How could I visit Norway without going to see the fjords? I mean, it’s almost as if the country is more well-known for these deep, narrow, glacier-carved, sea inlets overlooked by towering cliffs than it’s being known for anything else! So I sought a day trip I could take from Oslo to see what IContinue reading “A Day Trip from Oslo – the Flam Railway and Western Fjords – Day Twelve”
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Stockholm – Days Eight and Nine
If I was ever surprised by a city and how much it had to offer – by its city-scape and architecture and atmosphere and museums and food – it was Stockholm. Who knows what I was expecting – perhaps something that felt old and a bit dusty and cold – but I certainly wasn’t expectingContinue reading “Stockholm – Days Eight and Nine”
Finnish Lapland – Days Four and Five
We had about a 2 1/2 hour drive on the morning of day four from our hotel in Levi, Finland, down to the town of Rovaniemi, the capital of Finnish Lapland which sits just below the Arctic Circle (which apparently moves a little continuously). We stopped along the way for coffee and donuts, but theContinue reading “Finnish Lapland – Days Four and Five”
Australia – My Third Continent
In 1996 I was a sales guy for a 25-person Boston-based software company that had made a reputation for itself in a small slice of the higher education market. All our customers at the time were either in the US or Canada, but somehow someway a consultant in Melbourne had heard about us and keptContinue reading “Australia – My Third Continent”
China (Beijing, Xian) – 2012
I was between jobs in early 2012 when I decided to book a trip to China, a place my eldest brother had been to, an which intrigued me for a number of reasons – its food (which I’d always loved, especially as a New Yorker), its history, the 2008 Olympics, and the amazing, stunning, awe-inspiringContinue reading “China (Beijing, Xian) – 2012”
Day 16 – An animated light show, a shrine, and some Swallows
My last full day in Tokyo, and I decided to not get up too early after four really busy days. To start, I took the subway to the Roppongi, a very upscale neighborhood with high-end clothing and other retail, as well as newer buildings – office and residential. Walking over to the Azabudai Hills areaContinue reading “Day 16 – An animated light show, a shrine, and some Swallows”
Day 15 – Tokyo Seafood and Bathrooms (it’s not what you think)
For years one of the highly-touted things to do in Tokyo was to see the morning fish market (allegedly, the world’s largest) at Tsukiji – what was known as the “Inner Market”; each morning, it held a famous tuna auction where you could stand on the floor with the fish sellers and buyers to watchContinue reading “Day 15 – Tokyo Seafood and Bathrooms (it’s not what you think)”
Day 14 – Tokyo & Mt Fuji
Even though I’d committed to spend my entire five days in Tokyo, there was one day-trip I wanted to take: a chance to see Mt Fuji, the tallest mountain in Japan. It’s only located about 62 miles from Tokyo and can sometimes be seen from the city, but given its proximity to Tokyo, it’s easyContinue reading “Day 14 – Tokyo & Mt Fuji”
Days 12 & 13 – Tokyo
Day 12 was a travel day – a 7-hour flight from Bangkok to Tokyo’s Haneda Airport, the fifth busiest airport in the world. The majority of flying routes I had to choose from, taking me from Thailand back home, had me going through Tokyo, so I decided I’d visit Japan for a few days, aContinue reading “Days 12 & 13 – Tokyo”
Days 10 & 11 – Luang Prabang, Laos
Our guide here learned English in a buddhist school, which he attended for four years. His parents are illiterate, as they grew-up during the French colonial period, when only the elite were allowed to go to school. During the Vietnam War, Laos became the most bombed country in the history of warfare. The US droppedContinue reading “Days 10 & 11 – Luang Prabang, Laos”
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