The Land of Shaven Heads – 2016
June 27, 2016. Almost every Hungarian man I’ve seen in Budapest has a shaved head. At first I thought it was in response to elevated summer temperatures, though the hottest […]
Last three days in Greece – 2016
After visiting archaic Messini, I drove back to Kalamata to visit some friends then headed for Kiyetes and asked where to find souvlaki. I only had 3 Euros in my pocket, and […]
Northern Greece – 2016
I crossed a bridge from the mainland to Chalkida on the island of Euboea and drove along the south shore of the island toward Eretrea, hoping I’d find a camp site. After a hour, […]
Eastern Peloponnese – 2016
I enjoyed the sunset views and aroma of citrus orchards as I drove southeast from Gythio along the coast toward Vigklafia where I would catch a ferry to the island of […]
Exploring Mani
I planned on leaving Kardamylli after touring the Fermor abode, but the weather had other plans. Normally summer rains in this part of Greece are light and infrequent. Not so […]
Patrick Leigh Fermor in Kardamyli
Today I had the honor of visiting Patrick Leigh Fermor’s home in Kalamatsi (just around the bend from Kardamyli), author of many travel books including A Time of Gifts about […]
Life in Exochori
I drove back to Exochori to see its museum on Wednesday morning. It is located in the former elementary school built by local villagers. There I met Giannis Koumendeas, the […]
Kardamyli and environs
I spent much more time in Kardamyli that planned. Four days to be exact. And given that I only had the rental car for 19 days and had to travel […]
I left my heart on Kefalonia
Yes, I really did. I cried when I left, that’s how much I fell in love with the Ionian island of Kefalonia (also spelled Cephalonia). After arriving on Poros on […]
The beautiful Peloponnese
Apologies for the belated nature of this post. It turns out that using a folding bluetooth keyboard with my iphone is not an ideal computer system for speedy typing. Too […]
A bit about me
I grew up in the orchard town of Sunnyvale in the 1960s. As a kid I played among the apricot orchards near my house and would sit in the cherry […]
Memorable walkabout
In June 2000, my mom and I spent 3 weeks in Ireland. It was the first time I’d ever been. Unfortunately, I haven’t been back since. We landed in Dublin […]
Nick Ferentinos
Nick has been a key figure throughout my life. He was the journalism advisor for the Epitaph, the Homestead high school newspaper, on which I served for 3 years as […]
The Fallen
The last few months have been marked with the loss of very dear teachers, family, and friends. So many have passed recently that I compiled a list of fallen friends […]
The Enchanted Caravan
I attended one of my favorite annual events in the frosty month of January, the Kindergarten Forum hosted by Betty Peck and Anna Rainville. This year it was led by […]
Visiting relatives in Lodz
I hated that drive. It took me 12 or 13 hours and by the time I landed in Lodz I felt beaten up and thrown out to dry. Speaking of […]
Northern Lithuania and Latvia
I drove to the end of the spit where the dolphin sea world type show is held. I don’t like seeing animals in captivity perform, so opted not to see […]
Klaipeda Sea Festival
Armed with a map of the Baltic countries and a GPS that belonged in a computer history museum, I found my way to Klaipeda and a good (free) place to […]
Vilnius
I spent the day wandering around downtown Tbilsi, going to the big market near the stadium and buying a small fan to cool me off on hot nights. I went […]
Armenia or Bust
The next morning, I packed and took the metro south of Tblisi on the road to Armenia. I was lucky to get some rides to the border where I met […]
Back in Tblisi
My next ride was not so serene. After waiting about an hour at the train station in Zugdidi, I caught a marshutka headed directly for Tblisi. Unfortunately, 10 minutes or so out […]
Svaneti
I crossed the Abhazia/Georgia border by foot. I had anticipated problems in reentering Georgia, as I’d stayed longer than I had thought in Abkhazia (30 days rather than 10). But […]
Abkhazia
Still in Georgia, I awoke in the north Caucasus range in the small village of Stephantsminda and found a marshutka to the road just south of Mskheta. There I found a […]
En route to Tblisi
“Look into the yellow light” said my new Finnish friend with whom I talked for 4 of the 9 hours of flight time from SFO to LHR (London Heathrow). As […]
Isla de Mujeres
Exhausted, I awoke that Tuesday to what seemed like 105 degrees at the hour of 7:30am. Juan and I spent about an hour chatting further. I was amazed at his […]
Queretaro and back to Mexico City
I didn’t get any photos of the mummies (more like well preserved cadavers) in Queretaro as my camera batteries had died. My friend and I stopped for tacos a la […]
Guanajuato
I reluctantly left San Miguel de Allende and headed to Guanajuato in the evening. I had hoped to stop in Pozos (a ghost town) and Dolores Hidalgo (the “birthplace” of […]
San Miguel de Allende
I got into San Miguel around 8:30pm and found a micro to the Oratorio, near Calle Loreto where La Catrina hostel is located. As I walked down Calle Loreto, I […]
Back in Ixtapaluca
I awoke Wednesday happy to be with my friend Ruben. The next few days were fairly uneventful, which was nice. I borrowed the bike and shopped for food at the […]
Swimming Hole near Zacatlan
The next day I woke up after a good sleep and talked with Yolanda and family, and did a bit of house cleaning to help out. I packed my things, […]
Zacatlan
After my mocha, I put my giant pack on my back in search of Yolanda Sanchez Reyes, a kind lady who offered me a place to stay a few days […]
On to Chignahuapan
I spent a few more days in Tlaxcala, visiting the museo de arte popular (or artesenias) where I discovered a live scorpion in a 200 year old “talaveras” mug, amongst […]
Tlaxcala
I arrived in Tlaxcala in the afternoon and searched for a place to stay. Hotels here are more than twice as expensive as Puebla or Mexico City. I’m essentially spending […]
Puebla
As I said, I arrived in Puebla on Thurs around 2pm. I had a long chat with the tourist information guy, who gave me a lot of good information. After […]
A Memorial for Ilona
November 6 – December 13, 2012. As soon as she was legally able, my cousin Ilona Karpinski had changed her name to Kristie Ainsley. Named after my grandmother Ilona, she […]
Bariloche and Villa Angostura
July 28, 2012. I spent five days in Bariloche, doing my best to escape the tourist-laden bustle of town each day. The place felt like a version of Disneyland, polished […]
Chiloé
July 25, 2012. It has been a month since I last posted. Access to a computer has been scarce, and honestly, I haven’t felt much like writing. Sleep has been […]
Valdivia and Puerto Varas
June 28, 2012. The rain hasn’t let up—falling hard, nearly two inches a day. I haven’t seen the sun in over a week, but at night, the sound of it […]
Pucón
June 18, 2012. During the month I spent in Santiago, I met a flautist street musician, and we started spending time together. For the last week or so of my […]
Santiago de Chile
March 1, 2012. I had planned to fly to Buenos Aires on April 3. Already in early March, I was knee-deep in frantic packing. I’d been looking forward to Carnival […]
Lisa Karpinski 