On BlogHer: Next Year in Kaliningrad Oblast

For about two years, I’ve blogged about travel for BlogHer, the women’s blogging network. I started as a volunteer writing about Europe while I was in Austria – I was bored and lonely, it seemed like a good use of my time. I tendered my resignation once, shortly after I’d returned to the US, but the landscape had shifted at BlogHer and the travel slot was open – I was excited to take it. Not long after I switched to writing about travel, BlogHer started paying their writers – a generous per post amount by the standards I’ve seen. While I’ve had random bouts of fatigue, in general, I’ve really enjoyed the gig. Not that long ago I dropped a line to the BlogHer founders thanking them for keeping me on, that’s how much I liked it. Writing about travel for BlogHer has been natural work, easy for me, and given my erratic work history, I’ve really appreciated the small but steady income stream. It’s been a great little gig.


…read more.

Mozart at Lunch: Etiquette for Travelers

I can never get the greeting right. Is it once on each cheek or is it three times? And should I plant the actual smooch on the cheek or is it the disingenuous air kiss? Luckily, it’s always friends and family, so I’m okay with getting it wrong, business deals and lives are not in …


…read more.

Three Nice Coffee Stops off I-5 in the Northwest

With family in Portland and Eugene, we spend an unlikely amount of time buzzing up and down the I-5 corridor. If I’m flying solo, I take the train and pack a picnic, but with just one extra person it’s cheaper to drive, though a bit of a bore after the 37th time. Coffee isn’t just …


…read more.

Fish Wednesday: Tuscan Style Tuna Edition

My pal S – she lives in Tuscany – is a fine cook. One year, I was at her place in Maremma for a birthday feast and wow, did we eat some seafood. She lives not far from Porto Ercole so we all squeezed into someone’s car and headed down to have Italian style cocoa …


…read more.

Micro Travel Writer’s Workshop II

A quick review, in case you’re just in: Angela Nickerson as part of her virutal book tour, agreed to do a “micro workshop” on Nerd’s Eye View. She provided the prompt, you provided the work. Here’s here take on what you’ve done – and many, many thanks for your participation! I’ve linked to the posts below, but I’ve left the pictures on the “home” sites. Click through to see the original posts, with photos, and to meet some interesting travel bloggers.

I’ll hand it over to Angela, now.

First, many, many thanks to those of you who participated in today’s travel writing workshop. What a delight to read such good writing and to visit such interesting — and diverse — places. Your submissions are a testament to the richness that comes from diverging from the beaten path. Thank you!

Ok, to the task at hand…


…read more.