Author Archive
Wednesday, August 27th, 2008
Hay, Man
For the past few days, we’ve been driving through Northern Italy, where the scenery looks something like Under the Tuscan Sun meets The Sound of Music. Which is to say, it’s incredible. We’ve crossed over a number of high mountain passes that have landed us in valleys full of fields of hay, where the smell […]
No Comments » - Posted in Italy by Shanna
Monday, August 25th, 2008
Eastern Europe, Naturally
Trying to picture Eastern Europe before I ever saw it, I always envisioned lots of communist bloc housing. And also cabbage. And clouds. After having spent about six weeks there, I can report that it has at least the first two of these things in ready supply. As it turns out, though, Eastern Europe also […]
No Comments » - Posted in Slovenia, Slovakia by Shanna
Wednesday, August 20th, 2008
Getting Hungary
The twentieth century was a tough one for Hungary. Until then, the nation had been one half of Austria-Hungary, one of the most powerful empires on earth. World War I brought widespread destruction to the land, both during and after the actual conflict. Hundreds of thousands of Hungarians were killed in battle, and under a […]
1 Comment » - Posted in Hungary by Shanna
Saturday, August 16th, 2008
At Evil’s Epicenter
Auschwitz. Even the name of the infamous Nazi death camp sends a chill down my spine. Although the camp and its neighbor, Auschwitz II (also called Birkenau), are both in Poland, they were the setting for a living nightmare experienced not only by Poles, but by people throughout Europe. From places as far away as […]
1 Comment » - Posted in Poland by Shanna
Sunday, August 10th, 2008
Tracking Dracula ’til the Cows Come Home
When you think about Romania, one of three things probably comes to mind: (1) Nadia Comaneci’s perfect 10 in the ‘76 Olympics; (2) the draconian rule of Nicolae Ceausescu1 ; or (3) Dracula himself. (After all, the count who was the inspiration for the evil character is said to hail from Transylvania, an area in central […]
No Comments » - Posted in Romania by Shanna
Monday, August 4th, 2008
In Defense of Dubrovnik
In 1776, the Republic of Dubrovnik became the first foreign state to recognize a small, upstart republic known as the United States of America. The people of Dubrovnik had, for centuries, guarded their own freedom against incursions by larger, wealthier states. It seems they were eager to support others who wanted to do the same.
The […]
1 Comment » - Posted in Croatia by Shanna
Wednesday, July 30th, 2008
Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous
Realizing that you’re in the midst of one of the best experiences of your life always feels pretty strange. Although such a sensation is usually reserved for big, life-changing events–your wedding day, the birth of your child, etc.–I found it a little while ago aboard a yacht named Jolly.
Yup, I was on a yacht. Here’s […]
2 Comments » - Posted in Croatia by Shanna
Friday, July 25th, 2008
Czech, Please
For a country that has only been around since 1993, the Czech Republic has a fascinating history, and one that’s full of interesting phrases…
When Czechoslovakia turned Communist in 1948, scores of non-believers were violently oppressed and imprisoned. Twenty years later, during a 1968 movement known as the Prague Spring, it adopted a milder version of […]
No Comments » - Posted in Czech Republic by Shanna
Thursday, July 17th, 2008
Family Ties
Most of my family on my mother’s side lives in a tiny Minnesotan farming town called Cottonwood (pop. 1,146). My great-grandmother settled near Cottonwood after she emigrated to the U.S. from the Netherlands in the early 1900s. She came over on her own; her parents and almost all of her ten siblings stayed behind in the […]
No Comments » - Posted in Netherlands by Shanna
Tuesday, July 8th, 2008
From Zanzibar, Ann Arbor to Zanzibar, Tanzania
When I was in college at the University of Michigan, my favorite Ann Arbor restaurant was a place called Zanzibar. My favorite thing about Zanzibar was this dessert they served; a lime tart with slices of fresh mango on top, it was basically dessert utopia. I hadn’t had that dessert since I graduated from college […]
