Bretagne is possibly the most underrated corner of France, at least among the far-abroad travelers. While you’ll find many an American book, blog and podcast singing paeans to the glories of Dordogne, Collioure, the Loire Valley, Alsace, Normandy, the French Alps and Provence, Bretagne evades their attentions. And for the life of me I cannot…
It was in Provence that I actually liked France for the very first time. It was October 2003, and I had finally escaped the misery of Paris for a long weekend with my girlfriends. I still remember catching that first glimpse of the Mediterranean Sea from the road — its sparkling waters blending into cloudless blue…
Over the last 16 years I have been to many different corners of France. Here are my biggest tips and takeaways about traveling there. Part 1 covers my love story with the country, what to hit and what to skip on the beaten path, and best ways to discover untouristed, authentic France. Part 2 is…
I have dreamt of France ever since I read The Three Musketeers as a seven-year-old. I fell in love with D’Artagnan and wanted to be him at the same time. I imagined walking through the halls of the Louvre and Fontainebleau. I even took up fencing (very briefly). When Chevalier De Brilie offered to take…
I cannot believe it has been more than 4 years since I wrote this post, about my dream travel destinations. I also cannot believe how much travel I have done in that time, culminating with the most insane 2018: 26 journeys, 24 of them – international, including to 5 new countries. I visited places I…
*I swear that neither the Russian government nor my place of employment have paid me a kopek for the 10,000 words I have written about how “Crimea is Awesome” – though on second thought they should totally comp me this vacation. So, why did I go? I had specific goals for this vacation: regain some…
I didn’t really know what to expect. I had been fishing before – pike fishing in the forest streams near Moscow and deep-sea fishing for 8-lbs somethings in the Atlantic. But what would the Black Sea bring? Whatever it was that I was not expecting, this was… something else. Left and right tiny silver creatures…
Port. Home. Safe haven. Comfort and protection from the Forces of Nature. Sounds about right. Port pretty much saved my life in Crimea because… RAIN AGAIN I know I mentioned this before, but let me expound on the subject a bit. A month before I came to Crimea everyone was freaking out because the region…
Yalta, a city on the southern coast of the Crimean peninsula, is the resort capital of the region. For some two hundred years it has been referred to as the Nice of the Black Sea/ Russia/ Soviet Union, as thousands of summer vacationers descended on it every year from all over Russia/ USSR/ former USSR…
I love boats. Anything involving boats is a perfect vacation activity. Crimea understands that well. At least half of sightseeing excursions involve boats, whether you’re heading out to swim in a secluded lagoon, to taste the finest Massandra wines, or to visit the summer palaces of Yalta. If you’re in the mood for a less…
Home & Away 