Twenty Questions (E17): My Capitol Collections

As soon as I saw Birchie's post about State Capitols a while back (she also collects, and ranks, state flags), I knew I had to do a post of my own about my "Capitol Collections." However, I have so many that I thought I would do a list of 20 of them. Some of these I have posted about before and some I have not, but one day maybe I will expand on some of them. I think that while having no material things, I do collect many experiences, and I definitely collect a lot of photos, so I will talk about a few of them below! 

1. I collect street art. The street art everywhere is fascinating, and some is quite good! I am always taking photos of it and love it when I come around a corner and boom, there is a cool piece of art staring you in the face! I will definitely do a post with some of my favorites, but here are a few. 

2. I collect space invaders. I had to put this as a separate one, as it is kind of fun! These are everywhere and I first saw them in Lyon and later found out that there is an app where you can collect them when you are traveling and make a game out of it! How fun is that?  

3. I collect toe dips. I love dipping my toes into whatever body of water I can find, and sometimes I even dip my entire body. In 2024, when I was riding around, I dipped in all five of the great lakes, and in 2025, I added the Baltic Sea, the Black Sea, and the North Sea to my toe dipping list. I don't pass a new body of water without taking a dip! 

No mountain too high, no river too cold (PC: Bugsy)

4. I collect states. I have mentioned before that I have been to 43 of the 50 so far, and will eventually get to the last seven. Luckily I have already knocked off Alaska and Hawaii, so the ones I have left could be an easy win if I set my mind to it. I can't tell you my favorite, but let's just say that if it has mountains, I am probably a fan. There are definitely many that I want or need to go back to! 

5. I collect countries. As of February 2026, I have been to 70 of them, but I am not really checking boxes because I love going back to places that I have been before. Of the 70, I have been to about 30 of them more than once, and some of them, I have been to more than five times (Austria, Canada, France). 

6. I collect baseball stadiums. This is definitely a very casual collection, as it is not something I strive for, but more of something I do if it is convenient. I have been to the Yankee stadium (new), Fenway (Boston), Wrigley (Chicago), Candlestick (old SF Giants), Oracle (new SF Giants), Coliseum (Oakland), Dodgers stadium, and Busch (St. Louis). I have also been to a baseball game in Busan (South Korea) and Yokohama (Japan). (FYI: supposedly there are 30 MLB parks; one in Canada and 29 in the US)

Fenway

7. I collect post cards. I had an entire box full of post cards when I went through my stuff, and I scanned them all because I could not bear to get rid of them. Some of them were from my childhood, some were sent to me when I lived in France, and some were from my grandmother, who passed away a few years ago, but was a prolific letter writer. They are all a glimpse of the past, and I cherish every one of them. 

8. I collect hiking trails. I have hiked in at least 50 of the 70 countries I have been to, and probably about 20 of those were overnight hikes. I especially enjoy hiking in countries like Scotland or Sweden, where you can pretty much wild camp where you want. This can be the case in many parts of the U.S. and Canada too. 

9. I collect National Parks. I have only been to 19 out of 63, but I am making my way down the list very slowly. I feel like at some point I will acquire a campervan and drive around to many more of them. It's on the to do list. 

Bryce (PC: CA)

10. I collect hellos. I think I can say hello in the language of every country that I have been to. Some may take a minute to dredge up, but it is funny how some of them stick. I was last in Japan in 2001, and I still remember how to say hello, good morning, good afternoon, thank you, excuse me, good-bye and good evening. I am also pretty good at remembering bad words and can swear like a sailor in Tagalog. I generally don't greet people like that though.

11. I collect snacks. I love trying new things, and snacks are no exception. I found a favorite cookie in Türkiye, and I could recommend several things at the 7-Eleven in Taiwan. I am not a big sweet fan usually, but do like trying them all, for the sake of data collection, naturally.

12. I collect ice cream. One sweet I never turn down is an ice cream. When I was on a bike, I often would reward myself for a hard day with a tub of ice cream. I have been taking it more easily lately, especially in light of my cholesterol being a bit high, but believe you me, when the girls meet up with me in Thailand we are going to find some and eat it. Although I generally get vanilla or mint chip, I love trying new kinds and some of my favorites are coconut, Thai iced tea, ube, and green tea. 

13. I collect travel mishaps. I have done some dumb things while traveling. I've missed trains, planes and buses, I've added an extra zero to a withdrawal amount and ended up with way too much cash, I have forgotten my ATM card...the list goes on and on. You can find more of the stories here. 

14. I collect book recommendations. I don't use Goodreads to mark "want to read" books anymore, but I do have a wish list on Libby that has, I am embarrassed to admit, 655 books on it. Why so many? Because I keep getting good recommendations, and despite being able to put 34 books on hold at the same time, I still don't have enough room on my holds shelf, so inevitably, they go on my wish list. To be fair, this was imported over from my Overdrive account, which I had for about 10 years before I had Libby, so I have spent a good amount of time collecting them. At this point, it is not really worth culling them, so there they sit. The other thing is that they don't automatically get removed from the wish list after you read them; you have to do that manually. I am not great at doing that, I will admit. 

15. I collect hearts. I used to collect heart rocks, but I gave them to my Mom when I moved, and now I just have photos. 

16. I collect doors. Who doesn't love a colorful door!? Where does it lead? What is behind it? Why is it so short/tall/round? The stories you can make up are endless. 

17. I collect people. I have had the most interesting interactions with people. I don't always seek them out, but when I do, I do love hearing a person's story about where they are from, and what they have done in their lives. When I was in Wales, I was having dinner at a pub, and I met a woman who did tours of the area and we got to chatting about life and travel and it was a wonderful way to pass a couple of hours on a cold night. I talked to a man from Sarajevo who played soccer in the streets as the city was under siege and other people were ducking bullets while doing their daily grocery shopping. As much as I often need alone time, I do love learning about other people and hearing their perspectives. Isn't that what makes the world go round? 

An Israeli, an Albanian and an American walk into a bar...

18. I collect old men. I have worked with a lot of older gentlemen and I tend to get along with them quite well. What constitutes an old man, you ask? Well it's hard to say, because I keep getting older and older, but they stay the same age. (5 points if you can name that reference!) Old ladies are okay too, but most of my workplaces have been 80% older men and 10% younger men and 10% women, so when in Rome, you know? I tried to visit one of them in Washington on my bike ride but he did not answer his email, so I fear the worst (although I looked for an obit and did not find one!) I just texted another one today to say hi, and I remember him telling me about 20 years ago about how he had three day long hangovers and I had no idea what he was talking about. Well Steve, now I know what you mean! 

A different Steve, who passed away from 
cancer at 57, which is NOT old. 

19. I collect animals. I don't have one of my own, but believe me, when I see one, I am going to stop and say hi. Be it slimy or slithery or furry, I like all of the creatures of the world. I would love to pick them up sometimes, but I know that is not the best idea at times! And I would never try to pet a bear. 

20. Last but not least, for Birchie, I collect Capitols, because, why not? However, I do not usually go inside; I usually just ride or walk by them! Actually, I have been in the California capitol building and the Texas capitol building for sure. I can't really remember if I have been in any others. I have seen the capitol buildings in Boise, St. Paul, DC, and Madison. Sadly, I have been to many of the capital cities, but did not visit the capitol buildings. Sorry Birchie. 

The only ones I have photos of:
Boise, Austin, DC, St. Paul & Madison

What collections do you have? How many state (or province or territory etc. depending on where you are from) capitol buildings have you been to? 

Twenty Questions (E16): 2026 Looking Forward

I am a goal oriented person. However, in recent years, I have found that I prefer to mostly keep them to myself, and/or not be so rigid with some of them. However, in 2026, I do have a few things planned that I am looking forward to, a few fun things I would like to try to do, and a few fun goals as well. So let's talk about some of them, in no particular order! 

1. Ride a bike in at least two new countries and two new states. Last year, I borrowed a bike in the Netherlands, rented a bike in France, Latvia, Lithuania and Bulgaria, and borrowed Rachel's bike while in Wales. In the past, I have ridden in Australia, where we rented bikes to go from winery to winery, which only works for the first couple of stops! And of course in 2024, I rode through the US and Canada. So I feel like four new locations is doable! I already know that one of them will be was in Taiwan, I think one could be Japan if I can find a place with the right gear, and I am also planning to do a multi week bike trip in the US this summer, which would actually cover two or possibly three new states. I would like to keep this tradition going, and have tentative plans to go to Italy and Norway in 2027 for some cycling there. 

West Coast Taiwan

2. Go to at least two new states in the US. Currently, I have been to 43 of the 50 states, and I would like to get to 50 in the next few years! The ones I have not been to are South Carolina, West Virginia, Delaware, Arkansas, Ohio, North Dakota, and South Dakota. My crystal ball tells me that doing the ones that are kind of in a clump makes the most sense, so here's looking at you, Dakotas and Ohio! These will not be states that I plan to ride my bike through, although that would be cool if I could combine the two goals...hmmm.... 

3. Possibly go to one new Canadian province or territory. I may stay in North America (or  possibly central) for the second half of this year, and if I do, I might try to include a new Canadian province in my round up. I have not been to Saskatchewan, Manitoba, PEI, New Brunswick, Newfoundland & Labrador, or the territories of Northwest Territories, Yukon or Nunavut. I have a long way to go! However, I feel like the clump method could work for some of these as well. 

4. Possibly go to one new Mexican state. Keeping with my Americas theme, I may head down to Mexico and likely would go to either Oaxaca or Guanajuato. FYI, Mexico has 31 states plus Mexico City, and so far I have only been to seven of them, I think! I have a way to go to get all of them! Getting to all of the provinces and territories of Canada is definitely a much easier goal, numbers-wise.

5. Introduce the girls (A & L) to Thailand. In April, K, A and L are going to meet me in Thailand, where it will be so fun to introduce them to some of the things that K and I used to do when we went there for the very first time. K and I went to Thailand in 2002 and it really was our first foray into a foreign land (not counting places like Europe or Canada in this mix). We were excited but not sure what we were getting into. It was great, and was easy to get around and the food was good and the people were wonderful. We want to show the girls (A is 15, L is 11) what fun it can be to really travel and to get out of your comfort zone a bit (although with YouTube, I think these things don't seem as strange or scary as they did when I was a kid). Plans include seeing an elephant sanctuary, doing some volunteering, eating lots of food, going to the floating markets, and of course seeing some temples and Buddhas! 

Bangkok - 2002

6. More family time! This year, my non-traveling Mother has agreed to go on an Alaskan cruise. I could not sign us up quick enough! I think it will be nice not to have to move, or pack and unpack, and I have heard that Alaska is the creme de la creme of cruising. I also feel better having done one cruise myself so that I will not be a complete newbie and kind of know the drill a little bit. 

7. Go to the World Cup! You may know that the 2026 World Cup is being held in Canada, the US and Mexico (the Americas theme continues!) and I will be going to a couple of the games with K! It will be a fun thing to do, and actually she and I tried to get tickets in Germany in 2006 and I tried to get them in 2010 for Africa and did not get picked in the lottery. So this has been a long time coming! 

World Cup 2018

8. Read one country themed book for each country I go to. A caveat is that it has to be a new one. For example, I have read books about Japan during WWII already (this one is a good one), but I would like to read one NEW book about Japan, ideally either before or during my time there. PS if you have not read Memoirs of a Geisha yet, what are you waiting for!? Diane gave me some great ones for Taiwan (if you are interested they are: Taiwan Travelogue, Green Island, and Daughters of Shangdong) and I recently finished Homeseeking, which talks about China and Taiwan as well. Do you have any books you recommend related to: Taiwan, Japan, Thailand, the U.S., Canada, or Mexico? I like historical fiction if you have any suggestions! 

9. See at least one National Park that I have not been to before. Apparently the U.S. has 63 National Parks (when did that happen? I thought there were around 50!) and I believe that I have been to 19 of them. I may even end up seeing more than one, but for now I will keep my number realistic. 

10. Volunteer more. This year I have scheduled some volunteering, and I would like to do better at making this a more regular habit. I have done it here and there in the past, and my favorite time was when I was in Bolivia and I volunteered for a month at an orphanage; it was both rewarding and eye opening and I also liked being in the thick of things, learning more about the locals, and even getting a little bit better at Spanish! 

11. Read one book in a foreign language. In 2020, I read the first Harry Potter in español, and I have the second one downloaded. I just need to get in the habit of reading a little bit each day. It is pretty slow going, as I have to look up a lot of words, but I found that if I put Google Translate onto conversation mode while I am reading, I can read passages aloud (in Spanish) and it will translate those for me out loud, so it saves me having to highlight words a lot! 

12. Be more active than I was last year. In 2024, according to my running watch, I was active for 1,284 hours (107 hours a month). My goal this year is to just have at least one more hour of activity than I did last year. 

13. Send 52 pieces of snail mail. This will not include holiday cards, which I do send as snail mail, which means that I have to send about 4-5 postcards a month. Last year I did not count, but I probably came in right around this number, so it should not be too difficult to do the same this year. 

14. Try at least one new food a month. This is not going to be hard, and I have already gotten started on this list by trying a wax apple and many different Taiwanese dishes. 

Wax apple

15. Go hiking in Japan. The accommodations are booked, so I see no reason that this will not happen. The hike I am planning on is the Kumano Kodo, which is a pilgrimage hike similar to the Camino, but in this case, it will only take about four days. 

16. Watch at least one documentary for each country I travel to. I usually just do this on YouTube, and have watched the following so far: 

The History of Taiwan in 15 Minutes - obviously this is very short, so I am still looking for another option. 
The Entire History of Ancient Japan - it is a bit lengthy but very interesting to hear about some of the women in power, and how Japan has become what it is today. 

Does anyone have any suggestions for Thailand, US, Canada or Mexico? 

17. Hike in at least one new state. I always like trying new things, and have enjoyed exploring places like Idaho, Wyoming and Washington. This year, Bugsy and I are planning on meeting up in Montana! I may also have some other opportunities for hiking in other new states too. 

Bikepacking in Montana 2024

18. Sign up for and run at least one running race. I know, this sounds simple, and if you asked me five years ago about this, I could tell you 5 or 10 races I had done that year. However, I have not run a running race since 2023 and I think I would like to get back into the groove a little. Plus it is a great motivator to actually train, and I think that it will be helpful. Plus I have a friend who has a goal to run his first marathon in 2027, and I told him I would do it with him, so I need to get my bootie in gear. 

19. TBD - you never know what may arise! 

20. TBD - you never know what may arise! 

Do you have any books, podcasts or documentaries you recommend related to Taiwan, Japan, Thailand, the US (haha), Canada, or Mexico? What is your favorite state or province in the US, Mexico or Canada, and why? 

Twenty Questions (E13): 2025 What I Learned

Happy New Year! Learning, seeing and doing new things is something that I love doing, and I hope to never stop doing it, ever! If you have been around for a while, you know that I always like to do a recap of some of the new things I learned over the prior year. Last year, I did a list of 24 things, the year before that, it was 23 things, and the year before that, 22 things. Since we just wrapped up 2025, I thought I would incorporate the list into one of my 20 year lists, even if it is kind of cheating a bit. So here you have it! 25 new things for me for 2025! 

In 2025, I...

1. Learned that the Ampersand (&) was made from the ligature et. I went to a very cool exhibit at the library in Riga for the 500th anniversary of the Latvian written word where they were talking about how books are made, and how languages get morphed and created. The Latin word "et" means "and" but it was written kind of as one letter crammed together when done in cursive and so eventually it started to look like our current ampersand. 

2. Went to several new to me countries: I revisited several countries that I had been to before, but even then, I got to either experience a new city in a country I had been to before or see a previously visited city from a different perspective. However, I also went to several countries that I had not been before. I talked a little about some of the interesting places I saw in 2025 in this post, but here are some new to me countries, in the order visited: Gibraltar (territory), Poland, Georgia, Armenia, Latvia, Lithuania, Kosovo, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, Wales, and Morocco. 

Riga, Latvia

3. Learned more about the German occupation of Poland. I learned a lot about this in both Krakow and Warsaw, but especially in Krakow. I went to the Schindler factory / museum (from Schindler's List fame) where they went through each of the years and spoke about how the Jewish people were rounded up into the ghetto and subsequently onto trains bound for work or death camps. It was quite moving. 

Auschwitz

4. Rode a bike on the left side of the road. I did a bike trip from one side of Wales to the other and it was mostly on dirt and smaller roads, but I did have to ride on the left, which was  first for me! 

Lon Las Cymru

5. Tried bread in several new places. I like most breads, and am always down for trying new ones everywhere! One of my favorites (don't tell all the others) was khachapuri in Georgia, which often has cheese in it! They also have a non-cheese version called puri, which is shaped like a boat and is cooked on the side of an oven similar to a tandori. 

6. Did an overnight(s) backpacking trip in... Turkiye (Lycian Way), Montenegro, Albania & Kosovo (Peaks of the Balkans), Romania (Via Transilvanica), Bulgaria (Pirin Mountains), and Scotland (Affric Kintail, Cape Wrath, West Highland Way, Skye Trail).

Old Man of Storr, Isle of Skye

7. Went skiing in the Alps. Not only was this easy (FYI getting to the ski hill without a car in the US can be hit and miss) but it was also a lot cheaper than it would have been for me at home. For a bus ride, lift ticket and equipment rental it was only about $90 USD, plus I got wine and pizza afterward, and my total bill including that was only around $110 USD. France for the win! 

8. Went on a cruise ship. I always figured that I would not be a "cruise person," but I needed to get home and I decided to try a repositioning cruise to see how it went. For those who don't know, this is when the cruise line needs to move the ship from a colder place (i.e. Europe in winter) to a warmer one (i.e. the Carribean in winter) so often since they have to move it anyway, you can get a pretty good deal. My flight home would have been about $550, but a cruise (plus flight) was about $900 for 15 days, which of course includes food, accommodation and entertainment. I met a ton of fun people and had a great time and am glad that I tried it, even though I am still not 100% sure that I would call myself  a "cruise person." Stay tuned. 

Somewhere in the Atlantic

9. Had 120 seconds of fame. On the cruise, I signed up for what I thought was a trivia show, but ended up being me getting up in front of everyone in a chair with a spotlight and a microphone. The contest was where the MC asks you questions and you are not allowed to say the words "yes" or "no" or nod or shake your head. I lasted about 110 seconds, which was longer than anyone else so far, but I did not win. I am not a fan of being (literally) in the spotlight, but I felt like I did okay, although my sweat quotient was quite high! 

10. Watched the news in French. When I was in Lyon, that was when the Musk gesture fiasco was happening and I turned on the news to see what I could find. The funny thing was that when they dub over people like Musk or Trump, the voice DOES NOT match the guy, and so it was kind of comical to watch Trump speak in a high pitched French voice on the news. 

11. Visited two silk worker cities. Both Lyon, France and Macclesfield, England were big hubs for silk making. In Lyon you can see the traboules, which were stone passageways used by the workers to stay dry and transport the silk faster. Additionally, many of the restaurants, called bouchons, were started as a way to feed the workers quickly and inexpensively. In Macclesfield, I visited a silk factory, where they are still using the original looms from the 1800s. 

Macclesfield silk factory

12. Climbed Wales highest mountain...and saw nothing! Mt. Snowdon is 3,599 feet tall and can be hiked in one day. There are several different ways you can take to get to the top, including a train. I took the Pyg track up and the Miners track down, which is roughly a 8 mile round trip. The day I climbed it was a very foggy and rainy one and I got to the top and there was no view to speak of. However, it was still a fun experience, although I would like to go back on a more sunny day, if possible. 

View from the top of Mt. Snowdon

13. Borrowed a tent from a stranger. In Türkiye, I mentioned that I did not have a tent yet and a woman from Switzerland let me borrow hers. I used it and sent it back to her afterward, and was super glad to have been able to have it! Funny enough, I actually once swapped a Europe guide book for a tent, but in that case, I did not have to give it back. 

14. Drank rakija. Rakija is a high alcohol (40% - 60%) drink made from plums and served in Serbia and Bosnia (and Croatia). However, many countries have a similar thing, usually made from plums but also made from other fruit; in Bulgaria it's called Rakia; in Romania it is Palincă. 

15. Learned to pivot. Whether it is financial, physical or emotional, things do not always go the way that you expect. This is okay, and I am getting better at leaving my old expectations behind and moving on to the next thing. I was watching my friend's 11 year old daughter's soccer camp the other day, and a kid made a mistake, and the trainer told him not to think about it for a second more, and to move on to the next play, and I think this can be true in life too. I don't think stewing over what could have been is healthy, and that instead, we should all move on and start figuring out the next play. 

16. Went to the border of Russia. One day I would like to actually go to Russia, but for now, I will probably hold off. However, I did go right up to the border when I was in Georgia, and I also met many Russians when I was in Georgia and Turkey. I obviously don't want to put myself somewhere harmful, but I also am a firm believer that we should not judge a people or a place by their leader. Side note, Iran is also on my list for someday. I have heard that it is a beautiful place. 

Kazbegi Region, Georgia

17. Realized the importance of community. I don't think this is something that is completely new, but it is new for the situation that I am in. Moving around a lot can be isolating and it took me a while to figure out where to even find likeminded people. However, I am figuring it out and am finding that there are a lot of people out there like me, making their way around the world, month by month. It just takes a while to get it all sorted out, but I am getting there! 

18. Learned to love (?) WhatsApp. You may remember a post I wrote at the beginning of the year (why does that seem so long ago?) where I talked about the frustrations of communicating with different groups of people from different places on different platforms. I still sometimes get annoyed or overwhelmed by group texts (especially when I wake up in the morning and there are over 100 missed messages) but I have to love the fact that I can communicate with anyone anywhere for no extra cost (remember the days when you had to use a phone card?) Also, many foreign businesses actually use WhatsApp to communicate, which is great when you are traveling, as otherwise you may have to incur international calling fees to call people, as your regular phone number is usually still from your home country. So, yay WhatsApp (and Telegram etc.) as it has helped me to get things done and make friends while far from home. 

19. Learned how to say toilet (restroom) in several languages! You may know that I have a standard list of things I learn in each language for each country I go to. I usually just tell ChatGPT (Chad) to give me the list for the next few countries, and then I sreenshot it and put it as my phone screensaver (lock screen) so that I can access it easily in each place. Here is my basic list that I usually start with: Hello, Good morning, Good day, Goodbye, Thank you, Toilet, Water, Where is…?, Do you speak English?, I don’t speak...the local language. Luckily the word for toilet is very similar in most languages (or you can always just do the pee pee dance and most people will understand)! 

Romanian: Toaletă, pronounced toh-ah-LEH-tuh

Albanian: Tualet, pronounced too-ah-LET

Lithuanian: Tualetas pronounced too-ah-LEH-tahs

Latvian: Tualete pronounced TOO-a-leh-teh

Russian: Туалет pronounced  too-a-LYET

French: toilettes pronounced twah-LET

Georgian: ტუალეტი pronounced too-ah-LEH-tee

Turkish: tuvalet pronounced too-vah-LET

Dutch: toilet pronounced twah-LET

...and then there's Armenian: Զուգարան – ZOO-ga-ran

Lock screen

20. Took a train across Türkiye. I rode the Dogu Express, which goes from Ankara to Kars, all the way across the country of Türkiye. It took over 24 hours and was quite the adventure, although it was not the longest time period that I have ever spent on a train! 

Bonus five! 

21. Learned patience. I am not a patient person, and I would not say that I have perfected this at all, but I do think that I am getting better at realizing that there are some things that I just can't control and it does not make any sense to try, or to be stressed out when I can't control them. I still have a way to go, grasshopper, but I am working on it! 

22. Navigated local transportation in Türkiye etc. The Turkish (and the Georgians and Armenians) often use a little minivan as their transport. In Türkiye it is called a dolmuş; in Georgia and Armenia, it is called a marshrutka. In all cases, it is difficult (for a foreigner) to figure out: where it leaves from, where it goes, how much it costs, when it leaves. It is like a (not so) fun scavenger hunt, where you have to find the station, or gas station, or side of the road, where the minivan leaves from, and then figure out where it goes and then also figure out how to let the driver know when you want to get off. Most of these stop wherever someone needs to get on or off, so it is kind of confusing, but it also quite nice if you need to be dropped at your cousin's driveway, as long as it is along the route! PS did I mention that in Georgia and Armenia the signs are not always in Latin letters?

Transport in Georgia

23. Splurged! I am a frugal person, but there have been a few things that I have splurged on that I think have been worth it. For example, I pay for a(n overpriced) travel related credit card that I basically cringe every time I get charged the annual fee. However, it has given me some respite for hectic days due to lounge access, as well as some travel insurance and perks, and has "forced" me to do some fun things in order to recoup my fee, so all in all, I think in some cases comfort or low-stress is worth paying for. This is also something I am still working on though, and I will still probably continue to balk at paying $20 for a salad in a restaurant. Such is life. 

24. Tried new foods! Hellim, the Turkish cheese, Ćevapi, the Balkan meatball in tube form, Romanian Mici and Papanasi, Baltic quark, Polish Żurek, and don't forget Burek, Börek, Byrek, Boreg, and Brik! I love food and trying new food is such a fun part of traveling (and life)! 

Meat in tube form: Bosnia, Serbia, Romania

Papanasi - basically a donut with whipped cream and berries

25. Learned to value that which I sometimes take for granted. This category encompasses a lot of things, but mostly, I think that there are people who keep me sane, let me know that I am cared for, and encourage me to continue to do what I am doing. Not to say that I did not appreciate this before (or ever), but for each year or day that goes by, I realize more and more how good I really have it, when it comes to support from both near and far (literally!) I have enjoyed all of my meet ups with friends, both new and old, and also am always happy to come home to the usual crowd. I also of course appreciate all of you reading and commenting here today! Happy New Year! Here's to this year being even better than the last! 

2025 fun with friends!

What new thing did you do, see or learn in 2025? What is your favorite foreign food that you tried in 2025? 

Twenty Questions (E12): 2025 Best of Books

Happy Holidays! As you know, every year, I give you a list of some of my favorite reads from the year. According to Goodreads, I read 139 books in 2024 and DNFed an additional 12, which comes out to roughly 56,112 pages. Here are a few stats.  

Breakdown by star rating:
5 stars (loved/it was great): 14 (9%)
4 stars (liked a lot/it was good): 72 (47%)
3 stars (liked a little/it was okay): 40 (27%)
2 stars (barely liked/it was not that good): 12 (8%)
1 star (it sucked but I finished it): 1 (1%)
0 stars (DNF): 12 (8%)

Average rating including DNFs: 3.32
Average excluding DNFs: 3.61

As you can see, I am getting better at abandoning books I don't like, although this year I did not do it as much as last year (8% vs 13%). Also four stars was my most common rating once again (last year it was 41%), and due to there being a higher percentage of five star ratings (last year was 4%) I brought my average rating up from last year (3.48). 

Here's my list from last year, or you can find a list of all of my favorites from prior years on my bookshelf page or on Goodreads. 

The following books (in revese order of date read) were all five star reads: 

The Correspondent by Virginia Evans: This was a series of letters, mostly written by a 77 year old woman to various people, including authors, family members, friend's children and her next door neighbor. You can't help but like her and so for me this book caught me right off the bat. Her life takes some interesting twists and turns and you find out all about them in her correspondence. I generally enjoy this writing format, and this book was no exception. 

Wayward Girls by Susan Wiggs: I am sure you have probably read books about the wayward girls before, which were (often Catholic) girls who got pregnant before marriage and were sent to a home to have the baby and subsequently give it up for adoption. They were meant to be studying, but often were put to work doing labor for the institution that they were sent to. This one is similar to the others, but was an interesting story of how some of these places really worked behind the scenes. 

River is Waiting by Wally Lamb: Although disturbing, I could not help but get into this book. The other thing that was strange is that although the main character is technically the "bad guy" you kind of want him to succeed in the end. He is a father who commits a horrible crime and gets sent to prison, where he struggles both mentally and physically. The questions is: does he deserve to be punished or do we want him to be forgiven?

Mornings in Jenin by Susan Abulhawa: This is a fascinating story of the Israel-Palestine conflicts as told from the perspective of a Palestinian family. I feel like this is not a perspective that I have seen a lot, and so it was interesting to hear some of the stories. 

Heartwood by Amity Gaige: If you have not heard about this book yet, you may be living off the grid. Actually speaking of off the grid, it is a story of an Appalachian hiker gone missing and the subsequent search to find her. If you are not into hiking, you will still enjoy this book, but if you are, it will be even better. Even my brother read and enjoyed it. 

Careless People by Sara Wynn-Williams: There are a lot of books written by people in the tech world, where they talk about how bad or good it is, and some of them are much better than others. I definitely have DNFed several in this space, but this one was not one of them. If you have read or enjoyed Lean In, you may find that this book is an interesting counterpoint to some of items discussed in Sandburg's novel. 

Alive by Piers Paul Read: Funny story, I am fairly certain I may have read this a long time ago, but either way, I liked it again. This is a true story about a Uruguayan rugby team who are flying over the Andes in a small plane when they crash and land on a ledge high up on the side of a cliff. They have to struggle to survive and also attempt to get out of a very precarious situation. Spoiler alert! Some of them live to tell the tale, but it takes a long time for them to get help. 

The Beauty of Your Face by Sahar Mustafah: Interestingly, this book is also about a Palestinian woman, but this time she is living in the US. She is teaching at a Muslim school in Chicago when a shooter attacks. She struggles to mentally heal from the experience and has to delve into her past to come to terms with it. This book discusses the subjects of Islamophobia, living in the US as a Muslim woman and finding community in your roots. 

How to Read a Book by Monica Wood: Do you want to feel good? Read this. A young woman gets out of prison after serving a sentence for drunk driving and she goes to work at a bookstore where she makes an unlikely friend. It delves into forgiveness, family and friendship and... books! 

Look Closer by David Ellis: I love a good thriller, and this came right at the right time. I was in a bit of a slump, and this book is one that you don't have to think much about, but it is entertaining. It's a tale about money, greed, adultery and murder and it helped get me out of my slump. There are definitely some flaws in the writing, but for me it hit the spot. 

Crow Mary by Kathleen Grissom: This is the tale of Goes First, a Crow Native, who gets married off to a white trader, gets renamed Mary and moves with her husband to her new home near a trading post in Saskatchewan. She has to learn to adapt to the ways of the area, and form new friendships with the people there. There is still a lot of fighting between the whites and the Native tribes and over the years, there are many battles, some of which Mary has to fight in, and some of which are devastating to her and her family. I have also read both The Kitchen House and Glory Over Everything, and both books are also excellent reads. 

Brain on Fire by Susannah Cahalan: A true story about twenty-four-year-old Susannah Cahalan, who woke up alone in a hospital room one day, strapped to her bed and unable to move or speak, with no memory of how she’d gotten there. She becomes labeled violent, psychotic, and a flight risk and this is her story of how she figured out what was going on inside her head. 

By Any Other Name by Jodi Picoult: A dual timeline story about a woman in 1581 and one in modern day, both of who struggle a bit in the man's world of playwriting. In both cases, the women are passing off their work as someone else's and this is the story of how, despite the years between them, some things continue to be difficult to overcome. 

Some Honorable Mentions: As my biggest category was the four stars, there are way too many to mention, but to round out my list of twenty, a few others worth a read are: 

Listen For the Lie by Amy Tintera: A woman is suspected of murdering her best friend but she cannot remember any details of the night that her friend was murdered. Years later, a podcaster decides to dig up the past and old stories resurface. 

The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali: This is a coming of age novel set in Tehran, where two young women of different classes grow up in the middle of a country filled with political strife. 

I'm That Girl by Jordan Chiles: Chiles' memoir of her time growing up, and her path to the Olympics. Of course, getting to that point was not easy, but this was even more true due to her race, and this book does a good job of describing the struggle to get there both physically and mentally. 

Has Anyone Seen Charlotte Salter by Nikki French: This is a very similar plot to Listen For the Lie, as it also about a woman who disappeared several years ago and a podcaster who digs up the past and of course some things that people don't want to be dug up. I guess I enjoy this storyline! 

The Three Lives of Cate Kay by Kate Fagen: Cate Kay is a famous author and has successful movies made from her stories. However, nobody knows who Cate Kay is. An author writing under a pseudonym, she is an enigma, but one day, she decides to come out of hiding. Of course her past also comes to light and we may be surprised to discover who she really is. 

From Here to The Great Unknown by Lisa Marie Prestley: Luckily, Lisa Marie's daughter recorded some stories with her mother before she died and this is a memoir put together by daughter Riley about Lisa Marie's life growing up with Elvis as a father. It was not an easy life and it was interesting to hear a little bit more about the behind the scenes world in the Prestley household. 

On The Hippie Trail by Rick Steves: Who doesn't love a good travel story? If you haven't heard of Steves, he is an avid traveler with several TV shows and books (and free walking tours!). This book was about one of his first journeys in the 70s from Istanbul to Kathmandu overland, and the adventures he had along the way. I loved seeing this adventure through fresh eyes and he has some lines in this book that I completely agree with. 

I will leave you with a few lines about his experience from the end of his book: 

"I believe that if more people could have such a transformative experience, especially in their youth, our world would be a more just and stable place. Travelers understand that the big challenges of the future will be blind to borders and we'll need to tackle them together, as global citizens and as a family of nations. And most fundamentally, travelers know that the world is a welcoming place filled with joy, love and good people. 

Young or old, rich or poor, backpack or rolling suitcase, the best way to understand this is to experience it firsthand. To get out there and get to know our neighbors. To build not walls, but bridges. 

I believe anyone can still stow away on the Reality Express like [we] did, get their fingers dirty in other cultures, wallop their ethnocentrism, and come home with the most valuable souvenir: a broader perspective." 

What was your favorite book of 2025? Do you mostly read audio, eBook or paper books? 

Twenty Questions (E11): 2025 Best of Travel

First of all, I just want to say sorry that I have been absent in communicating, reading and commenting, but I am not going to lie, I came back from being away and out of service for the last several weeks and marked all my feed "as read." I will be catching up slowly, but will also probably not be 100% on in December either, as my focus will be spending time with family. Now, onward! 

One of the most common questions I get asked about my travels is...what was your favorite place? As I have mentioned before, I liken this to choosing my favorite child, or my favorite book, which I believe is near to impossible. I mean, obviously I am my parents' favorite, but other than that, choosing a favorite is hard! Just kidding Broski! So instead of choosing a favorite, I will tell you twenty (in no particular order) destinations that I really enjoyed in 2025! 

Don't forget to add your two cents in the comments: what were some of your favorite destinations, vacations or trips in 2025 and why?? 

1. Hiking and eating in Mesita, Georgia 

Mestia

2. Cycling, beaches and history in Riga, Latvia 

3. Mountain sports in Bansko, Bulgaria 

Bansko

4. Turquoise waters in Kaş, Türkiye 

5. Slate houses, valleys and mountains in Snowdonia, Wales 

Betws-y-coed

6. Tapas, architecture & history in Granada, Spain

Granada

7. Architecture, food and wine in Dijon, France

8. Hiking the Via Transilvanica, Romania 

Sighișoara

9. Peaks of the Balkans hike through Albania, Montenegro & Kosovo

10. Riding across Wales on the Lon Las Cyrmu route

Lon Las Cymru - Yup, that's snow!

11. Learning about the textile mills in Macclesfield, England

Silk factory

12. Cave churches and rock formations in Cappadocia, Türkiye 

Cave church

13. Learning about ancient wine and religion in Georgia and Armenia

14. Sarajevo and the beautiful Bosnian mountains (and Mostar of course!) 

Stari Most, Mostar

15. Hiking and exploring the Isle of Skye, Scotland

16. Seeing Auschwitz and Krakow in the dead of winter 

This pile of prosthetics made me cry

17. Living on the beach for a month in Costa del Sol, Spain

18. Learning to make Khinkali and Khachapuri in Tbilisi, Georgia

Khinkali making

19. Skiing in the Alps in Valmorel, France

Valmorel

20. Trying to speak French again in Lyon, France

What were some of your favorite destinations, vacations or trips in 2025 and why??