"Wherever you go in Greece the people open up like flowers." -Henry Miller I agree with Mr. Miller. I've seen it. Greece provokes a fearless unfolding of human nature not just in Greeks, but in myself, in tourists, in unclassifiable, nameless faces. My time here was brief, but one with deep connections, and three weeks later … Continue reading This is Athens
I don't have any pictures, but I do have many words for Vienna. Reminisce with me. It's a Friday afternoon and I'm sitting here in the music, art, philosophy, high culture capital of the world eating a falafel wrap on an ordinary Austrian street corner, in the city that Gustav Klimt, Sigmund Freud, Mozart and Beethoven … Continue reading Seeing and Believing in Vienna
Prague is the stuff of storybooks and fairytales. Whimsical spires and unassuming elegance conjure an aesthetic for fantasists and dreamers. Being here is like being in between the states of awake and sleeping, where consciousness is malleable and reality seems blurred around the edges. Time slows down while you stir in your bed, relishing the last few … Continue reading Bohemian Rhapsody
This is Liberec: a cozy, homey, charming little place surrounded by the Jizera Mountains, sometimes affectionately and other times begrudgingly referred to as the "toilet of the Czech Republic." What they mean by that is it rains a lot here, like the gods are wringing out a wet towel over the city. It seems like the weather is always a topic … Continue reading My New Roots
If you go to Paris, go by bike. The overwhelming mystique of the mostly flat city (with more than 260 bike paths and an excellent bike share program) will unfold before you in a more manageable way. If you're on a budget, as I was, there is no better way to save money while experiencing the Parisian culture and … Continue reading The City of Lights by Bike
There is nothing that compares to the quality of life in the French countryside. My seven days here passed easily. Too quickly. I got lucky, was invited to spend a week with wonderful people and squawking chickens, among vineyards and olive trees, into a home of full bellies and fuller hearts. I slipped into a pattern of living only … Continue reading Feeling Like Family in Montpellier
Marseille is a place of magnetism, made for salty skin and picnics. But I don't know it yet. I'm on a train from Paris to Marseille and I know nothing of the city that awaits me, or the people I will meet. I am drawn here and I don't know why. I know only of my intuition, … Continue reading To See the Sea: The Joys of Marseille
One day in Paris, I decided to go for a walk. It was my second day in Paris, but my first one doesn't count, as the jet lag had me asleep in the top bunk of my hostel until 11pm, when I woke up confused and disheveled. I hadn't slept in 60 hours, a product of … Continue reading One Day in Paris
Joc Cousteau 