travel that speaks to the heart
Over the Easter holiday, the Swiss Family Domecks and some dear friends from Orlando jetted over to Portugal in search of sunshine, good food, and new discoveries. Our journey started in the capital city of Lisbon, a visible mishmash of contemporary success and past hardships. Lisbon is artsy, funky, gritty, and even a little bit…
Another year in the books. Another year of great eats. As it has become a Global Heartbeat Travel tradition, I’m laying out my most memorable meals of 2017 so that you can keep these tasty bites in mind for your future travels. Bon appetite! HIKING THE ITALIAN COAST: FRESH CATCH IN CINQUE TERRE In the…
Hello and welcome to the newly improved website for Global Heartbeat, now Global Heartbeat Travel! What do you think? A lot of dreaming went into the creation of this website, and I’d love to hear what you think about it. But first, let me tell you the story of this digital baby… When I left…
Dear Daughter, Welcome to the world, Little One! Just a few weeks ago, you were placed in my arms for the first time, and since then, my world has changed. And that got me thinking about your world – the world you are going to grow up in. A world that is simultaneously full of…
Although I had no idea when I published Eating Through 2015, the meal I described in my last paragraph set the course for a wild and wonderful gastronomical journey through 2016: …I kicked off 2016 with an extremely memorable meal at Prato, thanks to a certain sous chef’s generosity and desire to treat our party with his favorite…
As you have scrolled through your social media feeds, I am guessing that you have come across at least one article touting the top cities and countries around the world. And if so, you may have noticed that Switzerland and Zurich are constantly at the top of the ranks for “Best in the World.” Why…
With our eyes on the horizon, Justin and I cruised our way through Scandinavia, Russia and the Baltic States earlier this month. We wanted survey the region before the Littlest Global Heartbeat arrives, and we booked a 10-day cruise with Royal Caribbean as part of our “Babymoon” adventure. We had a fantastic trip that turned…
Hey y’all! I need to share some exciting news with you… I’ve got a new travel companion, who is growing inside me! I’m pregnant! Justin and I are expecting to meet the littlest “Global Heartbeat” in September, and we are super excited about this next phase in our life. However, our precious pup, Basil the Kooiker,…
Men go abroad to wonder at the heights of mountains, at the huge waves of the sea, at the long courses of the rivers, at the vast compass of the ocean, at the circular motion of the stars, and they pass by themselves without wondering. -Augustine of Hippo, The Confessions of Saint Augustine At the…
Dear Orlando, From the moment I first saw the breaking news last Sunday, I can’t stop thinking about you and the emotional upheaval caused by the horrifying attack at the Pulse Nightclub, just two miles from my little green house. Nor the senseless murder of a talented young musician at a theater down the street from that…
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…
As I look back on my 2015, I’m struck by the diverse range of experiences I had in the world of food. And because I love lists and record-keeping, I’m sharing my most memorable food experiences of 2015. I’d love for you to share some of your top eats, too! EATING IN ASIA DRINKING FROM COCONUTS IN…
When we are reintroduced some twelve years later, we are little more than acquaintances. Proud and distinguished, like an elderly woman born into luxury and predisposed to a particular standard of life, Milan greets me in her finest display of fashion prominence and financial power as I step off the train. Amidst the briskly moving…
I still don’t believe that I actually live in Switzerland. Over the past three months, Justin and I have slowly started to settle into Swiss life. After weeks of searching and months of waiting, we found an apartment and moved in to our own place. By now, we’ve learned the public transportation system and have picked up…
“For my part, I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel’s sake. The great affair is to move.” —Robert Louis Stevenson To say that I’ve been on the move as of late is a severe understatement. Since I left my office job in downtown Orlando one year ago, I have…
Lately, I’ve had a lot of reasons for reflection. I left my full-time job at the end of June. Took up residence in Munich for a few weeks in July. Explored some amazing places in Europe. Started this website. Celebrated marriages, birthdays, and actual birth-days. And lost my dear aunt to cancer. Certainly, it has…
“I’m going to shoot myself,” he said. What? Why would he say that? He shook his head slowly and then moved close to her face. She leaned towards him coquettishly in response. Vodka tonics. Red wine. They had already consumed an unknown number of drinks, and it was around the sixth hour of the transatlantic…
Shortly after I passed under the Karlstor, the prosaic medieval gate that leads into Munich’s city center, my senses were bombarded by the trendy merchandise posing provocatively in the windows of retail empires. As much as my inner-diva wanted to reply to their beckoning call with a quick embrace and a credit card swipe, I…
In elementary school, I took typing classes a few times each week. We had to watch the letters fall down the retina-burning blue screen and try to punch out each letter before it careened out of sight – all without looking at the keyboard. I’m not going to lie: I got pretty good at typing. In middle school, I took…