While we love our adopted home state of Oregon and places like Mount Rainier and Olympic National Park, if you ask us to name our favorite hiking destination in the Pacific Northwest (the west coast?), both of our minds go straight to North Cascades National Park (and the Mount Baker Wilderness, too). Why do we…
With the notable exception of Italy (mi amore!), which we’ve visited every single year for the past three years, Spain and Portugal are the two European countries where we’ve spent the most time over the past several years. Our recent forays into Spain and Portugal include a full two months a few years back, a…
Spain’s history really gets shortchanged in American high school history textbooks, where it basically gets boiled down to “they were rich and sent Columbus (and the other Conquistadors) to the Americas” when the reality is much more diabolical and full of intrigue. I remember learning about that history on our first trip to Spain, which…
We live in Portland, Oregon, a place that we have fallen in love with over the last decade or so, and we regularly venture north from our home base in Oregon to explore every corner of the Pacific Northwest (some corners more than others). Some of our favorite memories from the past few years (including…
We LOVE Bologna, and think it’s a staple on any Italy itinerary for a couple of reasons (which we’ll cover below). We’ve been to Bologna twice over the past few years, with plans to return in a few months. The main thing about Bologna that we think earns it a spot on your carefully planned…
On New Zealand’s North Island, you’ll find a landscape shaped by volcanic activity over countless millennia – which is a unique aspect of this part of the world – along with beautiful stretches of coastline featuring sweeping views and glorious sand beaches, fertile agricultural land producing some of the country’s best produce (and cheese!), and…