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Monthly Archives: February 2020
[Last Updated Mar 30, 2022] Many of the national parks in the West offer amazing accommodations in the form of historic hotels and lodges built at the beginning of the 20th century. Train travel made America’s national parks more accessible at the time, creating the need for accommodations within or nearby. Spending the night at a national park lodge isn’t cheap, and the amenities one might expect at that price point are… Read More
[Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Jan 18, 2020] After spending the morning in Carlsbad Caverns National Park, we headed to Guadalupe Mountains, just 30 minutes away. These mountains were once a reef in the same inland sea that covered the Carlsbad Caverns! Today, Guadalupe is home to the four highest peaks in Texas and to a diverse collection of animal and plant life. We began our visit with a stop at Pine Springs… Read More
[Carlsbad Caverns National Park, Jan 18, 2020] Late last year, I was eyeballing my work holiday schedule and tried to figure out if there is a national park I can visit during the three-day weekend for Martin Lurther King’s birthday. Normally, I stay put during that weekend, trying to give both my bank account and vacation day balance a break from all the previous year’s travel. For 2020, though, I already had… Read More
After 20 years of lots of long haul flights between Europe and the US, I’ve perfected comfort in an economy seat. Deciding what to take and even what to buy among the many choices out there can be overwhelming, so I thought I’d share the 5 essentials I always pack with me when I fly long distances. Ear Plugs This seems like a no-brainer, but not all earplugs are made equal! My… Read More
[Vienna, Austria, Dec 29, 2019] Vienna has a special place in my heart – it was the first city in Western Europe I ever visited back in 1994 or 1995. My first visit back in 2015 was very special for this reason. This time around, I only had an overnight stay, but I wanted to take the opportunity to hang out with my friend Nina, who calls Vienna home. I was staying… Read More
