From tea houses in Nepal to craft cocktails in Chicago... and everything in between
We had our first visit to the Champagne region of France over Easter weekend 2019. Getting there: The Champagne region is about 45 minutes from Paris by train. The train system in phenomenal in France and all you have to do is go to their…
The Çarşamba Pazarı, or Wednesday Market, is hands down my favorite market in Istanbul. I visited six different open air markets while living in Istanbul, and although each one holds a special place in my heart, the Çarşamba Market is the one I will continue…
After spending the morning visiting Ephesus, we continued onward towards the sleepy village of Urla. A short 90 minute drive from Ephesus (and only 30 minutes from Izmir), Urla is located on the large Karaburun Peninsula to the west of Izmir. This is known as…
We took a last minute trip from Istanbul to the ancient city of Ephesus in the April of 2019. Despite planning the trip only a few days in advance, it was easily one of the highlights of my two months in Turkey. Ephesus was one…
We spent a month in Istanbul prior to our visit to Cappadocia, so we were aware that many of the most popular wine labels call central Turkey their home — most notably the Turasan and Kocabağ wineries. Having done a lot of hiking in Cappadocia,…
Love Valley is one of the most hilarious creations I’ve seen from Mother Nature to date. Over millennia, various types of rock, including volcanic ash, have eroded to create dozens of massive, phallic-shaped rock formations, technically known as hoodoos. Love Valley eventually gives way to…
While researching how to fill our time in Cappadocia, one thing was immediately apparent: it is a beautiful landscape to see by hot air balloon, but it must also be spectacular to explore by foot! Although online articles about hiking Red Valley and Rose Valley…
We visited Cappadocia (Kapadokya), one windy weekend in March of 2019. Due to weather conditions, the hot air balloons did not fly once during our three night stay in Göreme. Despite mild disappointment, we managed to have an absolutely fantastic time — filled with hiking,…
After finishing up our hike in the Albanian Alps from Valbona to Theth, we went to the Albanian capital, Tirana, to pick up our rental car and head down the coast (by way of Berat), with no plans other than to bum from one beach to another…
Mestia to Ushguli is a four-day hike in the Caucasus Mountains in NW Georgia, near the Russian border. These are actually the highest mountains in Europe, but the trek has pretty manageable elevations. Garan and I decided to do this hike in July 2018 after…