Author Archive
Sunday, August 24th, 2008
The Next Prague (and the Next and the Next and the Next and the Next)
Frequent travelers like to seek out places that are more off the beaten path and less expensive than their well-known counterparts, places they can claim as their own well before their fellow globetrotters have even heard of them. Twenty years ago or so, these travelers discovered Prague, in the Czech Republic, and they fell in […]
No Comments » - Posted in Slovenia, Slovakia, Poland, Ukraine by Derek
Wednesday, August 13th, 2008
Insane in the Ukraine
To many, “Eastern Europe” signifies the old Communist bloc - an area of the world continuously grey and bleak, with long lines filled with desperate people waiting hours to score a loaf of bread or a piece of meat. Fortunately, these stereotypes are mostly a thing of the past. Since the Soviet Union collapsed in […]
3 Comments » - Posted in Ukraine, Romania by Derek
Thursday, August 7th, 2008
Just Your Typical Bosnian Vacation
Considering that Bosnia is most recently known for a gruesome war that ended just 13 years ago, I’m guessing that there aren’t many people out there who put Bosnia and Hercegovina (aka “Bosnia”) at the top of their list of vacation destinations. In fact, it wasn’t on our radar screen until we looked at a […]
4 Comments » - Posted in Bosnia by Derek
Friday, August 1st, 2008
Capture the Flag
Occasionally, our hotel room will have a television. However, the selection of English-speaking programs is usually quite dim; in most cases, we’re stuck watching episodes of The Simpsons in German or Friends in Czech. Sometimes, we strike gold and get CNN International. During our months of watching CNN, we’ve been amazed by the continual advertisements […]
No Comments » - Posted in Montenegro by Derek
Monday, July 21st, 2008
Bavarian Summer
After fueling up our car (See Note re: Gas Prices below), we crossed the border out of Luxembourg and into Germany. While many visitors to Germany focus on the larger cities, mainly Munich and Berlin, we decided to spend our few days in the country in the smaller villages and cities in the southern region […]
2 Comments » - Posted in Germany by Derek
Sunday, July 13th, 2008
Derek and Shanna’s European Vacation
After an 8-hour flight out of Africa (which seemed to last about 30 minutes with the aid of Ambien, a fantastic sleeping pill that is a godsend for long flights), we landed in a very different world - Europe. With only 10 weeks left on our trip, we quickly caught a train from the Amsterdam […]
1 Comment » - Posted in Luxembourg, Belgium, Netherlands by Derek
Tuesday, June 10th, 2008
Ode to the Road
Getting in a car with virtually no plan in sight is a luxury in which few of us seem to indulge these days. With limited vacation time, today’s traveler seems to plan every minute of their trip, making sure they make the best out of every moment. During our 30 days on the road in […]
No Comments » - Posted in South Africa by Derek
Monday, June 2nd, 2008
From Nashville with Love
After an article was written about us and our trip in The Tennessean, the local paper in Nashville, we received hundreds of comments and e-mails from readers encouraging us as we traveled and providing recommendations for things we should see and do on our journey. None have proved as valuable as one we received from […]
2 Comments » - Posted in South Africa by Derek
Sunday, May 25th, 2008
Where in the World is Swaziland?
If you’re like me, you probably know very little, if anything, about Swaziland. In fact, the only mention of this small country throughout my travels came from a kayaker we met a few months back in Laos; according to him, Swaziland had some great white water rafting. Leaving Kruger National Park and heading toward the […]
No Comments » - Posted in Swaziland by Derek
Monday, May 12th, 2008
Living History
Affectionately called Jo’burg or Jozi by its residents, Johannesburg, South Africa is one of the most interesting cities in today’s world. A huge, sprawling city with over 6 million people, it is the heart and soul of South Africa and a remarkable study in contrasts. In the suburbs to the north of the city, glitzy […]
