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. Continue reading blue umbrella for rainy days
reconnect verb: re-establish a bond of communication or emotion. Continue reading the appalachian trail
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 you is historic, and if walls could speak these would … 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 stalls, craft beers, and hand-picked flower bouquets. Situated in northeastern … 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 erupted and engulfed the entire city in hot ash. Walking … 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 centuries ago. Most all of the locals spoke more than … 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 one of the best examples of artistic insight and vision … 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 yet the city is youthful and energetically progressive. Ireland is … 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 feel a connection to the last 2000 years of human … 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, and art that. You check yourself when you begin walking … Continue reading barcelona, spain
