Our first order of business after landing at Gimpo was finding the train into the city. We found an ATM and got out some cash so we could purchase the one-way ticket to Seoul Station and our TPass...
Japan: Osaka, Day 2 – Minoh Falls and small whisky bars
At this point in the trip we were longing to experience some nature so when the sun came out on Wednesday we looked at public transit to Minoh (Minoo) Falls. Apparently, there was a delay on one of...
Japan: Osaka, Day 1 – Dotonbori
The 30 minute train trip from Kyoto to Osaka was easy and our hotel was just a short three-block walk from the Nippombashi station. We dropped off our bags with the friendly staff at the front desk,...
Japan: Kyoto, Day 3 – Fushimi Inari Taisha, Higashiyama, Yakitori, Hot Springs
Even though our feet were pretty worn out at this point of the trip we couldn't skip the 3.5 km hike through thousands of painted orange gates at Fushimi Inari Taisha. Many people suggest going...
Japan: Kyoto, Day 2 – Daigoji Temple, Konchi-in Temple, Tonkatsu, Bar Cordon Noir
A visitor is spoiled for choice in Kyoto when it comes to temples, so after eliminating a few options that seemed expensive or were partially under construction, we landed on Daigoji. It's located...
Namibia: Swakopmund + Walvis Bay
After our long drive through the mostly boring desert, we got into town around 2:30pm, parked the car in the secure parking area at the hotel and relaxed for a couple hours in our room (#2) at the...
Portugal 2019: Porto food & drink
Friday I was feeling pretty hungry when we arrived in Porto so we went looking for a place nearby to grab a light snack. Many restaurants didn't open until 7pm (it was close to 5:30) so after...
Portugal 2019: Lisbon food & drink
Food was a central theme of our Portugal trip, so this post will be a long one! Wednesday After dropping off our luggage at the hotel check-in desk, we headed to nearby Bythewine for a late lunch....
San Diego: food – Liberty Station, Mission Beach, Pacific Beach
Wednesday We headed back to Liberty Station for breakfast at the Fig Tree Café. The weather was reasonable, so we sat outside next a heater which was quite comfortable. Place was not too busy when...
San Diego: food – Mission Valley, Hillcrest, Liberty Station
Saturday It was an early start for Eric, so we just grabbed a quick breakfast at the hotel and then met for lunch at True Food Kitchen in the Fashion Mall. I had the Dashi Ramen bowl with Portobello...
Spain 2018: Costa del Sol food & drink
Wednesday After a full afternoon of driving, we decided to stay close to the house for our first meal on the coast and made had a reservation at Las Llaves for 7:30pm. When we arrived the restaurant...
Spain 2018: Costa del Sol sights
Friday Friday was cloudy, but at least it stayed dry, so we decided to check out Marbella. Parking was nuts! After two rounds of looking for parking we settled on the notorious steep garage... let's...
Spain 2018: Malaga
For Thanksgiving Day we decided to go into Malaga since we could mostly stay in doors (it was drizzling) and because of the wide selection of restaurants. Navigating into town was definitely a...
Spain 2018: Seville food & drink
Sunday La Azotea — Our first lunch of the trip we ordered tapas portions of beef cheek, Russian salad (huge!) and foi gras (L was a fan of the spiced orange marmalade). The wine list was small but...
Oregon: Willamette Valley – Food + Drink
Babica Hen Cafe — This was our second visit for dinner and as expected the burgers were still delicious. We opted for wine during this visit and found their choices just okay. I think beer is a...
Alsace: an afternoon in Luxembourg
To avoid French toll roads, we took a route through southwestern Germany that reminded us of North Carolina with rolling hills, farms and small towns. This routing also took us right through the...
Wokingham: eat + drink
Sunday After an easy check-in to the hotel, we walked 15 minutes into town for a cider at The Ship Inn. We ordered at the bar and sat outside in the shade as the air temp was gorgeous. The beer...
London: food + drink
Friday After my missed connection adventure it was nice to go out for some comfort food, so a trip back to Vicino for dinner was in order. We split the Sicilian Rosato special (a mix of sangiovese...
Our Itinerary
2025 Trips
Tampa Bay, FL (Jan)
Buenos Aires, Argentina (Feb)
Villa la Angostura, Argentina (Feb)
Bariloche, Argentina (Feb)
Iguazu Falls, Argentina + Brazil (Feb)
Miami, FL (Feb)
Richmond, VA (Mar)
Boston, MA (Apr)
Kathmandu, Nepal (May)
Bhutan (May)
Slovenia (Sep)
Treviso, Italy (Sep)
Bologna, Italy (Sep)
Turin, Italy (Oct)
2024 Trips
San Diego, CA (Jan)
Sarasota, FL (Feb)
Madrid, Spain (Mar)
Valencia, Spain (Mar+Apr)
Palma, Mallorca (Apr)
Croatia (May)
Long Island, NY (July)
Faroe Islands (Aug)
London, UK (Sept)
Puglia, Italy (Sept)
Matera, Italy (Oct)
Rome, Italy (Oct)
Mosel Valley, Germany (Oct)
Frankfurt, Germany (Oct)
London + Manchester, UK (Dec)
2023 Trips
San Diego (Jan)
Orlando (Feb)
Richmond, VA (Apr)
Northern Italy (Apr)
NC Mountains (May)
Long Island (Jul)
Wisconsin (Aug)
Chicago (Aug)
Oak Island, NC (Sept)
Brooklyn, NY (Sept)
Bordeaux + Rugby World Cup (Sep)
Castilla y León (Sep)
Seychelles (Nov)
Willamette Valley (Dec)