Articles from this Category
November 27, 2018
Broken glass crackled and crunched beneath my feet. Sun streamed through the remains of a once-magnificent stained glass window. Broken dolls and filthy baby shoes littered the floor. A child’s storybook stood open as if waiting for its reader to continue. Never would I have imagined that Ukraine‘s Chernobyl tours, the site of the worst […]
November 19, 2018
Kiev is the lively capital and largest city in Ukraine, greedily taking up both banks of the Dnieper River. Three million people call this fusion of ancient and modern architecture home. Kiev’s beautiful cathedrals and monasteries spill out onto cobblestone streets and abundant green spaces and parks. Although many buildings were destroyed during the Communist […]
November 17, 2018
Once a mecca for backpackers and budget travelers, Budapest, the shining gem on Hungary’s Danube River, is enjoying an explosion of the luxury market and a well-deserved reputation as one of the most beautiful cities and the second fastest-developing urban economy in Europe. As a female solo traveler, I found Budapest to be among the […]
October 15, 2018
Lviv is Eastern Europe’s undiscovered gem, at least to Americans. This utterly gorgeous city, just 40 miles from the border of Poland, is not only home to stunning Austro-Hungarian architecture and colorful town squares, but the restaurants in Lviv are unlike anything I’ve ever experienced in all of Europe. They’re called “Emotional Restaurants,” and they […]
October 1, 2018
I’ve been a fan of fairy-tales since I was a little girl. As an adult, when I heard that the medieval town and castle Cesky Krumlov would bring to life all the scenes of my childhood dreams, I determined I would get there someday. After years of eager anticipation, that “someday” recently came to fruition. […]
September 26, 2018
Ukraine is one of the largest countries in Europe, second only to Russia in size, and shares borders with Russia, Belarus, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Moldova, and Transnistria (the nation that doesn’t exist). It’s a country with a long, complex, and turbulent history. The Eastern European nation is home to a plethora of beautiful places […]
September 21, 2018
Who could have guessed that there are so many things to do in Terceira? Our overnight flight landed us on this tiny island in the Azores just after sunrise. Expecting to be driven to our hotel for a short nap, we were surprised when Paulo, our guide suggested that we take advantage of the clear spring […]
August 31, 2018
My friends are envious of my “glamorous” life. I love being a travel writer, and my life is certainly filled with fun and adventure, but it’s hardly glamorous. It’s often difficult. I’m currently on a one-month trip taking me through Ukraine, Czech Republic, and Poland. I’ve been on planes, trains, buses, vans, trams, cars, taxis […]
December 18, 2017
The Republic of Moldova is a fairly unfamiliar landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It has a long history of land fragmentation, including stints at being part of the Russian Empire, the Ottoman Empire, Romania, and the Ukrainian SSR. Per capita, Moldova has the poorest economy in Europe and is also the least visited country in […]
November 16, 2017
Transfagarasan road trip winds through the Fagaras Mountains of Romania, part of the Carpathian Mountain Range that connects Transylvania to Wallachia via a shocking series of white-knuckle hairpin turns and sharp descents. The 56-mile path climbs to an altitude of 6,699 feet, slinking past stunning outlooks of lakes, waterfalls, and a dam. After our initial […]