It was a cool late night in Venice, the rain strong and sideways as I walked through the downpour. Crossing over a canal bridge I saw this umbrella flapping about under a warm street light, not a single person around. It reminds of that rainy night every time I use it.

reconnect verb: re-establish a bond of communication or emotion.

The red buses, distinctive metro signs, and people from the world over. London is everything that is expected and more, although the buildings are a bit shorter than I expected. Sitting in Trafalgar Square listening to the street musicians and feeling the world buzz around you is quite an experience. So much of what surrounds … Continue reading london, united kingdom →

The sweet smell of fresh bread and poured coffee wafts through the air. The Cathedral of Saint Stephen of Metz was complete in 1550, and to this day towers over the city with its stylized stained glass panels. On Sundays mornings the cobblestone streets branching out of the cathedral square are filled with local art … Continue reading metz, france →

There are intersections of history and the force of nature; points in time where humans are reminded of their relative helplessness in the face of giant waves, the ground under their feet trembling, or winds that blow down everything in their path. Pompeii is a living testament to this interaction. In AD 79, Mount Vesuvius … Continue reading pompeii, italy →

Amsterdam is the real sin city- and with everything that is legal there, visitors get a feeling for what individual responsibility really feels like. Canals run like arteries through the city, with colorful houses stacked alongside. The memories of history and art are dense, signaling back to the golden days of the city a few … Continue reading amsterdam, the netherlands →

Florence has a heart of art and culture, a living embodiment of the contributions of Italian greats such as Brunelleschi, Giotto, da Vinci, and Michelangelo. Looking down onto the city from the surrounding hills, the Duomo sticks out as a reminder that this is, in fact, the Florence of old. Michelangelo's David is breathtaking, arguably … Continue reading florence, italy →

Local pubs and eateries line the streets, and one repeatedly finds themselves in a familiar scene- a tall pint of malty, rich Guinness on the table and the hum of loud debates and laughs among friends. No one is a stranger in Dublin. The distinctly Irish 13th-century architecture gives Dublin a feeling of age, and … Continue reading dublin, ireland →

Rome is somewhere that you realize history is not dead- it lives on in the present. Many of the great buildings in the heart of the Roman empire still stand tall today and the philosophies, technologies, and political systems of this civilization persist as the socioeconomic bedrock of modern society. With every step, you can … Continue reading rome, italy →

The warm Spanish sun, a table full of freshly caught seafood tapas and sangria, and ocean waves wooshing ahead. Life is good in the port city of Barcelona- not too slow but not too fast, decorated with the organic architecture of Gaudí and colorful coastal flowers. Around you a truly international sense of fashion, music, … Continue reading barcelona, spain →