On the Road to Chicago
August 9–19, 2019. I was home for my dear friend Ed Bierman’s memorial on the 10th. While back, I spent time with friends, went to Peter Nowell’s pool party, attended […]
Chicago to Canada
August 24–September 2, 2019. I stayed with Cathie and Don in Chicago for a week. They had invited me to visit after we met during their stay at the AirBnb […]
Yamagata
April 22, 2025. We woke early, packed for the next leg of the journey, and headed back to the cute cafe we had found the day before. One of my […]
Aizuwakamatsu
April 19, 2025. Before catching the train from Tokyo to Aizuwakamtsu, we headed to the Fukagawa Edo museum which we had visited my first time in Tokyo in November. They […]
Tokyo
April 15, 2025. Shawn and I were traveling back to Japan after having visited (my first time) in November and December 2024. It had been a wonderful trip. We had […]
Istria to France
August 23, 2022. I camped on the beach near Pula, falling asleep to the sound of the Adriatic lapping against the shore. I awoke to the sound of cars driving […]
Slovenia
August 19, 2022. I woke to a wet, miserable mess. Everything felt damp, but miraculously my tent fly had held up and kept me dry. Thank you, trusty gear. I […]
Lungau, Austria
August 15, 2022. I hadn’t slept all night, spiraling with anxiety about whether my housemate would agree to move. Bleary eyed, I checked my email and there it was—his message […]
Hallein, Austria
August 12, 2022. I woke to a damp world. Everything was wet—tent, gear, me—but I had actually slept pretty well, considering. I drove down to the base of the park, […]
Bavarian Alps to Salzburg
August 9, 2022. I woke up in a pile of dog poop. Not the best way to start the day. I packed up camp, determined to find coffee and something […]
Munich
August 6, 2022. Arriving in downtown Munich was no small feat—first a ten-minute walk to the metro, then a half-hour subway ride. But I bought my €9 ticket and made […]
Landsberg am Lech, Germany
July 31, 2022. I’ve visited my childhood friend Anne a few times since 2010, my first time in Europe as an adult. Her father had worked with my mom at […]
The Romantic Strasse
July 28, 2022. I was sad to leave Ursula. Her kindness and comfortable abode had provided a valuable respite. I left reluctantly, heading to Rothenburg ob der Tauber, but traffic […]
On to Schwäbisch Hall
July 18, 2022. I slept in till 10. It took me a while to get moving—washing clothes, showering, making breakfast and lunch, clearing out the car, tidying up the house. […]
Along the Neckar
July 16, 2022. I woke up to a cool morning, a refreshing change after the heat of the previous days. It’s been sweltering, with temperatures in the 80s and 90s […]
Leaving Bonn
July 12, 2022. I woke around 9 having slept poorly due to worry. I’d been tossing and turning thinking about the two months remaining and had no idea how I […]
On to Germany
July 4, 2022. Today was a slow start—I woke at 10 and headed to breakfast, where Coosje and I talked for a few minutes. I thanked her for her kindness, […]
Exploring Eibergen
July 1, 2022. Given that I hadn’t gone to sleep till 1 a.m., I had a better sleep than expected. I woke with a start, worried Roel and Coosje were […]
Brussels to Eibergen
June 29, 2022. Another bad night sleep. This time chocolate was the culprit. After only three hours of sleep, I rolled out of bed at 8:45, went to my favorite […]
Wandering Through Bruges
June 26, 2022. After breakfast with my friends, I packed up for Bruges—well, almost. I made it halfway to the car before realizing the keys were still back at the […]
Ghent, Belgium
June 22, 2022. Even though it was hot and I hadn’t slept well, we had had a special solstice watching the sunset and I was grateful to be here. Hendrik […]
Reims to Ghent
June 20, 2022. Exhausted from the past few days, I slept in and didn’t wake up until 10. I set off to find a sunshade, a pillow, and some groceries—just […]
Dinan to Reims
June 16, 2022. The place we were staying at was lovely—peaceful, green, and full of character. I wandered around the yard in the morning and ended up chatting with a […]
Chichester to Dinan
June 13, 2022. Tension between Shawn and I carried over from the night before. I woke knowing Shawn wanted more time to see the Roman villa and offered to ask […]
Bath and the Cotswalds
June 11, 2022. We woke up to a really nice breakfast at our place—surprisingly good, especially considering it was included in the price of our hotel, which was very reasonable […]
Across the Channel to Cornwall
June 8, 2022. I woke at 7am after three hours of sleep and felt miserable—my cold was worse, and my body protested every movement. We left late, at 7:30, and […]
Landudec to Commana
June 4, 2022. I regretted having to retrace my steps for the forgotten pillows. My anxiety manifested as a nightmare. I dreamt I had slept through my alarm and not […]
Locoal-Mendon to Landudec
June 1, 2022. I had a nice chat with our hostess over breakfast. My French was steadily improving, and I enjoyed understanding more nuance. She and her husband were wooden […]
Rennes to Carnac
May 24, 2022. Bretagne Rules the Waves. A punny reference to “Rule Brittania, Brittania Rules the Waves”, a patriotic British song oft heard at Dickens Faire. The names “Brittany” (French: […]
Remembering Brian
Brian Stoll met me slogging up the road toward Boquete Tree Trek Mountain Resort. I’d been walking about 40 minutes when I heard a car approach, and not thinking he […]
Gay Paris
May 16, 2022. This was my first time in Paris as an adult. My experience as a 5 year old on our European camping trip doesn’t count. All I remember […]
Southwest Coast of Costa Rica
May 3, 2023. I hadn’t planned to wake at the crack of dawn, but knew I had to wake early as it could take much of the day to go […]
Back to Boquete
April 29 – May 2, 2023, Panama. I had hurt my knee in Bocas del Toro and was worried I wouldn’t be able to continue with the trip. It had […]
On to Boquete
March 30, 2023. My benefactors headed north through terrible roads which required a 4 wheel drive, and for two hours we wound our way down the hill and along the […]
El Valle de Anton
March 25, 2023, Panama. I was in Panama City, standing in line for the bus to El Valle de Anton. A woman in line said her brother had a house […]
Panama City
March 14, 2023. I arrived at my local airport in San Jose, CA with a few hours to kill. I was feeling sad about leaving home, and Shawn was kind […]
My friend Chris
I arrived back home Sept 19 to a whirlwind of activity: trying to find a new housemate by October 1, unpacking, cleaning, major yard work, seeing some old friends, and […]
The Enchanted Caravan
The first Friday in January for many years, I attended Nancy Mellon’s storytelling weekend at the Peck’s. This particular January, she had asked us to write a fairy tale showing […]
My letter on behalf of Ushguli, Georgia
March 17 2016 To whom it may concern: I am writing concerning the Chazhashi village within the Ushguli community, referenced by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site at http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/709. […]
My Inner Winter
Last night I was lulled to sleep by the rain. I usually can’t sleep without earplugs. Hearing rain rather than traffic reawakened my childhood desire to live closer to nature. […]
Lisa Karpinski 