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 […]
All Aboard the Coffin Ship!
We stood in the queue at the Embarkation area, clutching our boarding passes. Through the windows, we could see Dunbrody, a three-masted sailing vessel, moored at the quayside, its wooden sides gleaming in the sun. A woman, dressed in a dark shawl and clutching a large bag, rushed past us […]
In The Skies Above Medellin
On our final full day in Medellin, we met the car and the driver at the trendy El Poblado neighborhood, as scheduled. We got there early enough to eat breakfast and for Victor to buy a few bags of coffee beans at Pergamino Coffee Shop. As we climbed into the […]
Un Poquito De Español
Start with Part I: Why I Decided To Learn Spanish. While in Guatemala, especially in Antigua, we saw a lot of Spanish schools, where one can stay with a local family and take Spanish classes for 4-5 hours a day. This immersion program is quite popular with foreigners and allows […]
No Hablo Español
When I was 22 years old, I made a rather unusual promise to myself. I decided that by the age of 40, I will speak Spanish. I don’t really know why I made this promise. At that time, Spanish was absolutely irrelevant in my life. I had no exposure to […]
Fake Estonian in a Fake Village
We were sitting on the rocks by the Baltic Sea, laughing hysterically. “It was like a scene out of a sitcom!” I gasped between laughing fits, “Who does something like this in real life?” Victor buried his head in his hands, “I don’t know! I don’t know what I was […]
Soaking in Estonia
On the fourth day in Tallinn, we were in a back seat of a taxi, chatting with our Russian-speaking driver about the intricacies of the daily life of ethnic Russians in Estonia. “I’ve never been to this one,” he said as he pulled the car over. “Enjoy!” I peeked out […]