Stories From Month 15

Changing trains at the Austrian - Slovakian border turned out to be very symbolic. Out with Austria's sleek ultra-modern carriage and in with Slovakia's slow dated replacement. I rolled on to Bratisla

Wow. I expected to see tourists in Prague, but I wasn't prepared for so many. I guess when the word at home for almost a decade has been that Prague is a great place to visit, that I shouldn't expect

Sebastian's infectious laughter and fun personality drew me all the way to Germany for an unplanned stop on my European itinerary. Michelle and I met him on our Himalayan trek and after he invited us

The same thought popped into my head each time I passed a vacant lot in Berlin, "What was there before the war?" The areal photos from 1945 show almost every building leveled or left as a deserted sh

The scent of pot smoke in a public place normally sends me scanning my surroundings like a prairie dog searching for predators, standing upright and alert, wondering with curiosity who is breaking the

I didn't notice what Bruges was so much as what it wasn't. It wasn't big. Nor was it a town where homeless youth loitered outside all night or where whores ply their trade out i

I hate to use such a silly expression, but there is no other way to describe the Thalys high speed train... It hauls ass. But what would you expect out of a train that makes the

I find myself increasingly bored by the realism of classical art. What is to be gained by painting a scene perfectly when these days, a photo would do a better job? I like art that punches

Spaniards love to party. Three days in San Sebastian and all Ive done is sleep in and stay out late eating tapas and drinking beer. What a life. It is Sunday, but the only Sunday