That Time We Went to North Korea

North Korea, or the DPRK has been in the news a lot lately. And of course, it's not all good. What we see is scary, threatening, dangerous.

Riding the Transsiberian Railway

We are currently in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, having arrived here from Russia on the train. Well, on several trains.

Getting Cultured with Russian Performing Arts

I’ve always liked the ballet. I mean, I’ve always liked the idea of the ballet; I had never actually been before. But I always liked the idea of attending a performance in a classical style of dance that has been revered as the pinnacle of culture and refinement, then returning home to discuss the finer points of music and story over a glass of sherry, a la Frasier.

100 Days of Travel!

We’ve been traveling for 100 days! At just a little over 3 months, we’ve done a lot of walking, adventuring, and visiting people and places. Here are the stats:

Steps: 1,267,281

Kilometers walked: 863 (536 miles)

Best day: 45,000 steps (31 km; 19 miles). Thanks New York!

Cities visited: 28

Countries: 14

Hostels: 13

Friends and Family who hosted us: 8

Hours on buses and trains: We don’t even want to think about it.

Ferries: 4

Cruises: 1

Roller coasters: 4

Mushrooms picked: 5 kilos

Currencies: 5

Languages: 11 (4 we could use, 7 no hope)

Books read: 5

We don’t know about you, but we think those are some good numbers.

While we’ve enjoyed all our travels (for the most part) there are definitely some highlights that we loved most. For Talia, that was our trip to the Efteling (because move over, Disney, this is the REAL most magical place in the world) and mushroom and berry picking in Finland (because again, magical).

Just look at these beauties!

And have you ever seen a more magical place?

Ricky loved renting a car and driving around Ireland and Oktoberfest in Munich.  

He's at home behind the wheel. 

Obviously.

The worst part? Well, you’ll have to wait for another post because this traumatic experience deserves a post all its own. Stay tuned!

Chasing Pigeons: How to Be Happy

It is becoming increasingly clear that the happiest people at any tourist destination, monument, or historical site are children chasing pigeons.