
Resistance is my inner donkey digging her heels into the dirt; a refusal of any forward motion towards whatever it is I think I should do. Sometimes I can successfully lure the donkey into movement by holding out an apple: c'mon, yes, one more step, and pretty soon the donkey has forgotten its resistance and [...]
After nearly three months in busy Tel Aviv, I decided to make a short detour to Cyprus on my way back to Geneva. This was back in early July, and it's now September; I've felt a puzzling resistance to writing about my time there: puzzling because this short Cypriot time-out is where I decided that [...]
Helsinki is an easy day trip via ferry from Tallinn. But… honestly, it’s just a big city. Within 15 minutes I was pretty much done and ready to move on. Fortunately, I’d done my homework and knew about the opportunity to explore the islands within easy reach of Helsinki’s harbor. My token photo of Helsinki [...]
Four days was definitely not enough time to spend in this charming Baltic city. Built in the 14th century, the medieval old town is extraordinarily well preserved and ranks as one of the most aesthetically delightful places I’ve been so far. Sadly, everyone else thinks so too; a plague of cruise-ship vacationers descends on the [...]
Between August 12 and the end of October, I'll be exploring 13 countries across the Baltics, eastern Europe and Georgia. Yes, this is ambitious. Yes, I may end up skipping one or two if I get tired of being on the road. Normally I like to stay in one place for a month, but I'm [...]
If Geneva is the aloof OCD uncle, Annecy is the laughing, crush-worthy small-town girl with flowers in her hair, wearing a gossamer dress that flutter in the breeze (“oh, this old thing?”). Unlike the uncle, she’s surprisingly approachable -- perhaps she doesn’t know how pretty she is. Those green-blue eyes lock with yours; she smiles [...]
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