I just visited my 49th state (Oregon) and, while I've been lucky to go abroad, the most rewarding travel in my life has been getting to know my own country better. Internationally, Stockholm is a favorite too few Americans have been too, and London is just exceptional and a global city for a reason.
But for a Northern like me, driving through places like rural Mississippi has been more eye-opening and more culturally enriching than seeing any city outside our borders. I highly recommend it.
Travel! The delight of my life! Best tip for European cities: go in late fall, early spring. It is horribly hot in summer, horribly congested with tourists, too. Best cities: the art in Florence is incredible, and the food is great! The Amalfi Coast from Naples to Positano is spectacular (the museums in Naples have all the really cool stuff from Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast drive is terrifying and breathtaking and the little towns are gorgeous and have great food). Berlin is a surprise: numerous museums about the rise of Hitler and the fascism playbook, the Ishtar Gate is in the museum there, they do both international and German food wonderfully, and the dogs there walk off leash everywhere and are perfectly behaved, including stopping and sitting before crossing the street. Vienna has a fabulous modern art museum.
Closer to home: among my all time top 5 is Twillingate, Newfoundland, a tiny town which in late May is the best place to see icebergs the size of buildings, calved off from the glaciers that float down the Atlantic coast. You can eat the best lobster in the world, and the people there are wonderful. Fun fact, a huge proportion of Canadian comedians are from Newfoundland and when you visit, you see why. And Toronto, because it is so diverse, is one of the best food cities in the world, if you like Vietnamese, Ethiopian, Hakka Chinese, Portuguese, Macedonian, Italian, Greek… see where I’m going here?
You weren't lying about the Trump article from the 1990s... Singer saw Trump so clearly: "a fellow both slippery and naïve, artfully calculating and recklessly heedless of consequences."
I'm no global jetsetter, but I have been abroad a fair amount in recent years. I've both enjoyed it and, in the "top" destinations (like, say, Rome or the Amalfi coast) found the sheer volume of tourism and the degree to which that tourism is warping the economy and culture of the place dismaying. Tokyo felt like an exception: it's so big, and its attractions are spread enough throughout the city, that the overtourism does not feel so obvious.
For what it's worth, which is very little, I've always felt like the big tourist destinations were sort of obligatory stops, but I've enjoyed smaller places more.
I also saw the Cardinals and Cubs in London! Very fun. So, I had not been to many other countries, either, but two summers ago we knocked out a whole bunch in less than two weeks: we did a cruise that stopped at a different city nearly every day for almost two weeks. You get off the boat in the morning, see as much as possible until late afternoon or early evening, and run back on board so they don’t leave without you. It was like speed dating Europe. We saw two cities in Croatia, several spots in Italy, Greece, Malta, Cannes in France, Majorca, and Barcelona. We barely did anything on the boat besides sleep, and that was a great way to hit a bunch of countries without having to unpack and repack your bag!
Norway. The entire country. Oslo of course. Bergen, Stavanger, and a bunch of smaller cities like Kristiansund, Molde, Trondheim etc. We hope to wander to as far north as our bodies can take the cold, northern lights and all. Svalbard? Maybe.
Nuremberg and Budapest were bookends to a wonderful Danube River Cruise on Avalon Waterways.
Like a previous commenter mentioned a different city and country most days. Vienna and Bratislava were gorgeous in their own ways.
River cruises are smaller, 130-150 ppl and much more manageable than the big ones. Highly recommend.
A city I'd recommend is Amsterdam. Lovely, relaxed, friendly, more like a small town (it seemed like there were more bicycles than cars), two great art museums, and the Anne Frank House, the most sobering place I've ever experienced.
That Trump Solo article is amazing in its description of the present, like you said. And the ending paragraph is heart-breaking and terrifying and seems to explain and portend a lot.
I saw Disclosure Day yesterday and I agree. I told my wife about it, saying, “I’m not sure I’d recommend it, but it was really interesting.” I liked the idea of it more than I enjoyed it, you know? Still glad I went, though.
And, like you, I’ve traveled some, but not nearly as much as I’d like to have by now at age 55. However, I’ve still got plenty of energy — and I’ve had a few friends experience some serious health setbacks — that I figure sooner is better than later, so I need to get crackin’!
I am a professor who has led study away trips to make up for not doing international travel earlier in my life, and last year I spent 6 months living in Namibia. That enabled a spring break trip to Cape Town—perhaps the most stunning cityscape I’ve ever seen. Driving down to the cape of good hope, stopping to see penguins on the beach in the morning and music on the beach at sunset, is among my most unforgettable travel days.
Put Barcelona on your list. The food, the Gaudi sites, It's amazing. We were only there for a couple days but we fell in love with it. Also if you can, try driving in the United Kingdom and on the autobahn. Those were bucket list items for me.
I couldn't get behind The New Yorker paywall, but it's not really needed. There were plenty of stories about who Donald Trump was before the first election, and people chose to ignore them. Or they didn't care, take your pick. A story will not break through to those who need to hear it. But they still need to be published for historical purposes, and because the occasional person might read them and change their mind.
I went on a European trip that coincided with the 2014 World Cup. Watching matches in biergartens were an awesome experience that I’ll never forget. The six cities I visited were Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam, Prague, Vienna, and Munich, and while I enjoyed them all, Amsterdam, Prague, and Munich would be the top recs of that group. (I am sure many folks would vehemently disagree with my Paris not emerging as a top destination from that group and that’s the beauty of this exercise).
"I wouldn’t believe Donald Trump if his tongue were notarized." 😂
I read that Trump article when it was written, and its a perfect representation of his bullshit, then or now.
The guy has always been more full of shit than an elephant with no asshole, and dumber than a second coat of paint.
I just visited my 49th state (Oregon) and, while I've been lucky to go abroad, the most rewarding travel in my life has been getting to know my own country better. Internationally, Stockholm is a favorite too few Americans have been too, and London is just exceptional and a global city for a reason.
But for a Northern like me, driving through places like rural Mississippi has been more eye-opening and more culturally enriching than seeing any city outside our borders. I highly recommend it.
Travel! The delight of my life! Best tip for European cities: go in late fall, early spring. It is horribly hot in summer, horribly congested with tourists, too. Best cities: the art in Florence is incredible, and the food is great! The Amalfi Coast from Naples to Positano is spectacular (the museums in Naples have all the really cool stuff from Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast drive is terrifying and breathtaking and the little towns are gorgeous and have great food). Berlin is a surprise: numerous museums about the rise of Hitler and the fascism playbook, the Ishtar Gate is in the museum there, they do both international and German food wonderfully, and the dogs there walk off leash everywhere and are perfectly behaved, including stopping and sitting before crossing the street. Vienna has a fabulous modern art museum.
Closer to home: among my all time top 5 is Twillingate, Newfoundland, a tiny town which in late May is the best place to see icebergs the size of buildings, calved off from the glaciers that float down the Atlantic coast. You can eat the best lobster in the world, and the people there are wonderful. Fun fact, a huge proportion of Canadian comedians are from Newfoundland and when you visit, you see why. And Toronto, because it is so diverse, is one of the best food cities in the world, if you like Vietnamese, Ethiopian, Hakka Chinese, Portuguese, Macedonian, Italian, Greek… see where I’m going here?
Happy travels!
You weren't lying about the Trump article from the 1990s... Singer saw Trump so clearly: "a fellow both slippery and naïve, artfully calculating and recklessly heedless of consequences."
I'm no global jetsetter, but I have been abroad a fair amount in recent years. I've both enjoyed it and, in the "top" destinations (like, say, Rome or the Amalfi coast) found the sheer volume of tourism and the degree to which that tourism is warping the economy and culture of the place dismaying. Tokyo felt like an exception: it's so big, and its attractions are spread enough throughout the city, that the overtourism does not feel so obvious.
For what it's worth, which is very little, I've always felt like the big tourist destinations were sort of obligatory stops, but I've enjoyed smaller places more.
I also saw the Cardinals and Cubs in London! Very fun. So, I had not been to many other countries, either, but two summers ago we knocked out a whole bunch in less than two weeks: we did a cruise that stopped at a different city nearly every day for almost two weeks. You get off the boat in the morning, see as much as possible until late afternoon or early evening, and run back on board so they don’t leave without you. It was like speed dating Europe. We saw two cities in Croatia, several spots in Italy, Greece, Malta, Cannes in France, Majorca, and Barcelona. We barely did anything on the boat besides sleep, and that was a great way to hit a bunch of countries without having to unpack and repack your bag!
Norway. The entire country. Oslo of course. Bergen, Stavanger, and a bunch of smaller cities like Kristiansund, Molde, Trondheim etc. We hope to wander to as far north as our bodies can take the cold, northern lights and all. Svalbard? Maybe.
Nuremberg and Budapest were bookends to a wonderful Danube River Cruise on Avalon Waterways.
Like a previous commenter mentioned a different city and country most days. Vienna and Bratislava were gorgeous in their own ways.
River cruises are smaller, 130-150 ppl and much more manageable than the big ones. Highly recommend.
A city I'd recommend is Amsterdam. Lovely, relaxed, friendly, more like a small town (it seemed like there were more bicycles than cars), two great art museums, and the Anne Frank House, the most sobering place I've ever experienced.
That Trump Solo article is amazing in its description of the present, like you said. And the ending paragraph is heart-breaking and terrifying and seems to explain and portend a lot.
I realized God exists after visiting Positano, Italia.
I saw Disclosure Day yesterday and I agree. I told my wife about it, saying, “I’m not sure I’d recommend it, but it was really interesting.” I liked the idea of it more than I enjoyed it, you know? Still glad I went, though.
And, like you, I’ve traveled some, but not nearly as much as I’d like to have by now at age 55. However, I’ve still got plenty of energy — and I’ve had a few friends experience some serious health setbacks — that I figure sooner is better than later, so I need to get crackin’!
Venice. It's really other worldly. Plus close to Rome so a two-fer. Take your kids.
I'm also worried I have missed so much.
I am a professor who has led study away trips to make up for not doing international travel earlier in my life, and last year I spent 6 months living in Namibia. That enabled a spring break trip to Cape Town—perhaps the most stunning cityscape I’ve ever seen. Driving down to the cape of good hope, stopping to see penguins on the beach in the morning and music on the beach at sunset, is among my most unforgettable travel days.
Put Barcelona on your list. The food, the Gaudi sites, It's amazing. We were only there for a couple days but we fell in love with it. Also if you can, try driving in the United Kingdom and on the autobahn. Those were bucket list items for me.
I couldn't get behind The New Yorker paywall, but it's not really needed. There were plenty of stories about who Donald Trump was before the first election, and people chose to ignore them. Or they didn't care, take your pick. A story will not break through to those who need to hear it. But they still need to be published for historical purposes, and because the occasional person might read them and change their mind.
Vienna is my favorite European city. Highly recommended. You could add in some Third Man locations if you need another movie tie in.
I went on a European trip that coincided with the 2014 World Cup. Watching matches in biergartens were an awesome experience that I’ll never forget. The six cities I visited were Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam, Prague, Vienna, and Munich, and while I enjoyed them all, Amsterdam, Prague, and Munich would be the top recs of that group. (I am sure many folks would vehemently disagree with my Paris not emerging as a top destination from that group and that’s the beauty of this exercise).