Exotic Guatemala

When people ask me about the most exotic place we ever visited, I am always torn about how to respond. Was it Egypt with its ancient temples, monuments, and stunning deserts? Or India with its dream-like Taj Majal, colorful towns of Rajasthan, and ceremonial pyres burning corpses non-stop in the […]

Cool Cats of Türkiye

It is time to acknowledge that a great injustice has been done in this blog.  While the name of the blog is “Two Cats Backpack” referring to the never-ending struggle between staying home and spending time with our two cats or packing the backpack and heading out to explore the […]

Raiding and Pillaging through Norway

I am looking at the fjord There is salmon in the sea My baby says she’s bored She is not in love with me Before visiting Norway, we watched Conan O’Brien’s new travel show, Conan Must Go, where Conan travels the world to meet his fans.  In the first episode […]

Poutine Must Go!

After living and working in Wisconsin for over a decade, it is tough for me to say what I am about to say.  Here we go… Canada has the best cheese curds.  Yes, I said it.  Please do not cancel me, Wisconsinites! One of the categories on this blog is […]

The Very Berry Norway

As we traveled through the countryside, we were constantly distracted by the gorgeous views of mountains, herds of peacefully grazing animals, and fields of vibrantly blooming… potatoes. “Look! Potatoes!  That’s all potatoes!” Victor would exclaim pointing out of the car window, “So many potatoes…”  I nodded along as he kept […]

Liming in Grenada

By Julia / June 15, 2023

“Grenada, the island in the Caribbean, not Spain,” was how I kept answering inquiries about our next trip.  The whole thing reminded me a bit of the “Georgia, the country, not the state” fiasco from a few years ago.  And still, hardly anyone knew what I was talking about.  Somehow […]

Cruising Down the Streets of Havana

By Victor / June 9, 2023

After writing nine posts about Cuba earlier this year, we thought we were done with our stories from Freedom Island.  But to be honest, it would be unfair not to describe the most touristy thing we did while there.  Learning about the U.S.-organized invasion at the Bay of Pigs or […]

In Search of Haggis – One Day in Scotland

By Julia / June 1, 2023

All the way back in 2009 we spent one day in Scotland and I have wanted to go back ever since.  This was an impromptu trip to the U.K. brought about by a random airline price mistake – $250 for a nonstop roundtrip from Chicago to London in the spring.  […]

All You Can Eat: The Great China Buffet

By Julia / May 18, 2023

On our first day in Beijing, we woke up at 5 am in our hotel room, jet-lagged from the long flight and starving.  I tried to fall back asleep and wake up at a more reasonable hour, but the growling from my stomach was too loud to ignore. “Do you […]

The Eighth Wonder of The World

By Julia / May 11, 2023

I was surrounded by people on all sides, pressing and pushing against me, the momentum of the crowd carrying me forward whether I wanted to or not.  I could see Victor’s head bobbing up and down ahead of me and I tried to keep an eye on him but couldn’t […]

Another Day, Another Istanbul Market

By Victor / May 5, 2023

In two prior posts, I described our thrilling shopping adventures at the Grand Bazaar and Spice Bazaar in Istanbul’s Sultanahmet district.  Yet, the market that we fell in love with the most was located away from the tourist hordes – on the Asian side of the city.  It is hard […]

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