May 27th, 2011 at 9:00AM: "I'm lost. I'm late. I'm sorry," I blurted into the phone, in French.
Silence.
"So, Monsieur Manouvrier, if it's OK I would still like to meet you today."
"You are an hour late. Do you think I have nothing better to do? You Americans think you are so important?" he bellowed, barely breathing between salvos. "Do you think we are so honored to speak to an American that we will stop ...Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
travel posts
Lost and Liberated in the Dordogne
May 27th, 2011 at 9:00AM: "I'm lost. I'm late. I'm sorry," I blurted into the phone, in French.
Silence.
"So, Monsieur Manouvrier, if it's OK I would still like to meet you today."
"You are an hour late. Do you think I have nothing better to do? You Americans think you are so important?" he bellowed, barely breathing between salvos. "Do you think we are so honored to speak to an American that we will stop ...Iceland volcano cancels flights
May 24th, 2011 at 7:00AM:
Here we go again.
After last year's misery from the Eyjafjallajökull eruption, now another Icelandic volcano, Grimsvötn, is causing a new round of worries.
More than 250 flights have already been canceled as a cloud of volcanic ash blows over Scotland. Most of Ireland, northern Wales, and northern England will see the ash later today.
Several Scottish airports have been ...DayZipping launches Android app, brings fresh trips to fresh places
May 17th, 2011 at 9:00AM:
It wasn't quite a year ago that an Atlanta-based startup dubbed DayZipping set out to change the way people interacted with new places. But having a growing pool of day trips -- journeys that can be completed within one to eight hours by foot, bike, car or train -- only does a user so much good on the big screen. At last week's Google I/O conference, the company launched their first foray into ...Zurich to vote on suicide tourism
May 15th, 2011 at 10:00AM: Zurich is set to vote on whether to continue allowing foreigners to seek assisted suicide in the city.
Assisted suicide is legal in Switzerland, but the public has become increasingly concerned about the number of people coming to their country with the intention of killing themselves.
Two proposals are on the table: one to ban assisted suicide for everyone, the other to limit it to city ...The weather delay blues
May 15th, 2011 at 8:00AM:
Ahh... travel. It can be such a magnificent, wonderful thing. Exploring other cultures, visiting beautiful destinations, and sampling local cuisines are all magically sublime experiences. But when things don't quite go as planned, it can be an extremely frustrating affair. One that makes us wonder why we ever left home in the first place.
I received a sobering reminder of this little fact ...Ten (more) random observations about Ethiopia
Apr 26th, 2011 at 9:30AM:
When writing last year's Ethiopia travel series, I collected twelve random observations about Ethiopia. These were interesting bits of information that didn't fit in any of my articles. While writing my Harar travel series, I collected ten more.
1. The standard traveler's money belt that hangs from your neck and is tucked under your shirt is very amusing to Ethiopians because Oromo women ...Travel caution urged but experiences await, what to do?
Apr 23rd, 2011 at 12:00PM:
Troubling events around the world can often bring official alerts and warnings against travel to protect us from harm. Savvy travelers know to pay attention to those words of caution, but not let them define their adventures. Connecting with experienced travelers can bring a fuzzy picture of what is actually happening on the ground into focus. A clear picture of the real situation from a trusted ...Bamburgh Castle excavation reveals Anglo-Saxon building
Apr 22nd, 2011 at 11:00AM:
An excavation in the courtyard of Bamburgh Castle has uncovered an Anglo-Saxon hall, the BBC reports.
It was already known that there was a castle here from the 6th century AD, when England was a patchwork of small Anglo-Saxon kingdoms. The kingdom of Northumbria was the largest and one of the most powerful. Little was known about the Anglo-Saxon period at Bamburgh, however, because of the ...Lesbian couple sues hotel after being denied double room
Apr 22nd, 2011 at 8:30AM: A lesbian couple is suing a hotel in England after being refused a double room.
Rebecca Nash and Hope Stubbings say they tried to check into the Brunswick Square Hotel in Brighton but were refused a room because the hotel only gives rooms to couples.
This is surprising for a number of reasons. First, it's illegal in the UK for hotels to refuse rooms to gay and lesbian couples. Second, ...The worst zoo I ever saw
Apr 21st, 2011 at 9:00AM: I feel sorry for my Harari friends.
During my stay in Harar, Ethiopia, they were so hospitable, so eager to ensure I had a 100% positive impression of their city and country. For the most part I did, and I left for the capital Addis Ababa with lots of great things to say about Ethiopia.
They should have warned me not to visit the Lion Zoo in Addis Ababa.
It's billed as a natural wonder, ...Harla: Ethiopia's lost civilization
Mar 29th, 2011 at 9:30AM:
Eastern Ethiopia's history is shrouded in mystery. Most archaeologists investigate early hominids like Lucy, the famous Australopithecus afarensis, or study the great civilizations of the north like Gondar and Axum. The east, though, is virtually unknown, and only enigmatic ruins and strange legends remain.
Scattered around eastern Ethiopia all the way to Somaliland and the Red Sea are the ...Travel and Jewish ceremonies a great match, who knew?
Mar 28th, 2011 at 5:00PM:
In the days of old, like a few years ago, traditional Jewish coming-of-age ceremonies were held in traditional ways. Study the Torah. Read the Torah. Give a report about the Torah. Something along those lines. Kinda boring but part of the deal. It was the after-party that got all the press. Now, things are changing as families look for new ways to celebrate one of the Jewish faith's most ...A visit to an African market
Mar 28th, 2011 at 8:30AM:
One of Africa's best attractions are its markets. Full of vibrant life and color, an African market always makes for a fascinating visit.
Harar has one big and several smaller markets. There used to be one at each of its five gates, but some have dwindled to barely half a dozen women selling tomatoes and potatoes. The only big gate markets now are at Assum Gate, where there's a busy market ...Travel industry battered by world crises says CNN
Mar 27th, 2011 at 8:00AM: A recent report from CNN says that the spate of world crises that have occurred in the first three months of the year has hit the travel industry especially hard. Natural disasters and political unrest have left many travelers rethinking their plans or cancelling trips altogether as they scramble to avoid a host of issues across the globe.
The earthquake and tsunami in Japan, coupled with fears ...An interview with a traditional African healer
Mar 25th, 2011 at 8:30AM: At first glance, Alia Abdi doesn't look like someone who can cure cancer with a simple recipe. A middle-aged wife and mother living in a typical home at the end of a rambling alley in Harar's old city, she offers visitors hot coffee and a ready smile, like any other hostess in this hospitable town.
Alia gets a lot of visitors. She's a traditional Ethiopian healer, with a variety of herbal ...Xcom Global's MiFi rental service: why you shouldn't leave the US without one
Mar 23rd, 2011 at 12:00PM:
The goal here was to utilize Xcom Global's MiFi rental service to stay connected and work while traveling. The trip? Four days in England, followed by three in France. I was scheduled to shoot my first international wedding in Paris, and was spending a few days in England beforehand -- partly to enjoy the country, and partly to ensure that no weather problems in the US delayed my flight over. ...Gasbuddy can help save on your next roadtrip
Mar 7th, 2011 at 12:15PM:
Sure, the price of gas is going up but Gasbuddy can help save on your next roadtrip. Gasbuddy.com has been online since 2000 and has some really cool tools that make finding the least expensive gas easy.
To start with, the site is pretty straightforward: Pick your U.S. state or Canadian province, plug in your location and in just a few seconds you get the results. Gasbuddy gives a long ...Getting to Harar: riding the bus through eastern Ethiopia
Mar 7th, 2011 at 9:00AM:
It's good to be back in Ethiopia again.
I've noticed some changes since my last trip to Ethiopia. More high-rises are going up in the capital Addis Ababa and ATMs have finally appeared. The Internet is faster too, although it isn't the full broadband promised by the government.
Addis is fun, but my real destination is Harar, a medieval walled city in eastern Ethiopia. The whole city is a ...A Comfortable Rhythm in Jericoacoara, Brazil
Mar 4th, 2011 at 3:00PM:
As soon as the bartender handed over two ice cold Antarcticas, the Brazilian answer to Budweiser, I began to contemplate the similarities between the beer and the place in which my husband and I had just arrived: Jericoacoara. The formula of this beach was all too familiar: miles of white sand; clusters of coconut palms; makeshift umbrellas dotting the space between the open-air bar and the ...Travel diary: How I found acceptance in a Spanish hospital
Mar 4th, 2011 at 2:30PM: Avid travelers wear the title of "wanderer" like a badge of honor.
I know I do – I never completely related to my peers in my small Nebraska hometown. My brain was always dreaming, always scheming for ways to create the life I wanted – and that didn't include Nebraska.
I fell in love with Spain as a teen – the architecture and culture drew me in with its passionate allure ...
