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 […]
Taxco: The Silver Capital of the World
Thursday evening. I am sitting in a conference room of an office building in Chicago patiently waiting for the plaintiff’s counsel to finish the examination of a witness and conclude the deposition that has been dragging on for too long. And then in what seems to be in the blink […]
Small Towns, Big Problems
Even before the pandemic, Europe had been seriously suffering from over-tourism with masses of tourists visiting the most popular destinations at rates not seen before. The pandemic did not change the status quo, and to some extent, even exacerbated the problem, causing people who skipped travel in the last 2-3 […]
The Unexpected India
India was our best trip and our worst trip. Nine years later, I am still shocked that, while still being relatively new international travelers, we had enough courage to pick India as our second Asian country to visit. We wrote extensively in this blog about 16 unforgettable days in India […]
Six Wonders of the World: Part II
Start with Part I here for the Colosseum, Chichen Itza, and Taj Mahal. 4. Christ the Redeemer By the time we visited Brazil in 2015, Christ the Redeemer was firmly established as one of the new Wonders of the World and the tourists were certainly aware of it. From our […]
Six Wonders of the World: Part I
We were on a mountain in Peru, looking down at a gorgeous green valley, peppered with ancient stone constructions. “I can’t believe we are finally at Machu Picchu!” Victor said, “Congratulations! You have now visited all “New Seven Wonders of the World”!” “I have?” I asked, unsure. “Well, let’s see. […]
First Visit to the Land of Enchantment
“Did you see what the license plate of our car rental says?” I asked Julia as we were pulling out of the parking lot of the Albuquerque airport. “What?” “Land of Enchantment.” “Well… that’s promising…” Julia said, but I could tell that she wasn’t sold yet. For many people, New […]
More Hiking Mistakes: Banff and Jasper National Parks
Our previous hiking post about the Gap of Dunloe ended up being a list of mistakes we made while planning and executing the four-hour hike over some of Ireland’s most beautiful lands. Now that we got back from hiking in Banff and Jasper National Parks, I am tempted to repeat […]