28 12, 2015

Museum Monday: Discobolus

By |December 28th, 2015|Categories: History, Museums, Travel|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |0 Comments

This statue is from the Städtische Galerie Liebieghaus collection in Frankfurt, Germany. This is only the top half of the statue, the other is nude and preparing to throw the discus.  I loved the bright red background of this part of the museum. A marble discobolus Museum Monday is an every other week series about museum news, objects, and reviews.

26 12, 2015

Souvenir Saturday: Lebkuchen Ornament

By |December 26th, 2015|Categories: Souvenirs, Travel|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |0 Comments

A gingerbread stall at a Frankfurt Christmas Market Lebkuchen is the German version of gingerbread. It is a delicious spiced bread/cookie. Around the many German Christmas Markets you'll find decorated versions in various shapes, but the most common is in the shape of a heart.  This ornament appears to actually be a sugar cookie, decorated in the form of a Lebkuchen heart and then lacquered. My sister got it for me as a Christmas gift from the Munich Christmas Market. Souvenir Saturday is an every-other week series on the items that represent travel memories.

23 12, 2015

Recipe: Winter Spiced Cider

By |December 23rd, 2015|Categories: Drinks, Food & Drink, Recipe|Tags: , , , , , , , |0 Comments

One of my favorite winter drinks is Hot Spiced Cider! But this is the firs time I tried making it myself. Here's what you'll need: 2 Quarts of Apple Cider 2 Quarts of Apple juice 1 Orange, quartered 1 tea spoon whole Cloves 1/4 cup Brown Sugar 1 Cinnamon stick 2 teaspoons of ground Cinnamon 2 teaspoons All Spice 1 teaspoon Apple Pie Spice a pinch of Nutmeg 1 Granny Smith Apple 1 Yellow Delicious Apple 1 Honeycrisp Apple Step 1: Mix Apple Cider and Apple Juice into slow cooker, leaving about 1 1/2 inches from the top. Turn on to high. Step

21 12, 2015

Travel Missteps: It was Santa!

By |December 21st, 2015|Categories: Travel, Travel Missteps|Tags: , , , , , , , , |0 Comments

Occasionally you witness someone else’s Travel Missteps and Mistakes. On a flight from Denver to Germany right before Christmas I saw this big drunk German guy in a cowboy hat walk onto the plane late for boarding. He had a bunch of loose items, mostly what looked like various Walmart/Target toys for children. Since he was late most of the overhead space was taken, so he would just jam a toy here and there as he found space while walking towards the back of the plane. Apparently he had also put some toys in the space for the fire extinguisher

17 12, 2015

The Martian and Me

By |December 17th, 2015|Categories: Books, Pop Culture, Travel, Travel Memories|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |2 Comments

Source “Mars is a barren wasteland and I am completely alone here. I already knew that, of course. But there’s a difference between knowing it and really experiencing it.” -Mark Watney in The Martian by Andy Weir Egyptian Desert as seen from a Nile cruise. I remember the days before I had my Kindle. Stacks of books taking up space in my bags. I could easily go through 5-7 books per trip. And god help me if I had only brought a few in a series...and it finished on a cliffhanger! I remember many frustrating trips

12 12, 2015

Souvenir Saturday: Mugs from Munich’s Medieval Christmas Market

By |December 12th, 2015|Categories: Drinks, Geek, Souvenirs, Travel|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |0 Comments

There are hundreds of Christmas Markets in Germany during the Christmas season. A of the unique one that I visited was in Munich, and it was a Medieval themed Christmas Market. Found in Wittelsbacherplatz, a short walk from Odeonsplatz it is called the "Adventsspektakel und Mittelaltermarkt" (Advent Celebration and Medieval Christmas Market). Since Christmas Markets in Munich date back to the Middle Ages, it is easy to get in the mood here, with the stalls decorated like a mini-renaissance festival. You'll see people in period dress and they play their roles well. You may also be treated to dancers or musicians for entertainment. The stalls

7 12, 2015

Travel Missteps: Terror on the High Seas

By |December 7th, 2015|Categories: Travel, Travel Missteps|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |1 Comment

They call camels the "Ships of the Desert" as they are the most resilient and efficient form of travel. I actually hadn't planned on riding a camel. I had been warned, "They spit! They bite!" And other travel bloggers noted that the gate of a camel is awkward and will make you walk funny for days after. But I got caught up in the mystique of the pyramids, and so happily joined my friend on a camel trek in the desert around the Great Pyramids of Giza. Plus it cost so little! Just 120 EGP (plus 10 EGP tip at

3 12, 2015

Egypt: Planes, Trains, Automobiles, Ships, & Submarines

By |December 3rd, 2015|Categories: Travel, Travel Review|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , |1 Comment

I thought it would be fun to count all the ways I traveled on my 2.5 week trip to Egypt! Planes: 8 Trains: 3 Taxis: 8 Vans: 17 Shuttles: 3 Private Cars: 4 Trams: 5 Boats: 4 Ships: 1 Submarines: 0 (sadly didn't get to go on this one, as I had to cancel my day trip to Sharm) Horse Carriages: 4 Camels: 1 And a whole lot of walking, one time swimming, a handful of elevators, and a few people movers.