Ever stumbled upon the perfect café, sequestered deep in the quietest corner of a buzzing city, and just had to share the secret? Ever wanted to be part of that secret? Travelistas Lynn Lau and Abby Bender combine their journalism and travel experiences to bring readers Notes From A Café: Travel stories from the deep end, a refreshing cure to the usual stodgy travel resources. Notes From A Café revolves around the love of travel, with articles covering countries from Belgium to Norway to Malaysia, along with tips and resources to fellow travelers interested in the non-touristy side of exploring the world.
Celebrating the joie de vivre of traipsing the globe, Lynn and Abby feature their stories and secrets under headings such as "Voyage Vignettes" (focusing on the thick and thin of personal travel accounts), "Foreign Foibles" (cultural gaffes and taboos), "Travel Tips" (a grab-bag of information and suggestions for travelers), and "Roaming Reviews" (frank guides on true must-see's and definite stay-away-from's).
A random selection of our articles:
Choosing where to sleep is perhaps the most important question you must answer when traveling (outside of choosing where you’re traveling, that is). And, at a certain point, every study abroad student or young traveler asks herself: Should I stay at a hostel or a hotel?
Like other soul-searching questions such as what is happiness? or to be or not to be? or should I eat that last piece of chocolate cake?, choosing between a hostel and a hotel is something only you can decide for yourself. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have a little help in making that decision.
So, oh weary travelers! Sharpen your pencils and get ready to take our very first Notes From A Café test and discover where you should lay your little head on your next trip overseas.
» Read the rest of Hotel or Hostel? ...
Perhaps it’s because I spent the past two months breathing, sleeping, and dreaming the brilliantly satirical, hysterical, Tony-award winning musical Urinetown. Or perhaps it’s because I drink enough coffee daily to drown a horse. Whatever the reason, when I sat down to write this week’s update, my thoughts immediately turned to the topic of restrooms. Specifically, European restrooms. Even more specifically, pay toilets.
Oh, yes, you’ve heard of them. It’s hard not to. They’re a worldwide rage, an everyone’s-doing-it phenomenon, like Coach purses or skinny jeans tucked into boots (only not quite as glamorous). They’re the you’ll-never-believe-it groans spewed from just-returned-from-abroad American travelers. They’re the don’t-merit-their-own-bullet-point in your handy-dandy travel guide that quickly morphs into a now-I’m-stuck-with-a-distended-bladder-and-no-spare-change of many a traveler’s trip.
Not only are they ubiquitous, they’re discombobulating. What traveler hasn’t been momentarily intimidated before the little vest-wearing toilet maven, seated primly behind her little plate of change? Who glares at you while you dig through your pockets to find the correct fee? And then hands you a fistful of toilet paper after you’ve handed over your cash?
It seems so very foreign to charge for something as natural as using the restroom. Then again, you pay to eat, which is yet another natural function. Some would argue that, in principle, it’s the same mentality. Which is a logic I don’t agree with, even though water costs a truckload more in Europe than it does in the States. Whatever the logic, the fact remains: while in Europe, you will more than likely have to pay to pee.
» Read the rest of It’s a Privilege to Pee ...
If you’re visiting Vancouver and the sheer sense of city life starts to wear you down after a while, flee up north for a soothing retreat. That is to say, enjoy a good deal of repose — and green — at the Capilano Suspension Bridge.
It’s not something you can indulge in every day, certainly — admission rates are at least CAD$25, depending on the season — but it’s definitely a must-see, and you should certainly enjoy it at least once while you’re in the area (and if you live within Greater Vancouver, well, you really have no excuse not to go a few more times).
» Read the rest of A Little More Sway: Vancouver's Capilano Suspension Bridge ...
This week, we feature an article by guest writer Sabrina Gaylor, who traveled to Iceland this past summer. Here she shares the mesmerizing sights of her visit.
Lupine by Akureyri |
As amazing as Iceland is, it’s just one of those countries that gets overlooked or bypassed for more traditional vacation spots. I had the good luck of getting a chance to tour the country this summer, which I jumped at because the global warming crisis means that Iceland may not be the same in the future. My tour guide told the group as we passed Vatnajökull, the majestic largest glacier in Europe, that it was receding at a steady rate and soon would be gone.
Even if Iceland is just the white-outlined dot on the map next to Greenland, it turned out to be a much more diverse country than I’d thought. Reykjavik itself was very hip and urban, but close enough to the water and to national parks that it was possible to get away. The rest of the country was filled with bleak, endless, rocky plains and fields of moss-covered lava, volcanoes, eerily blue lakes, small villages nestled in between the mountains, and hillsides covered in waterfalls and lambs. At some points, we drove over unbridged rivers.
But there are perils of traveling through very rural areas.
» Read the rest of A Whirring Tour of Iceland, by Sabrina Gaylor ...
After three months of living in the Abbey of Pontlevoy, my fellow interns and I discovered that we had grown in many ways. Specifically, around the middle. Spending your days and nights walled up in a decaying monastery-cum-hostel or the bar across the street (only a stone’s throw away from the town cathedral) is not conducive to the waistline. Especially when said town is smack dab in the middle of the land of wine, cheese, and chocolate.
So, in honor of spring and love and swimsuit season, the interns and I banded together to face our most difficult challenge yet. More daunting than our American boss, who had us working sixty-plus-hour weeks for pocket change. More aggravating than the yellow industrial walls that surrounded us like a Charlotte Perkins Gilman tale come to life. More inescapable than the broom-closet-sized WCs in our rooms. Together, we girded our loins and commenced … the South Beach Diet.
It started off with a bang: this, our own personal Battle of the Bulge. I even accepted the horrific fate of eating salami for breakfast. Nothing says “morning” like a big slice of fatty pork. Mmm. Cold, fatty pork. Step aside, Kellogg’s!
But we were determined in our quest for physical perfection (or, at least, clothes that fit correctly). As we grew accustomed to the gastronomical sacrifices of our diet, we entered the next phase in our plan: a steady exercise plan.
» Read the rest of The Battle of the Bulge ...