travel that speaks to the heart
As I just shared in my last post, I had one of the most unique travel experiences of my life at the end of 2019 when I joined a Trekking and Photo Tour in Nepal. Nepal has always captured my imagination, but I still didn’t know too much about the country’s history or its people…
If you follow me on Instagram, you may know that I have had the opportunity to return to Spain recently as a trip leader with Global Works Travel. You also may know that I absolutely love flamenco music and flamenco dancing. Case in point… Whenever our travel itinerary includes Granada, I always get to take…
Many traveling souls have fallen head over heels for a particular Belgian beauty named Bruges. The Flemish capital was the first stop on our epic babymoon adventure back in 2017. Little did Justin and I know that it would be the perfect place to start a trip that celebrated our marriage and our love. Allow…
Looking for things to do in Zurich? If the weather is nice, consider taking a little trip out to Jucker Farm for an afternoon of country delights. Jucker Farm is a well-run operation located just 30 minutes outside of Zurich in the little town of Seegräben above the shores of the Pfäffikersee. This farm is…
The week before Easter is a remarkable time to visit Spain. It’s Holy Week – Semana Santa in Spanish – and the religious holiday is celebrated with long processions, enormous floats, striking costumes and haunting music. If you find yourself traveling in Spain during this extraordinary week, you very well may come across sights such as…
Lake Como has easily become a favorite getaway destination for the Swiss Family Domecks over the past couple of years. Folded into the mountains of the Lombardy region of Italy, this wishbone-shaped lake is what travel dreams are made of. With romantic villas dotting the shoreline and dramatic mountains rising from the sparkling blue waters,…
Undeniably one of the most splendid cities in the world, St. Petersburg is an endless buffet of visual magnificence. From sprawling palaces and romantic gardens to mesmerizing cathedrals and authoritative monuments, Russia’s second largest city is defined by an unparalleled grandeur. Even though my encounter with this Baltic beauty was a dazzling whirlwind of sightseeing,…
After a visit earlier this year, Stockholm now ranks high on my “Favorite Cities” list. It’s one of those places that you just don’t get enough of the first time around. While you may be tempted to camp out in a coffee shop and delight in the art of fika the whole time, there is one…
Before I went to Zagreb, I didn’t really know what to expect from the Croatian capital. While strolling through the city center, I encountered a place that blends historic legacies with modern futures. I tried to capture on camera some of the details that caught my eye in order to give you a snapshot tour of Zagreb.…
As the days grow shorter and summer fades away into autumn, a warm cup of coffee seems to bring an extra special bit of enjoyment. I have never been much of a coffee connoisseur, but I gained a whole new appreciation for the roasted black bean on a recent trip to Sweden, Norway, and Denmark. Coffee…
Of all the countries I have visited, Spain will forever hold a special place in my heart. On my most recent trip back to the sun-kissed country I once called home, I had the pleasure of revisiting one of Barcelona’s most famous attractions: The Sagrada Familia. Join me on a digital tour of this architectural wonder. ¡Vamos! Barcelona is the…
When I give walking tours around Zurich with Free Walk Switzerland, I often begin my tours with a question: What images, products, historical events, or stereotypes come to mind when you think about Switzerland? The typical replies usually include some combination of banks, chocolate, cheese, and timeliness. Sometimes Roger Federer gets thrown in there, too. With…
Earlier this month, I spent a week working with Clear Sicily – a company focused on supporting small businesses and giving tourists more access to the Italian island’s treasures. As I shared in my last post about Mount Etna, I cannot come to Sicily without reflecting on the power of this fiesty volcano. During my…
Amongst the mishmash of urbanization along Taiwan’s west coast, a small town keeps traditions alive and has become a fascinating little travel destination. One year ago this month, I was first introduced to Taiwan with a tour of the Lukang Township, located about a 2-hour drive south of Tapei. To commemorate my GSE Trip with…
In my last post, I wrote about my recent encounter with my favorite art museum in Paris: the Musée d’Orsay. As I wandered through the museum, I snapped some photos of the works that really caught my attention so that I could share them with you here on Global Heartbeat. Of course, taking a picture of…
As we travel and explore the world around us, we invariably wander into museums here and there. As time passes, we collect an indeterminable tally of standard-museum-visits that eventually fade from memory. Yet, that may not be the case for a select few. I believe that some museums stick with us for life. Take a moment to…
When it comes to great cities on the global stage, Paris has enjoyed fame and fortune for centuries, an opera diva in the center of an international cast. Paris’ audience members travel far and wide to witness her performance, to explore her majestic monuments, examine her artist collections, or capture her joie de vivre. I am one of those curious…
Switzerland is a fascinating paradox. It’s profoundly conservative in some facets of life, perspective and governance, but absolutely liberal in others. I have learned quite a bit about this European singularity since moving to Zurich almost six months ago. So, in honor of this next milestone, I’m sharing six interesting facts about Switzerland that you probably didn’t know.…
On my last day in Taiwan with the Rotary Club, I visited one of the tallest buildings in the world: TAIPEI 101. After it opened on December 31, 2004, Newsweek Magazine listed the elegant superstructure as “One of the New Seven Wonders of the World,” and I could see why. She’s a real beauty! A COMMERICAL CENTER Taipei 101 stands…
Just a stone’s throw away from the colorful Grand Palace of Bangkok rests a really big Buddha. Barely fitting his massive and lanky body under one roof, Wat Pho is home to the largest rendition of Buddha in Thailand. The Reclining Buddha, or Phra Buddha Saiyas, is a lacquered and gilded Buddha image in brick and…
The most popular tourist destination in all of Thailand is not a beautiful beach paradise, but rather a royal compound and spiritual haven located in the bustling city of Bangkok. The Grand Palace attracts 8 million visitors to the Southeast Asian capital each year and ranks the third most-toured royal site in the world, according…
A magnitude-7.8 earthquake turned the nation of Nepal into a disaster zone on April 25, causing severe devastation throughout the region. Many of Nepal’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites were flattened and now lay in piles of brick and dust – unique pieces of history lost forever. Even worse than the destruction of these historic landmarks is…
When I was a kid, I came across an old copy of the 1982 May issue of National Geographic. Since that moment, I have never forgotten the enigmatic stone face glaring out from that magazine’s cover and the fantastical images of the jungle-run ruins of Angkor held within its pages. While planning a two week trip to Thailand, I…
Lisbon maintains an air of Old World charm, a shadow of a bygone era when Portuguese sailors bravely explored oceans and lands around the globe. Unlike many of Europe’s impeccable capital cities, Lisbon is more like a crusty oyster than a porcelain vase, unpolished and rough around the edges, and waiting to be cracked open…
Wishing the world a Frohe Weihnachten with photos from the Christmas Markets of Munich! What cities do you like to visit during the Christmas holidays? Where in the world do you like to experience the Christmas spirit?