Is Istanbul Now More Expensive Than Dubai for Tourists?
In August, we spent a week in Istanbul meeting with my family, and the city once again left us speechless. But this time, it was not for the reason you might expect. I could write about incredible sites or delicious food (of which Istanbul has plenty), but, as a travel […]
What Else Is on the Menu? Bosnian Edition
Where in the world could you walk into a sweet shop and find a blonde, blue-eyed girl selling Turkish delights to a family from Istanbul? Where could you see Omani tourists admiring “oriental rugs” while a Slavic shopkeeper explains their designs and the centuries-old story of his family business? And […]
Don’t Call It a Burek!
I am a simple person. I see a bakery, I go inside a bakery. Or at the very least, I stare at the goods in the window display like a hungry orphan from a Dickens novel. A cup of coffee and a baked good is our usual go-to lunch while […]
Sarajevo: From Olympic City to Besieged City
My mom rocks me gently in her arms. I’ve just turned one and stare at her with my big green eyes. She watches me lovingly but occasionally glances at the black-and-white TV in our living room. The TV broadcast shows snow-capped mountains, the open-air stadium, and cheering spectators. She would […]
With Love… To Sarajevo
I have never felt more lost in history and geography than on the streets of Sarajevo. Within the same block, there would be an old mosque, a Catholic church, an Orthodox church, and a synagogue thrown in for good measure. Strolling down Ferhadija Street, we would pass Viennese Secessionist buildings […]
NSFW Temples or How Victor and I became Temporary Celebrities
Buckle in, the day has come. This is our very first NSFW post. None of this previous “Asian Massage but no Happy Ending” or “Pot Pizza without Any Actual Pot” nonsense. This post is going to contain the most non-family-friendly pictures so far, at least until we get to posting […]
Familiar and Strange – The Cuisine of Mexico
Before we ever visited Mexico, one thing we thought we knew about Mexico well was the food. Tacos, burritos, nachos, and fajitas are our go-to comfort foods. Imagine our surprise when we found some very different menu offerings south of the border, with most of our favorites conspicuously missing. It […]
Village Homestay in India – New Year, Goats, and Bootleg Brandy
Ever since we started seriously traveling, we usually take two weeks either around Thanksgiving or Christmas/New Year for a long trip out of the country. To date, we have celebrated New Year watching fireworks while wearing white and drinking champagne with locals on a beach in Brazil; lost in a […]
Música Brasileira – The Music of Brazil
The word “Brazil” means so many different things for me – world-renowned beaches, the national soccer team, and 1980s telenovelas with enough twists and turns to bring the whole of the USSR to a standstill. But above all, Brazil is all about its music – samba, bossa nova, samba-reggae. While […]
Egypt in the Spring – Arab Spring
“Mohammed! Mohammed! Cairo is burning!” We are in the middle of the international terminal of the O’Hare airport, staring transfixed at the multiple TV screens showing fire and mayhem on the streets of Cairo. Victor is holding a phone, with the faint voice of Mohammed, our hired Egyptian guide, on […]
Clean Slate – The Modernist Architecture of Rotterdam, Netherlands
After the fire at the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris earlier this year, I saw so many people on social media lamenting that they didn’t get to see Notre Dame before it was destroyed. The lesson, of course, is that we should live now and not put off visiting special […]