When I decided to join my younger brother and his friends for a four-day hike covering 20+ miles on Grand Island in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, there were certainly some known quantities involved. I knew, for example, that spending the night on an island in Lake Superior in October would potentially be a frosty affair, thus packing plenty of layers and proper gear, including a sleeping bag capable of insulating my body in 35- to 40-degree weather, was a must. I knew that it would be extremely dark out there once the sun went down, which could possibly provide awe-inspiring glimpses of starry night skies, but also allow the imagination to run wild…
Read MoreAfter giving ourselves time to settle in on Thursday, Friday came in like a lion, and not necessarily the cute and cuddly kind. While you process that visual, allow me to paint another one: the two of us, my traveling companion and me, walking through the streets of Paris before the sun had even risen, racing across town to meet our tour bus.
Read MoreYou might think the experience would lose a little of its luster the second time around, at least at the margins, but waking up in perhaps the most famous city in the world for a second consecutive day was no less thrilling. The only bugaboo this time is that we didn’t have a full day in London ahead of us. It would be but a mere few hours before we needed to return to London Stansted Airport and head back to Ireland for the very final leg of our whirlwind European adventure, meaning there was no time to spare.
Read MoreWith the popularity of Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon, it kind of feels like we’re truly having a Medieval moment. You might even say that kings and queens and knights and dragons are experiencing a renaissance (see what I did there?). Of course, even in the absence of those HBO stalwarts, people have always been interested in the Middle Ages, which is why renaissance fairs and the like exist.
Read MoreIf you're looking to become multilingual, you don't need to sign up for an online class or pay a fortune for a program like Rosetta Stone. No, you just need to pull that miniature computer out of your pocket and download this app.
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