Skipping Managua.  Part II. Leon

One week after visiting Granada, we drove into its long-time rival – Leon. Like Granada, Leon is set in a breathtaking location.  Approaching the city from the north, we counted at least six volcanoes on the horizon, all part of the Cordillera de Maribios. As we got closer to the […]

Skipping Managua.  Part I.  Granada

One of the apparent trends in our travels is that capital cities in Central America do not get a lot of love from us. That’s just a fact.  In Guatemala, upon arrival, we left its capital, Guatemala City, by jumping into a taxi and riding away without ever seeing it.  […]

A Whole New Life

Start with Part I Here We were walking from Airbnb towards the livestock barns, and I noticed it wasn’t quite as dark as I thought it would be.  As we were driving up the mountain, my fear of encroaching darkness made me feel that it was much later in the […]

Nicaragua: A Road Less Traveled

The dusk was setting quickly over Matagalpa, the little red and yellow coffee berries no longer visible on the branches of coffee trees lining the narrow, unpaved road steeply ascending into the mountain.  The light of our headlamps jaggedly bounced up and down, as our tiny, rented Toyota Yaris struggled […]

Girls, Girls, Girls.  Souvenirs: Part III

Back by popular demand is Part III of our souvenir inventory (Part I and Part II are here).  As we wrote before, we are very picky when it comes to souvenir shopping; yet, sometimes, we do bring souvenirs home.  Most of the time it is something related to the culture, […]

The Miracle on the Beach

By Julia / June 22, 2023

We were on one of the most beautiful beaches in Grenada, sitting on a wooden picnic bench table, listening to the rhythmic sound of waves splashing against the shore.   We were not concerned with the breathtaking view of islands in the water or the empty stretch of beautiful white sand […]

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 […]

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