I found a few options for cooking classes ahead of our trip to Beijing but I really wanted to learn how to make dumplings, so Beijing Cooking School seemed to be the best choice for me. I opted to...
Blog posts from Travel
2015 Travel Overview
Previous years-in-review - 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009 Some of our travel stats for the year: 88k total air miles on 11 airlines: American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, US...
Beijing 2015: Introduction
Earlier in the year Leandra went to Hong Kong because of a good airfare deal and to keep her Platinum status for 2016. After that, she needed another long trip and Beijing was pricing well for...
Seattle 2015: Breweries & Pubs
Post Doc Brewing - Our flight landed a bit early, so we had just enough time to stop in here for a quick beer before they closed. The bartender was very friendly and mentioned there was no rush as...
Seattle 2015: Woodinville Wineries
Most of the wineries we visited had a $10 tasting fee that was waived with purchase. No one minded if we split a tasting and more often than not we also had a chance to try a few extra unlisted...
Istanbul 2015: Food!
Perhaps the most memorable part of Istanbul was the food, with lots of nuts, honey, olives, etc, and much of it grown or produced domestically. Breakfast Eric found two great breakfast options near...
Istanbul 2015: exploring & shopping in Istanbul
Besides the big mosques and museums we also visited several other spots around Istanbul in the course of our explorations. Galata Bridge is a key connector between Galata and the famous tourist...
Istanbul 2015: Bosphorus
Istanbul is famously split into a European and an Asian side by the Bosphorus strait. Somehow I convinced Leandra to take a 2 hour tour up the Bosphorus, and the views were great! After pulling away...
Istanbul 2015: Asian side
After spending several hours at the Topkapi palace we decided to take the ferry across the Bosphorous and explore Kadıköy, a neighborhood on the Asian side of Istanbul. As soon as we exited the...
Istanbul 2015: The Topkapi Palace Museum
The Topkapi Palace grounds are immense, so we prepared to spend several hours exploring. Photos are not allowed inside many of the buildings, though rule enforcement varied from not at all to loud...
Istanbul 2015: Cooking class
Several weeks before we left, I emailed the Istanbul Cooking School to see if there were any openings during our trip. Although Oguz couldn't confirm anything until about a month before, everything...
Istanbul 2015: Friday at the Hagia Sophia and Blue Mosque
Our pre-trip research indicated that a museum pass would be our best bet, so despite the touts out front trying to guide us in around the line, we waited for the box office at the Hagia Sophia. The...
Istanbul 2015: 20 hours in Chicago
Chicago's blue line makes it relatively straightforward to get from the airport to downtown, and after one transfer and a few blocks walk we were at the Park Hyatt an hour or so after we had landed....
Istanbul 2015: overview
Over the past few years we have accumulated a stash of Lufthansa miles but using them on an award ticket can be expensive due to fuel surcharges ($600-$800 per ticket!). Booking with their...
Wild West 2015: Bozeman, MT
We only had about 18 hours in Bozeman, but that was plenty of time to enjoy several spots downtown. Bozeman Brewing - Open until 8p, we got in with about 40 minutes to spare. I sampled the Berliner...
Wild West 2015: Yellowstone (day 4)
After a morning spent in Grand Teton, we began our drive north to Bozeman, through Yellowstone. We had already seen much of the scenery from the South Entrance to Canyon Village on previous days but...
Wild West 2015: Grand Teton Park & Jackson, Wyoming
Monday We spent roughly 24 hours in Grand Teton, and we were really amazed at the sights in the park. First of all, the mountains are amazingly picturesque and can be seen from just about anywhere...
Wild West 2015: Yellowstone (day 3)
We were up with the sunrise and decided to walk the Geyser Hill loop before breakfast. Only a few other people were out, so it was quiet and peaceful, with quite a bit of steam and colored pools. We...
Our Itinerary
2026 Trips
Parrish, FL (Jan)
Medellin, Columbia (Feb)
Asturias, Spain (May)
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)
Doha, Qatar (May)
Bristol + London, UK (Jul)
Long Island, NY (Jul)
Slovenia (Sep)
Treviso, Italy (Sep)
Bologna, Italy (Sep)
day trips from Bologna (Oct)
Turin, Italy (Oct)
Greensboro, NC (Nov)
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)