Having spent a decade studying the culture, I felt pretty prepared for my trip to Russia. (You can see my articles about the trip here, here, and here.) I own a lot of fur and I’d been practicing dramatic crying in a sleigh because my lover turned out to be married. So I should’ve been…Read More
Travel
Day Trip to Sintra, Portugal
While visiting Lisbon my friend and I took a quick day trip to Sintra. Located about an hour outside of Lisbon, Sintra is a fairyland frozen in time. The cliffside town is sprinkled with art objects and historic sites like a moorish castle and masonic initiation well. It’s only 5 euros roundtrip to take the…Read More
A Quick Visit to London
Before heading to Portugal, I flew into London to visit a childhood friend. I’ve been to London before and to be honest, I didn’t love it at the time. The city has a lot to offer but to me it doesn’t have the same old world charm as a lot of Europe. It feels mostly…Read More
48 Hours in Lisbon, Portugal
Earlier this month I visited a childhood friend in London and we decided to pop over to Portugal for the weekend. I always try to maximize my overseas travel with side trips like this. It’s so much easier to jump around once you’re already in Europe. Lisbon is a charming city with a fascinating historical…Read More
Yasnaya Polyana & Melikhovo
When I first began to plan my trip to Russia, visiting Tolstoy’s estate, Yasnaya Polyana, was a top priority. The estate is located in a small village of the same name about 3-3.5 hours outside of Moscow. The estate has been in the Tolstoy family since the 18th century. It’s where Leo Tolstoy was born,…Read More
Moscow, Russia Travel Guide
After a week in Saint Petersburg, I headed to Moscow for a dose of onion domes and borscht. What You Need to Know Historically In its history (and somewhat now) Moscow illustrates the East-meets-West vibe of Russia. Russia has always been torn between the cultural influences of the West, which it aspired to, and the…Read More