Europe

  • Europe,  Greece

    Calling the shots: My 5 Greek Liquors

    You’ve had a wonderful Greek meal, the bill comes and along with it is most likely is a small carafe or shot glass of a Greek liquor and that aperitif can be different depending on where you are in the country.  Like many other cultures, drinking here is a social event and has often become my main source of people watching.  Cafes with outdoor seating lining the street, people sitting outside enjoying a cocktail in the late afternoon, recounting events of the day, playing cards or doing some people watching of their own.   Some Greek liquors like Ouzo are watered down and sipped slowly over Meze of dips, cheeses,…

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  • Europe,  Malta

    Sunday Fish Market in Marsaxlokk: Produce and Panties

    To Market To Market Sundays in Malta, when tourists and locals alike come in droves from the bus stop on the hill, marching like ants down into the sleepy fishing village.  Marsaxlokk is a small harbor town in the southeast of the island that becomes a busy destination when stalls pop up for fish, fruit and vegetable vendors to sell. Luzzu, traditional Maltese fishing boats float in the background a sea of bright blues, reds and yellows with the protective eyes of Osiris staring back at you. I bobbed through the foot traffic to get a glimpse at the different local fishes, fresh vegetables and quirky souvenirs that are available…

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  • Asia,  Colombia,  Europe,  Greece,  Malaysia,  Malta,  South America

    You had me at UNESCO: Why I’m head over heels for heritage cities

    UNESCO.  For those of you who aren’t familiar, the acronym may look like letters for a combination gas station/carwash, a bulk goods grocery store, or some Silicon Valley Tech start up, BUT it stands for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.  UNESCO has a mission to promote the protection of natural and cultural sites and that their preservation be a way to educate future generations while bringing awareness to unique places all over the world.  I’ve been checking their website before going to a new place to see if they have a world heritage site near where I’ll be staying and a pattern started to develop.  I love…

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  • Ireland,  Malaysia,  Malta

    6 Things I should do when I travel that I CONSTANTLY forget

    By now I should be at least 83% of the following: A complete pro at security checkpoints or any kind of airport line for that matter, a suburb packer, fluent in several languages, a geographical genius, pursuer of insane travel deals, have a superhero like ability to convert Celsius to Fahrenheit and an organizer extrodinaire.  I’m almost there people, have patience. I have put together things that I’m consistently finding that I forget or just blatantly ignore when traveling to put to bed the rumor that I’m not a 100% travel pro (like I said, I’m getting there) and the you don’t have to have every duck in a row…

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  • Europe,  Scotland,  UK

    8 of my favorite things to do in Edinburgh, Scotland

    Edinburgh, a beautifully picturesque town embedded into it’s landscape.  A medieval castle appearing as if it pushed up from the lush green and rocky ground, pouring itself out onto the road that tumbles downhill with colorful shopfronts lining the stone streets, landing you at the foot of a palace.  The old town takes you back in time giving the city a duality of charm and history with modern touches.   Scottish novelist Robert Louis Stevenson described it perfectly as “Half a capital and half a country town, the whole city leads a double existence; it has long trances of the one and flashes of the other; like the king of…

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