Reedhoo

I don’t think I could say enough nice things about Norway. It has quickly become one of my favorite countries in the world. It has amazing, unbridled beauty, deep history, tolerant culture, and deep ecological responsibilities. We recently spent two weeks on our BMW motorcycle logging 3,387 miles in God’s backyard. Click the photo to see a small sampling of the photos we took.

A big trip like this isn’t possible without some help from friends.  I’d like to thank Katy, James, Roger, Rune, Ranja, and especially Haidee for making this trip possible.  I’ll never forget it.

Can you describe the differences between the US and AMS in one word?  Impossible!

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Being an expat, you always get “the question” when you least expect it.  Sitting around a dinner table back in California with friends I haven’t seen in over a year, we laugh, tell stories, get caught up with each other’s lives since I’ve been away.  A beautiful bottle of cab from Napa is making its second pass around the table.  The food order is in and appetizers should arrive at any moment.  Then it comes: “the question.”  It’s dropped on the table like a dead raccoon.  Everyone stops to stare and I fumble for my answer.
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Absolute Power Comes with Absolute Abuses in Power

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I’ve heard it said that Bruce Springsteen gives amazingly long shows. People have told me about three plus hour shows with three to four curtain calls. Bruce may now be able to claim James Brown’s long standing self-monicker ‘The Hardest Working Man in Show Business.’ It’s easy for Bruce to let his shows run past the three hour mark. He has a song catalog that spans over 35 years. So what would you do if you’re a young band? What do you do if you only have one album out that comprises of 9 songs and only 37:19 minutes worth of music? This was the challenge Bon Iver faced Saturday night when they arrived at the Paradiso. [Read more →]

A little after the halfway point of our vacation Haidee said to me, “I need a vacation from our vacation.” She had a point. We packed a lot of activities into our vacation this time, it seems like we were moving the entire time. No matter, there’s plenty of time to sleep later. Here’s a brief rundown:

• 3 days at Le Meridien in Bangalore
• 2 days at Mark Boulevard in Bangalore
• 2 days at The Leela Kempinski in Kerala
• 2 days on a Houseboat in Kerala
• 2 days in Amsterdam for Queen’s Day
• 1 day in Dunkerque, France traveling to Normandy.
• 3 days in Bayeux, France visiting history

Click on the photos to see more. To see Katy and James’ photos of the Normandy trip, click here.

I had some work to do in Geneva for a company trade show. I’ve never been to Geneva, so after my work was done, I took a day off work and Haidee came down to join me. Just being in the crisp mountain air in a beautiful city surrounded by mountains is rewarding enough, but while we were there, we also found time to shop for watches, walk through the old town, climb the tower of Cathedrale St. Pierre, visit the Jet d’Eau in lake Geneva, and eat raclette fondue. Click the photo to see more.

The plans for our Easter Day included a boat ride with friends around the canals and waterways of Amsterdam.  Instead, we were greeted with a flurry of a surprise.  Click the photo to see what our Easter weather is like this year.

The world’s largest coffee chain has more in common with the Netherlands than you might think.

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Patrick Symmes is my favorite travel author. He wrote an article for Outside magazine about the Khmer Rouge that is the best travel article I’ve ever read. I’ve read nearly everything I can find from him and it was with great anticipation that I started into a book he published in 2000 called “Chasing Che.” In the book, he tells the story of the months he spent retracing Che Guevara’s motorcycle trip, the same trip that was documented in the popular movie “Motorcycle Diaries.” Che did the original trip, with a friend, on a 1920’s Indian motorcycle. Patrick completed his own trip solo, on a much more reliable BMW machine. [Read more →]

How the Dutch Conquered the World while Missing the Boat on Spices.

Dutch cuisine doesn’t have much spice — fine, I get that — but even food that’s supposed to be spicy isn’t spicy. Indian, Thai, and Mexican restaurants have all been as scary as a rubber toy bulldog with a pink bow. This got me thinking. If the Dutch became a world power by trading spices, why is Dutch cuisine so bland? MORE