It may be easy to cross international borders in the EU, but it doesn’t change the fact that there are definitely big cultural gaps between one nation and the next. When I’m in Germany–in this case in the city of Koln–the differences are palpable, from the architecture to the food, to people’s body language, and even to rules of the …
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On sera en Chine!
Crossing international borders in Europe is about as anticlimactic as crossing statelines in the US. Blink and you’ll miss it. On this very chilly and rainy day we decide to drive to a city (any city) in France just to settle the debate of whether a baguette is tastier in France or in Belgium. I’m anxious to get to Paris …
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Blue Friday
In honor of Black Friday, I thought I’d blog about fashion instead of travel today. But since early this morning I have seen nothing but lousy news on cnn and the internet. First the stampede and subsequent death of an employee at Wal-Mart then some shootings at a Toys-R-Us. This is not Black Friday but Blue Friday. This economic crunch …
Gastronomy central
Los Angeles is largely an anti-pedestrian town, so when I travel I try to walk everywhere. By far the best way to get to know a new place (except LA) is usually on foot. This constant movement also provides a guilt-free excuse to eat your way through your destination. And rubbing elbows with the locals over grub is a lot …
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Check your fears at the door
Half of the adventure in traveling is sampling local cuisine. This is often a roadblock for me because of all the culinary rules I follow. No bumpy food like octopus or squid tentacles. I can eat squid but no squiggly parts for me. No milk or yogurt or mayo (eww) or butter. Well, a very thin layer of butter on …