Globe Corner Blogs

Lonely Planet Walking in Scotland

Fun fact: Alba is the Gaelic name for Scotland.

Sinking knee deep in mud once is an accident; sinking knee deep three times on the same trail is just ridiculous. It happened so swiftly and suddenly - the sinking, I mean - that I imagine the mud having similar properties to quicksand. This is not a useful thought to have when you’re alone in a remote glen in Scotland tuck up to your knees in mud, but it came to me nonetheless. Thankfully, there were some blades of grass for me to hold onto while I freed my legs from the sludge. Heavy rains from the previous evening, and continued drizzle throughout the day, made hiking on the Isle of Arran a sloppy affair. However, after a short time in Scotland, you learn not to wait for a sunny day if you want to get outside; you just pull on your waterproof gear and wellies and dive in! Care must be taken and then a day’s hike in these conditions - whether you summit a ridge or reach a lovely waterfall - makes one feel triumphant. And what better way to enjoy a dram of whisky or refreshing cup of tea with milk than to earn it! Continue Reading »

Unidentified Flowering Tree--photo by Llalan

After over three months of riding home on sweltering subways tucked under a stranger’s sweaty armpit, elbowing my way over simmering sidewalks between armies of tourists in mirrored sunglasses, and sticking to La Brea-like tar while waiting for egregiously late buses,  I needed a break. Hailing from the corn fields of the Midwest, I wither away under the glare of glass skyscrapers and blinking neon.  Without a car, the choices seemed limited. I could go to Boston Common and pretend not to notice the necking teenagers and muttering homeless. I could wedge myself between sunbathers on the Charles River bank and laugh at the runners. Or I could sit in the mini front garden of a Beacon Hill home when I thought no one would be home.

Fortunately I found there was a better way to get my seasonal dose of Vitamin Green: Boston’s Arnold Arboretum. At the end of the Orange subway line lays 14 acres of dignified oaks, poky spruces, ancient bonsai, wispy silk trees, and everything else in between that I couldn’t identify. The paved paths that wind through the Arboretum are not only a great place to identify plants, but also an ideal people- and dog-watching spot (by which I mean rambunctious children with training wheels and puppies who can’t believe so many trees exist in the world). Continue Reading »

Vasa Ship Stockholm -- photo by Lisa

Even though my Norwegian grandfather brainwashed me into believing that Norway is superior to Sweden in every way, I love Stockholm. I thought that I was going to have a leisurely three days to hang out in Stockholm and visit friends, but the plan changed and instead of sight seeing, I was recruited to help someone move into her apartment. So my three days turned into one and next thing I knew, I was on a whirlwind tour of non-sequential Swedish history.  Knowing that I had three things on my agenda (Swedish meatballs with real lingonberry sauce, vikings, and really big ships), my friend tailor-made a schedule for me. And she had one thing on her agenda: showing me why Stockholm is the “Capital of Scandinavia“. Continue Reading »

McLeod Farms McBee, SC -- photo by Nicole

Fall is my hands-down favorite time of year, especially here in New England where the trees spontaneously combust with fiery reds and oranges and homemade pumpkin pie is readily available.  The August air goes from wet blanket ( with that unmistakable garbagey odor — one of the many pleasure of big city living) to September cool and crisp.  And though I’m a Low Country girl, born ‘n bred, the humidity does not agree with either my temperament or my hair.  Like the boiled peanuts my dad loves so much, I will never get used to it.  So I am always happy to say good-bye to the season of unflattering tank-tops and awkward tan lines and welcome with open, sun burnt arms the season of bookish cardigans and stylish scarves.

Summertime, though, is also the time of the peach, the most delicious fruit known in this world or the next, capable of producing truly magical culinary feats.  And it is always a minor tragedy, at the end of August, to buy what you know will be your last basket of peaches of the season.  The subject of peaches is one my fellow South Carolinians and I have been raised to take very seriously.  Every good South Carolina native will have her favorite place to buy peaches, whether it is the small-town farmer’s market or the even smaller bed of a pick-up truck on the side of the road.  There are festivals devoted to the peach all over the state and even a gigantic water tower shaped like a peach in upstate Gaffney known as the Peachoid.  I suspect Roald Dahl may have found inspiration for his children’s classic James and the Giant Peach here, although his official biography makes no mention of this. Continue Reading »

Mt Ascutney, VT -- photo by Jess

When choosing a day hike, I think it’s always important to have a sense of the vertical rise of the mountain and the total distance of the hike. That being said, I also know that hikers really seek a stunningly rewarding summit view that screams “take my picture!” and congratulates them for their hard, sweaty work.

With all this in mind, Mount Ascutney, located in Southern Vermont on the border of New Hampshire and Vermont, is a fun and challenging day hike good for all ages. Even if you lack tons of hiking experience, or are hiking with younger children, Mount Ascutney is quite managable and the Weathersfield Trail has a couple of convenient scenic stopping points ideal for a GORP (good old-fasioned raisins and peanuts) and a water break. Continue Reading »

Bradt Mini Guide Tallinn

I was searching for cheapish, but interesting ways to get from Dubrovnik, Croatia to Stockholm, Sweden this summer, and Kayak pointed me to Estonia Air. I was immediately intrigued by the idea of going to Tallinn for a stop-over, and so I booked the ticket. I anxiously spent the last few days in Dubrovnik getting ready to go to a new city, getting a new stamp in my passport, and getting in the mode of being a tourist again.

After a quick three hour flight, I found myself a bit shocked to be in Estonia. After leaving the hot Adriatic sun, I found myself tearing through my suitcase for my sweater and kicking myself for not packing a least one pair of tights. The weather here is much cooler than I expected, and it has been raining for the better part of the weekend. But I did profit from a few breaks in the rain to explore the Old City of Tallinn. I can’t quite put my finger on Tallinn. It looks familiar, and yet every time I hear the language it seems so exotic and foreign at the same time. The town itself, it seems to me, is a hodgepodge of different styles. Some squares remind me of Polish towns I have visited and buildings remind me of Northern Germany, Scandinavia, and Russia.  But there is something intriguing about the core of the Old City. The streets are a maze, and if you can navigate around the hordes of cruise ship tourist groups, there are interesting shops and cafes tucked away in every corner. Continue Reading »

A Stormy Lake Erie--photo by Llalan

I just got back from a place I like so much, I won’t name it. I will say that it is a small town in Ontario, Canada, and that I want it all to myself every summer from now on, just as it has been since my family and I stumbled upon it over two decades ago. I like it so much, I’m not even sharing a sunset picture with you — here is a storm. It’s just that…I’m sure I’m the only one who would ever want to live here forever and ever. See those fearsome waves and menacing clouds roiling up Lake Erie? Not somewhere you would ever want to be, am I right? I mean sure, this storm happened the evening we got there and was over the middle of the lake…and every other day was 75-degrees and sunny (in that bright open way that only skies over virtually empty beaches can be), but you can never be sure. It’s better to be safe and go to Florida. There is really nothing to do in my little town on the lake, anyway — just read on the beach, sleep on the beach, eat fresh fruit in the cabin, read on the beach… And the sun is so northern and indirect that it can really only sun-kiss those as vampire-pale as me. Forget the water, too. It’s absolutely frigid! Only the foolhardy venture out on little green air mattresses and let the gentle waves lull them to sleep. Only the plain stupid fight their way out on the windy days to where it gets shallow again and body-surf wave after wave to shore. So, really… Continue Reading »

Mostar, Bosnia & Herzegovina--photo by Lisa

So, I decided to tear myself away from Dubrovnik and make the trip to Sarajevo. I absolutely adore Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is one of those unforgettable cities that always leaves a lasting impression. Unfortunately, a lot of the attention seems to be on the recent history and the siege of Sarajevo, as almost all visitors are quite curious about what happened. The city is still visibly scarred, but it wears its scars with a bit of elegance. Every year it seems like there are new renovations and construction around the city. The Old Town is inviting with its leisurely pace and seems to be like a smaller Istanbul, but on Valium. The Turkish influence is quite profound, and it seems worlds apart from the Dalmatian coast, even though it is only a six hour bus ride away. Just a block away from the Old Town, you seem to step into the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and then a few blocks down the street you step into the days of Communism. (I am not the biggest fan of the architecture of this area, but it is there.) Sarajevo seems to be gaining more interest as a tourist destination and even has an eco-tourism agency. Check out the slightly expensive, but wonderful, Green Visions if you want to go hiking or whitewater rafting. But when chatting with fellow travelers in the Balkans, we seem to unanimously agree that we love Sarajevo. Continue Reading »

Frommer's Edinburgh & Glasgow

It’s a warm summer night in Edinburgh, and I just came in from a walk along the Royal Mile - the cobbled stretch of road in the Old Town that connects Edinburgh Castle to Holyrood Palace. The Fringe and International Music festivals are in full swing, and the city has a great energy to it. There are masses of people, but it’s not nearly as crazy as I anticipated. Tonight I was treated to an incredible performance by a band from Zimbabwe called Siyaya. Set up on a street corner, I heard their music a block away and joined the crowd of hip-swaying, arm-flailing tourists. Fancy that - I went out for a stroll and wound up dancing in the street. I love this city! Continue Reading »

Tuna at Tsukiji market

As almost anyone will tell you, the Tsukiji fish market is a must for your first, jet-lagged morning in Tokyo. The subway starts running around 5:30am, so by 6:00 we were surprisingly awake and already weaving through endless rows of oysters, sea urchins, crabs, and various other sea creatures I had never even heard of. We were lucky to catch the tail-end of the tuna auction, watching successful bidders haul off fish more than twice their size–we later observed the enormous fish being halved and quartered into manageable chunks with a chain saw. We also stopped to admire an old man slicing eels from head to tail in one smooth motion, the fish still wriggling as he nailed them down. I must say I have never been more impressed by a market (and I am a fan of markets in general). Perhaps most impressive is that the innumerable heaps of seafood will be gone in just a couple hours, bought up by wholesalers and restaurants–the market will be completely empty by 1pm. And while tourists are a common sight at Tsukiji, the market is not a show for visitors (unlike, say, the floating market near Bangkok); if anything, bewildered foreigners are a nuisance, always barely avoiding getting run over by the little motor-powered fish-transporting carts. Continue Reading »