I flip to the first page of The Order of Days, a book by David Stuart about the intricacies of the Mayan calendar. This isn’t the sort of book I’d normally choose; save for a repeat viewing of the movie 2012, I ignored the end-of-days...
Part of the fun of overseas travel is partaking in local customs and that, naturally, includes a traditional beverage (or two). Whether you’re sipping tea in the Sahara or chugging a Fosters with your new Aussie mates, sharing a drink can go a long way...
A trip to Russia can seem daunting to some travelers. The Cyrillic alphabet looks confusing, the complicated language sounds harsh and unsettling memories of the Cold War still remain. Yet for those with an adventurous spirit, Russia has much to offer. Whether you choose to...
Warning: Adult supervision needed. The thought flashed through my head as my father and I stood on the dock in Cologne, shivering in the December dark and scanning the Rhine for a ship that no longer seemed to be present. In all my years of travel,...
Standing in Brussels’ La Grand-Place, I look around at the ornate Gothic buildings and shiver, as if someone poked a finger into the base of my spine. Wafts of memories, many hazy at this point, fill my mind; I’d call it déjà vu, but I...
The clouds over Puget Sound threatened rain as my husband and I readied for a winter weekend hike. But then, what else is new? There’s a saying in the Pacific Northwest: If you wait for the skies to clear up, you’ll never go outside. We pulled...
I train the borrowed binoculars on the trees where our guide is pointing, squinting through the glass. “Follow that branch to the end,” Gareth says. “It’s the flash of turquoise, right there.” I try again, scanning the foliage surrounding Quirigua,...
It doesn’t take long for the forest to reclaim you in the Pacific Northwest. A few steps on the trail and the world as you know it morphs into a misty mountain wonderland, a place where the dripping rain and muddy paths shouldn’t stop you...
December is a prime travel season, that time when everyone hits the airports for family obligations and holiday travel. By Jan. 1, I’d flown from Seattle to Europe to southwest Florida and finally home to the Pacific Northwest – about 10,000 miles overall. ...