ANNE FRANK IN AMSTERDAM While in Belgium, my friends and I took a day trip from Brussels to Amsterdam to visit Anne Frank's house. We were caught in a downpour as soon as we stepped off the train in Amsterdam. So with newly...
THE CHARM OF BELGIUM After spending a sleepless night in the Oslo Airport, I took an early morning flight to the quaint country of Belgium where I met up with my friends Rachel, Emily and Brendan, who just arrived from the United...
LOFOTEN ISLANDS 101 In a remote area north of the Arctic Circle, we were cozied inside an old fisherman's cabin with majestic mountains jutting out of the Norwegian sea all around us. Known as the Lofoten Islands, it was a dream...
VISITING THE LOFOTEN ISLANDS Riding the ferry back to Bodø from Moskenes, I slumped in my chair and stared out at the grey sea and clouds ahead of us. My body felt like jelly and all I could think was how grateful I was for the...
TAMPERE’S SÄRKÄNNIEMI Finland was full of relaxation after our two months of heavy traveling through China and Russia. Mark's family greeted us in their cozy summer cottage on the lake, complete with a sauna at the shoreline....
FAVORITE CHURCHES OF RUSSIA While passing through Russia it's hard to not notice the many spires of Russian Orthodox Cathedrals scattered throughout the country. Each one is unique with richly decorated interior walls and iconic onion...
RED SQUARE Being an 80s baby that grew up in the west, my perception of Red Square was always a rather gloomy one: a dark, cloudy sky over dingy brick buildings with maybe a military parade filling the cobblestone...
LESSONS LEARNED ON THE TRANS-MONGOLIAN Stepping off the train in Moscow, we officially ended our journey on the Trans-Mongolian Railway. What started in daydreams — staring at maps and imagining what lay in the vast expanse between Beijing and...
A HOLIDAY WITHIN A HOLIDAY AT OLKHON ISLAND There are two ways to get to Olkhon Island on Lake Baikal: quickly or safely. We got there quickly. After one night in Irkutsk we boarded a microbus outside our hostel and, after cramming 15 tourists plus the...
WELCOME TO MONGOLIA Like in a classic James Bond film, we were riding in style, first class aboard the Trans-Mongolian Railway from Beijing to Ulan Bator. Inside our private sleeper cabin, surrounded by deep red wood paneling and...
1.5 BEIJING CITY CENTRAL YOUTH HOTEL IN CHINA I wouldn't recommend the Beijing City Central Youth Hotel to anyone. Well, maybe a young man looking to test himself before shipping off to BUD/S where you might actually be a little more comfortable. How...
BEST OF CHINESE STREET FOOD When I first arrived in China, I thought the food was going to be like this: Or like this: Apart from the Donghuamen night market in Beijing and the occasional chicken feet and squid tentacles seen at...
BEIJING PHOTO GALLERY A short but eventful visit to Beijing that included stops at the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square and a wonderful hike along the steep steps of the Great Wall of China. Photos taken with a Canon 5D Mark...
