In April 2010 Nadine and I traveled to Helsinki, Finland for a little Scandinavian adventure.  Ice fishing, Ice Bar, Ice Boats…yes, Ice was a major theme during this trip.  We happened to be there during the Easter Holiday and enjoyed the annual Easter Procession in the downtown.  

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Places visited: Helsinki

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Places visited: Lisbon, Costa da Caparica and Sintra 

Holland oh Holland….the Jamaica of Germany.  That means the people are simply relaxed, enjoy their coffee shops, are casual with time and if you speak German you can almost understand them.  I have been to the Netherlands several times and hope to return soon.  The night life of Amsterdam, the traditional buildings of Delft  and the history of Maastricht!  In 1992, the Maastricht Treaty was negotiated and signed here, leading to the creation of the European Union and the Euro.

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Places visited: Amsterdam, den Hague, Delft, Rotterdam and Maastricht

The Philippines comprises 0f 7,107 islands in the western Pacific Ocean, but who is counting!  I visited the Philippines for a dive trip back in the late 90’s.  Boracay’s White Beach was stunning, although while I was there Japanese construction firms were planning to build mega-golf course resorts.  To say the least, such construction would have destroyed the calm, green and peaceful atmosphere of this beautiful Pacific Island.

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Places visited: Manila, Boracay

Fish and Chips, Big Ben, Oxford University and rainy weather.  Yes, you can find all of this in England.  However, there is much more to explore.  Some of the best universities in the world (including Oxford and Cambridge), great music (Beatles, Oasis and the Stone Roses) and of course a pint of great beer.  England….literally……rocks!!! Music sample: Muse

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Places visited: London, Brighton, Lewes, Eastbourne and Oxford

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Places visited: Oslo

In the summer of 2009 I visited some friends in Sweden.  Beautiful nature, great food and I was able to watch a couple of fun Swedish films.  I also enjoyed a fun Paddan boat ride in Göteburg.   Music Sample: (I couldn’t resist:) ABBA

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Places visited: Göteburg, Ingared, Alingsås and Marstrand 

Part of the 2009 Balkan adventure tour, I spent several days in Kosovo with a group of friends I met in Bosnia. In February 2008 Kosovo declared independence, namely from Serbia. Roughly 90% of Kosovo’s 2 million population are Albanians. During my travels here, almost every house had an Albanian flag, while some had Kosovo’s new flag. Serbia has yet to recognize Kosovo, and occosianly there are some violent disputes, esp. around the borders.

That being said, we had a great time in Kosovo. The Reguva Canyon was beautiful and the taxi ride back to Pristina was one I will never forget….. slow down!!

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Places visited: Pristina, Prizern, Peje and Reguva Canyon

Another country that was part of my 2009 Balkan Adventure Tour.  My Slovenian buddies Jure and Peter were great travel partners.  We toured the town, learning about the Siege of Sarajevo, the longest siege of a capital city in the history of modern warfare (April 5, 1992 - February 29, 1996).  We also spent a few days in Mostar and saw the famous Stari Most Bridge, recently reopened in 2004.

Music Sample: Traditional Bosnian Music

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Places visited: Mostar, Blagaj, Počitelj, Kravice Falls and Sarajevo