This blog features food, fun and festivals. Well in Japan that’s many days. But our Couchsurfing Host Aki’s pretty extraordinary. We can tell you he’s overly generous, humble, non-confrontational, etc to a fault (more later). But he’s on a mission to spread Couchsurfing across Japan. He’s got a blog going and a book deal about […]
Kanazawa We contrast Tokyo’s brash, in your face megalopolis with ‘small town’ Kanazawa, a city on the west coast known for its old districts, and one of Japan’s best gardens, and for us—a 4 bunk bed hostel with info to help us make some sort of itinerary for the next four weeks. A tori gate […]
Culture shock, getting lost in translation,…we were warned. But after the chaos of Rome, we were met with everything being clean, impossibly efficient, courtesy, politenes, and unheard of customer service. Even the sushi in the 7-11 was yummy. This was in the airport. The only shock has been how wonderful traveling Japan is (Living here? […]
Epic view from our rented Pigneto apt: Epic meltdown It’s a perfect storm—PMS, fatigue, nothing in the way of predictability and routines, late nights, food deprivation for long periods while we sight see, raucous noise, pollution, everybody around us smoking… Trish blows and has her customary trip meltdown. Then of course she feels guilty for holding […]
The white and green marble of Sienna’s Il Duomo We Blabla’ed our way from Padua to Florence, Europe’s car share service. Sharing a car comes in at half the train costs and a chance to meet someone interesting, maybe. Daphne for example breeds rag doll cats, when she isn’t a dental assistant, […]
Chicken or beef? Red or white wine? Love or hate Venice? It’s easy to see why there are two distinct camps. Hordes of tourists, the worst and most expensive food in Italty for starters vs a stunningly beautiful backdrop.We were in one camp then switched. They say Venice is sinking. Likely beneath the biggest crowds […]
Looking towards 14th cent Our Lady Before Tyn Cathedral, Prague Castle in background. I’ve so hyped up cities like Hong Kong and most recently Amsterdam that they could never meet Trish’s expectations, leaving her underwhelmed. Prague presented no such problem. We’d rented a large 3 level flat just outside the vibrant core in […]
My worst fears have come true. Trish has found excellent shopping. Our carefully packed knapsaks of 34lbs will soon heave. However she can’t possibly buy anything heavier than the 12 glass chargers she made me carry back from Ecuador. We’ve been going none stop and her head has been torrential so I’ll carry another […]
This post centres around the Cologne Cathedral, a gothic and German- catholic icon, it’s also the most visited landmark in Germany. Everybody told us there was nothing in Cologne except a train out. While their old town is rather lame-o after Utrecht, the cathedral is eye-popping, and it’s right by the train station. Started in1248, […]
It’s hard not to think of the Netherlands without associating it with cycling. 31% of the Dutch cycle daily. 70% of all travel is done on 2 wheels. Bike safety is taught as part of school curriculum. In some schools, 90% of children cycle. They spend $600 million a year on their network of […]