It’s dusk in Lisbon. Darkness is setting over narrow streets and mournful melodies flow out of every pub, café, and restaurant. It’s the sound of traditional Portuguese lament, produced by a twelve-string guitar, a viola, and a heartbroken woman (or sometimes a man). This is fado, folk music of Lisbon’s […]
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Did I Do That?! Driving in the UK
Please start with our previous post to learn how and why I ended up driving through rural England. In May 2018, we flew to London to spend 5 days in southwest England. By the time we walked out of Heathrow airport, it was three hours later than we planned. The […]
Read More“You Almost Killed a Man!” or Why I No Longer Drive on Our Trips
We were in a tiny Peugeot, in a small Spanish city, staring at a road, going up the hill. The car was manual, the hill was steep. Victor, who happened to get a traffic ticket two days before we left for our trip and thus didn’t have his driver’s license, […]
Read MoreWelcome to Glastonbury, UK or Why is Everyone Naked?
It was late afternoon, and we were having tea. But it was not just any tea and it was not just any afternoon. We were in Bath, one of the most beautiful cities in England, surrounded by rows of elegant houses built in a classical Georgian style, housing world-class museums, […]
Read MoreProbably Robbed in Brazil
“We are going to Brazil!” we excitedly announced at a picnic with friends a few years ago. One of our friends, Will, a giant 6’4’’ former U.S. Army Officer who grew up in Brazil, looked us up and down. “You are probably going to get robbed.” He flatly stated. The […]
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