"In shāʾ Allāh " roughly translates to "God willing", and was a frequent utterance from our Muslim hosts in Fez. With their (and God's) help and some practice, we avoided getting too lost and enjoyed the culturally immersive experience. Our excitement to visit Morocco was followed by a degree of hesitation. It was still technically … Continue reading Lost then Found (In shāʾ Allāh!) in the Streets of Fez, Morocco
The pim-pam sounds of a man playing a hand-pan instrument warp me back to when I was 11. I was sitting at my family’s old Window’s XP desktop computer playing a game: Age of Empires. It was a real-time strategy game where the player takes on the conquests of history as the commander of a … Continue reading Granada, Spain and the Moorish Marvels of Andalusia
Every street of the town oozed charm. It was a city where we immediately regretted not spending more time. The sharp “click-clack” of horses’ hooves emanated from the black cobbled rows of streets as buggies passed with tourists. While it was a popular place for tourism, it did not feel like “too much” as other … Continue reading Bruges, Belgium: Marvelously Medieval
The image I had of Croatia was sun-soaked islands and red tiled roofs jutting out into the Adriatic sea. While some of it lived up to that expectation, for me the best existed in northern Croatia. Zagreb was alive. Within our first day we saw street performers, markets, festivals, and countless rows of large umbrellas … Continue reading Zagreb, Croatia: A City Alive
Mostar is a city located in the south of Bosnia and Herzegovina close to the Croatian border. The city was characterized by an old Ottoman styled bridge spanning a deep, green river. Lanky, local men in Speedo swimsuits took turns seeking money from the gawking crowds while others leaped from the bridge into the moving … Continue reading Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina: Bridging Cultures
Many of my posts begin with a reflection on the transport to the destination. The ride to Stockholm was no different. Sweden has an estimated 10,000 lakes and endless miles of tall forests. The sights flickered past as we wound our way to the city. Our Airbnb was situated just 50 yards from a winding … Continue reading Cycling the Archipelago: Stockholm, Sweden
Hannover, Germany Hannover is a sleepy city in the northern central portion of Germany. It houses a large university adjacent to a sprawling park and a few sites. Hannover served as a quick stopover for us and provided time for some planning before heading farther north into Scandinavia. The Aegidienkirche, a church, was unlike any … Continue reading Hannover and Hamburg, Germany
All I knew of Dresden was a bit of its depiction by Kurt Vonnegut in "Slaughterhouse Five", and it had been some time since I had read it. Dresden was significant because up to 135,000 civilians were likely killed during the air raids during WWII. The Allies (Britain and USA) dropped approximately 1247 bombs on … Continue reading Dresden, Germany
Day 3/Palm Sunday I woke up sicker than the prior day but wanted to at least leave the Airbnb for a bit. We decided to walk down to Vatican City to meet Hannah’s cousin Claire at Palm Sunday Mass in Vatican Square. The square was not as packed as I had expected. There were 2 … Continue reading Rome, Italy: Part 2
Our host's cousin picked us up from the airport last night at 1am. He was quite the character: passionate about the NBA, his kids, and gave great advice to avoid traveler's mistakes while in Athens. Normally, I am an early bird and wake up at the crack of dawn while Hannah sleeps in until 9am … Continue reading Athens: Columns, Cats, and Graffiti
It's A Ritch Life 