Category: Europe

Like 4th of July in England – July 4, 2018

IMG_1559.jpgThis was the trip which almost didn’t happen.

We booked it a few weeks back, thinking it would be a nice getaway before Monki and I had our birthdays. The financial logic here was that before her second birthday, Monki flies for the infant rate of very little, as opposed to after her second birthday, in which case her fare rises dramatically. And that happens if her birthday falls within the travel period, so our hands were a bit tied as to timing. Continue reading “Like 4th of July in England – July 4, 2018” →

Rome – March 29-April 2

IMG_0960March 29, 2018 – So this trip started back in December. As we were driving to Mažeikiai for Christmas, I suggested to Rasa that we invite her mom to go to Rome for Holy Week and to see the Pope deliver his address from the balcony on Easter Sunday. Rasa thought it was a great idea, since her mom hadn’t been on an airplane in probably 40 years and had really never traveled. What a fun way to have a little break and, for someone who is as devout as her mother is, a (probably) once in a lifetime event. Continue reading “Rome – March 29-April 2” →

Aga-Boom in Tenerife – The Fun (October 19-24)

Don't Say, Hear, or See

While the shows were the reason we were in Tenerife, part of the fun of traveling to these places is to actually see the sites. Our first two days were pretty much shot as far as that went, since we were putting in 15-18 hour days with only lunch breaks for getting out of the theatre (well… for me getting out of the theatre. The clowns had time while we were doing the lights and such to go back to the hotel and rest before show time). Continue reading “Aga-Boom in Tenerife – The Fun (October 19-24)” →

The EU Suppressed a 300-Page Study That Found Piracy Doesn’t Harm Sales

The European Commission paid €360,000 (about $428,000) for a study on how piracy impacts the sales of copyrighted music, books, video games, and movies. But the EU never shared the report—possibly because it determined that there is no evidence that piracy is a major problem.

Source: The EU Suppressed a 300-Page Study That Found Piracy Doesn’t Harm Sales

What city in Europe or North America is on the same latitude as yours?

whereintheworld

You know, as we head into fall, and winter starts making a comeback (yes, I know this is only August, but that’s kinda the point here) it starts to get interesting to know where we are in the world. Not where in the world are we, although that’s important, too. Continue reading “What city in Europe or North America is on the same latitude as yours?” →

The Most Iconic Book Set in Every Country [Infographic]

couv16574900This is a great infographic! Global English Editing services (I am not endorsing them – I know nothing about them) have put together this fun list of the most iconic books set in every country of the world. With this gorgeous map, you can tour the entire literary world—without ever leaving home.

If you scroll past the map/graphics you’ll find all of the books listed alphabetically by country so you can get a little sense of the plot. Unfortunately, there’s no hot links so if you want to grab any of them, click here.

And yeah, I specifically chose the Lithuanian entry as the graphic for this post.

Cinema’s greatest scene: ‘Casablanca’ and ‘La Marseillaise’

Casablanca is widely remembered as one of the greatest films of all time, coming in at #2 on the AFI’s top 100 list and similarly regarded by many other critics. You can quibble with its exact rank, but it’s at least undeniable how iconic Casablanca remains. Even now, more than 70 years after its 1942 release, few movies have ever produced as many enduring quotes. Continue reading “Cinema’s greatest scene: ‘Casablanca’ and ‘La Marseillaise’” →

Kuwait Day 3 – Like a Fish-Market Cat

IMG_5322Monday morning started bright and early with the call to prayer from the mosque across the street. Thankfully, I could fall back asleep afterwards and finally got up around 8, showered and headed up to have breakfast. The small restaurant is on the 12th floor (as is the pool and weight room) so I was enjoying my yogurt and honey while deciding what to do with the day. The rest of the Aga-Boom crew was due to arrive this morning, in fact, they should already be here and… Continue reading “Kuwait Day 3 – Like a Fish-Market Cat” →

Kuwait Day 2 – Scientific (Center and the) American

Kuwait_Aquarium.jpgWhether I forgot or just didn’t think about it, I was awoken early on Sunday morning by the sun streaming in through the window I had left uncovered. Not a huge deal, to be certain, but all in all I knew I wasn’t going to get more sleep. So up I jumped, took a shower (and mentally thanked the Corniche hotel for providing beach size bathroom towels!) and headed upstairs for breakfast.  Continue reading “Kuwait Day 2 – Scientific (Center and the) American” →

Kuwait Day 1 – “You’re now official!”

You know how we all have dreams for our future? Right now mine involves living somewhere that travel doesn’t have to start a day or two in advance of the actual trip. Case in point, the trip I’m on in Kuwait for Aga-Boom started on Thursday, even though my flight wasn’t until Saturday. On Thursday I took a train to Vilnius to borrow a car from my friend Rokas (thanks, Rokas!!) so that on Friday, I could drive Rasa and Monki the 250km or so up to Mažeikiai, drop them off, then drive back to Vilnius where I could return the car, then meet up with friends for coffee, different friends for dinner, including my friend Gaby, on whose couch I would crash so I could get up at 4:00 to catch a cab to the airport for a 6:20am flight.

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Rabbi Abraham Zacuto and the Astrolabe | David Magazine

15731830_1394489910585063_3400966232016091909_oMy boss, the publisher of David Magazine, has this wonderful way of working. If I happen to be traveling somewhere, he knows something about the history and sends me on an adventure to write a story for an upcoming issue. This time, I was in Portugal, so he sent me in search of Portuguese Jewish history. The result is at the link below. Enjoy!

The Age of Discovery of the Portuguese Jews

Source: Rabbi Abraham Zacuto and the Astrolabe | David Magazine

Fishes and the Sea (12/12-12/18)

dsc_0852Starting Monday, we were on our own for two days. We had packed up the show after the Sunday performance since we were moving for two shows to another theatre in another city later in the week. The thing about being here was that we weren’t exactly tourists, since we were working, but we weren’t exactly locals, since we were just visiting. So after doing our sightseeing during the first two weeks, going out and doing a tour just didn’t seem like the thing to do. But then, for me, sitting at home wasn’t the thing to do, either. I did that on Monday while grading papers and writing my article. So I knew I had to do something different on Tuesday. Continue reading “Fishes and the Sea (12/12-12/18)” →