Beirut, the “Paris of the Middle East”
Everything in Beirut has the forgiving blue light of the Mediterranean, its outstretched arms embracing the city’s spirit, and it offers an escape from its warring neighbors. The sea is at the heart of its culture and the people nurture that link to those countries not that far away. If you squinted really hard while […]
A Beirut Souvenir
When I toured Byblos four years ago, there was a tiny shop tended by an distinguished gentleman who’d once bought artifacts from the workers at the dig for pennies and now he had a thriving small business selling them to tourists like me. I bought a small cobalt glass bottle and a palm-sized stone carving […]
A Little Romance
For some reason, I’ve avoided Paris since I was twenty-four, a trip punctuated by my peeing the hotel’s feather bed after a night of too many beers. This time, though, couldn’t have been more different and without any urinary mishaps. The past three days captured the light and the love this city always promised. While […]
Thailand
[et_pb_section admin_label="section"] [et_pb_row admin_label="row"] [et_pb_column type="4_4"][et_pb_text admin_label="Text"] [/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column] [/et_pb_row] [/et_pb_section]Warsaw
While the people are warm, the city is shadowed by a tragic history. Those I’ve talked to seem to hate the Soviets more than the Nazis, though both left a grim legacy. Eighty-five percent of this city was leveled, kind of like an Alabama town after a tornado, but nature had nothing to do with […]
Tbilisi
This city is beautifully shabby, the people are warm, the shops beg for more tourism, and tomorrow is the national celebration of the Republic of Georgia’s independence from the Soviet Union (edit: tomorrow will honor the 100th anniversary of Georgia joining the Soviet Union when things “were good,” according to my last taxi driver) with […]
Tahiti
Sydney
Seoul
This is the most difficult city I’ve ever visited, a place that refuses to bend the knee to the Roman alphabet and a frown is the state expression. The Joint Security Area portion of the DMZ tour was canceled with no notice, a whim of the North or the South. Who knows? No explanation given. […]
St. Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is an aggressively ornate city, as if they wanted to show the French a thing or two when it came to excessive beauty. Wedding cake structures the color of Paas-colored Easter eggs line the wide boulevards, artists and musicians dotting them where they can find space. This time of year, the sun bears […]