Portland, Oregon — For the last couple of months, we’ve been a bit stressed. Just a few extra curve balls that life tosses your way. Medical emergencies with the parents (on both coasts.) Hell, I guess these aren’t really curve balls. We should all expect these situations. And we do. But still, when they arise, BAM, […]
Opatija, Croatia — Have you ever dreamed of warm summer days spent frolicking along the Austrian Rivera? Nor have we. Of course we never would have have looked for it in Croatia. Wouldn’t have looked for it in Austria either for that matter. Yet, here it is. Twelve kilometers of Viennese coastline just north of Rijeka, […]
Plitvice National Park, Croatia — In our travels, we have seen many water elements; from the serene (Japanese Gardens, Portland, Oregon) to the spectacular (Bellagio Hotel, Las Vegas) to the questionable (Center Field, Angels Stadium, Anaheim.) By far the most surprising lies in the middle of Croatia’s densely wooded interior and it was created not by […]
Rab Island, Croatia — It is a blistering hot day and the approach to Rab Island is unpromising. From the ferry, the entire island appears to be nothing but a enormous lump of scalding white rock. It seems the best strategy to enjoy a stay here would be to just jump off the boat now and […]
Lovran, Croatia — “Yes Sir, I see that you have a double room with sea-view and air conditioning reserved. And we have a note that you have a small dog along with you. You have reserved for one night. What’s up with that?” These were the first words that I heard on our Croatian trip and […]
Yugoslavia, 1979 — Great travels are usually accompanied by great expectations. Sometimes they fall a bit short but on the plus side, there is often a silver lining to be uncovered somewhere (see my last post.) Or not. As we headed off to Croatia last summer, I was skeptical of what lay ahead. My expectations were […]
Assisi, Italy — One more thing about vagabonding. You don’t have to turn into a hobo to do it. Sure it’s nice to have a couple of months to explore a destination but only students, some educators and insanely wealthy people can swing this. Bill Gates would probably be a great vagabond but he seems otherwise […]
Portland, Oregon — On our walking adventures in Europe, the most commonly asked question we hear is “How in the world did you ever find this place!?” This may pertain to a restaurant, a spectacular out of the way viewpoint or a country chapel with perfectly restored Renaissance frescoes. And the answer is, “by Vagabonding.” I […]
Chelsea, New York — Another great aspect of the Highline Park is that it offers a nice architectural tour of new projects in the city. It shoots you straight north from the Meat Packing district into the heart of Chelsea. For better or worse, this is what will grace the skyline of the Lower West Side […]
Highline Park, New York — New York has a lot of quirky areas but the new Highline Park trumps most. Basically, this is a swath of floating prairie in the middle of Manhattan. At first glance, it looks like a bit of a gimmick but by the time you traverse its present nine block course, it […]