Brunost: A Brown Slice of Heaven
Remember last year we went to Türkiye and came back to write the entire post about leblebi – a Turkish snack that impressed us so much. On our trip to Norway this summer, something similar happened. And we are here to tell you about the most iconic Norwegian food item […]
Norway: It’s a Bad Day for a Hike
Most of the hikes we did in Norway required almost 0 planning. Look up some good hikes in the area, take enough water and snacks to last the round-trip, wear weather-appropriate layers, and off you go! The Besseggen hike in Jotunheimen was a notable exception to this rule. It’s a […]
Norway: It’s a Good Day for a Hike
This is going to be our 25th post about hiking on this blog and I don’t think we ever actually acknowledged or explained just how much we enjoy hiking or how much that influences our travel itineraries. In fact, my own sister to whom I talk multiple times a week […]
Polar Plunge. Literally.
As we moved through the fjords, in many beautiful spots we saw one common type of construction – slick, modern, wooden containers, often with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the water. Some were built on the bank of a fjord; others were floating on a jetty connected to the shore via a […]
Summer in Norway
What does summer look like in one of the most northern countries on Earth? That is the question I should have asked myself when packing for our trip. But I didn’t. “It’s summer after all!” I thought, shoving shorts and T-shirts into my backpack. I wasn’t even planning on bringing […]
How I Sent My Parents To The Concentration Camp
Because my parents still live in Belarus and I live in the States, I like inviting them to join our trips from time to time. This way, we can kill two birds with one stone: enjoy some quality family time and explore a new destination together. Over the years, we […]
San Diego. Finally.
After twenty years of traveling, we have been to over forty countries, almost every U.S. state, most national parks, and basically every major U.S. city. But there are still places out there to explore. “We have still, somehow, not been to San Diego,” Victor said. I vaguely remembered how. We […]
King’s Day in Amsterdam
Earlier this year, we celebrated St. Patrick’s Day in Chicago and saw the city turn into one big green, drunken mass. Despite having lived in Chicago for over 20 years, we rarely participate in St. Patrick’s Day festivities and normally avoid the downtown area during that weekend altogether. So, when […]
Tulip Paradise
As we started to descend towards the Schiphol Airport, I was peeking through the plane window and could not hold my excitement: -Look!!! Tulips!!! The colorful strips of tulip fields started to appear out of nowhere and stretched to the horizon. On the train ride from the airport, we passed […]
Stop and Smell the Flowers
“Dead bushes,” I muttered. “We need to do something about it.” It had been more than a year since the pandemic started and I was looking through the window of our condo at the lifeless branches dangling outside. “Why don’t we get rid of them and plant some flowers? We […]
The Prettiest Town in Mexico
“We are going to the prettiest town in Mexico,” Victor said as we were packing our backpacks for the flight. “Says who?” I demanded, “Who decides what’s the “prettiest town”? What’s the prettiest town in the US? In Europe? In the world? I’ve never even heard of Guanajuato before you […]