We are a family of five that decided to leave our normal lives behind and travel around the world for 180 days. Joey and I are both physicians back home in Lexington, KY and our kids are Wilson (a smart, funny, pragmatic 14 year old who approaches life with the wisdom of an 80 year old and the mischievous grin of someone who gets the inside joke), Bailey (an opinionated, strong-willed, compassionate 12 year old who never misses anything and may rule the world someday), and Gus (an energetic, passionate 9 year old who lives every second of his waking life with everything he has and would give the shirt off his back to ease the suffering of an earthworm). We love traveling, trying new things, meeting awesome people, eating good food, and adventure sports. In this blog, we will be sharing the stories of the places we experience along the way. We will share our successes and our failures in hopes that this is inspiring, helpful, and entertaining to our friends, family, and anyone else who happens to discover us. For more on why we decided to do this, see our blog post on “Traveling is my favorite thing”. Read More About Our Philosophy.
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How Tyler Childers helped me remember how much I love Appalachia
Every time I read an article about Tyler Childers, and I have read several since he has been neck and neck with Taylor Swift as my favorite artist over the last seven years, I think “I could do better.” Shockingly, since I have absolutely no authority as a music critic, no one has asked me to write one. After listening to his new single “In your love” on repeat for two hours yesterday, I have decided it is time to put these feelings into words. So here is my attempt at explaining why I love his music so much, why he sold out two nights at Rupp Arena in a matter of minutes, and why going to his concert where every single person around you knows all the words too feels like going to church
On Mushroom Hunting: “The Art of Stillness” and the Morel
If you aren't from Eastern Kentucky, you might think that mushroom hunting involves some sort of weapon, such as a bow and arrow, but you would be wrong. Mushroom hunting is what we call foraging for morels. Morels are a wrinkly, rare and delicious fungi that only pop up for a few weeks in the spring, when conditions are just right. Technically, the morel is the fruiting body of a much larger mycelium that lives underground in a symbiotic relationship with tree roots. One of my most clear and fond memories of my childhood is searching the hillside with my Mamaw Mary in the spring looking for morels.
Plan Your Visit to Parc Guell
Parc Guell is a privatized park that was commissioned by Eusebi Guell in the early 1900’s which contains several elaborate architectural elements designed by Antoni Guadi. Since I’m not an artist or architect, I’m not going to get into trying to explain the works of Antoni Guadi, but will just say that, if you are in Barcelona, you need to see them for yourself. They are so unique and somehow slightly unsettling but satisfying at the same time. La Sagrada familia is the coolest church I have ever seen and an absolute must-see in Barcelona. Parc Guell is the second most essential place to visit
The Art That is Bullfighting
“There are only three sports: bullfighting, motor racing, and mountaineering; all the rest are merely games,” Ernest Hemingway. Many may find bullfighting gruesome or inhumane. There are arguments for either side, but that is not what you are here to hear about. What I am here to tell you about is the intricate art that exists within bullfighting.
“Bullfighting is the only art in which the artist is in danger of death and in which the degree of brilliance in the performance is left to the fighter’s honor,” Ernest Hemingway. The fight between a man and a bull is a testament to humanity's ability to overcome nature with skill, not with technology, but pure skill. The bull fight exists….
Visiting Chateau La Coste Winery with kids: Why you shouldn’t miss this one in Southern France.
Wineries don’t normally invoke the term “kid friendly” and, for the most part, I suggest leaving your young kids at home when touring wineries if you have the option. Sometimes, however, you find yourself in the middle of a wine lover’s heaven with no childcare options and the kids have to come along for the ride. Since our kids are older, (ages 10, 12, and 14) it really isn’t a problem. We know they can sit still and be quiet and not break things for an hour. (Ok, we don’t really know that for sure, but we know there is at least a 75% chance they can.) That being said, there is often very little for them to gain from the experience…
Plan A Day Trip to the Dead Sea in Jordan
loating in the Dead Sea is a truly out of this world experience. I wore my Chaco water shoes while swimming and they are slightly buoyant in fresh water. In the Dead Sea, it felt like I had balloons strapped to my feet and I could barely keep my feet under me. While casually floating, half of my chest was out of the water and the resultant feeling of weightlessness was truly invigorating. If you know me, you know I was giggling with excitement the whole time.
Good Friday in Pyrgos, Santorini: Why You Shouldn’t Miss the Fire and Brimstone
Imagine a small town perched atop the highest hill on Santorini, with the classic white Cycladic style houses and labyrinth walkways covering the top half of the peak like icing on a cake, a blue domed white church looking down over the town, and the ruins of a Venetian castle at its crest. Now imagine that same normally quiet and sleepy inland town with at least 2000 flaming tin cans filled with homemade fire starters made of wax and sawdust lining every wall and the rim of every roof crackling and dancing in the gusty Mediterranean wind. Add in several thousand people packed into the tiny walkways, a processional, constantly ringing church bells, and a band playing Greek Orthodox religious music and you have Good Friday in Pyrgos.
Visiting Petra: Tolerating a full 8 hours of constant harassment in the most spectacular place on earth.
Petra is a deserving member of the “seven wonders of the modern world” and may be the most spectacular place on earth. If a more spectacular place exists, I can’t think of it now. It is truly remarkable. The swirling patterns of yellows, reds, oranges, whites, and blues of the sandstone walls and the magical narrow crevasse of the Siq are spectacular enough on their own to land Petra in the top 20 coolest places on earth…..With all that amazingness in mind, it is hard to believe how visiting Petra could be as unpleasant as it was. You can imagine that it would take a lot to ruin such an amazing place, but, somehow, the people offering animal rides in Petra have managed to do it.
Pearl Harbor Memorial: Visiting memorials/museums of tragic historical events with kids.
I have mixed feelings about visiting memorials of tragic events with kids. On one hand, these memorials can do a great job of showing how tragic and meaningful these historical events were and I want my kids to know about and understand the gravity of these events. On the other hand, it can be challenging when they don’t really “get it” or they act like kids and run around being loud and goofing off when it really isn’t appropriate. That is what happened to us at the 911 memorial. Gus was only 5 at the time, and, of course, didn’t really perceive the gravity of the situation. I, meanwhile, am sobbing after listening to the recordings of the first responders and our two mental states just didn’t go well together. I have learned a few lessons.
Barauli Homestay and Western Chitwan Safari with Kids
The Barauli Community Homestay is a small community of cottages that was established as a part of the Community Homestay Network. The Community Homestay Network is a non-profit organization that helps local women throughout Nepal establish viable tourism based businesses by providing loans and training in English, hospitality management, and Homestay management. The Barauli Homestay is managed by local women in the Terai community. It consists of a central dining hall where meals are served and where you can get a drink anytime of day, a small courtyard where cultural dances are performed, and 6 surrounding one room cottages with attached bathrooms.
Visit Thailand Now! Bangkok post COVID
If you have ever considered visiting Thailand, go now! Over the last couple decades, Thailand has become a hot spot for tourism. From backpackers looking for bustling streets lined with clubs, vendors, and street food carts to families in search of pristine beaches, Thailand has drawn some major crowds. Although Thailand was one of the first (and still one of the only) Asian countries open to tourists, the mountains of red tape one has to jump through to get there and the ever-present mental threat of testing positive for COVID and getting stuck in a foreign country has kept the tourists away. This fact had a profound impact on our experience as tourists in Thailand. Aside from a small scattering of Europeans at our hotel in Bangkok, we saw almost zero western tourists during our time there. This had several downstream effects, some good and some bad.
7 Foods to try in Hawaii: Deliciousness and Diversity
Hawaiians should get more credit for their food. They have a reputation for eating Spam, a canned meat product, and it is true that Spam is eaten with much greater frequency here than in other US states, but I feel like their appreciation of Spam really overshadows their unique and complicated cuisine. Just like the Hawaiian people are a melting pot of Asian, Pacific Island, and American cultures, Hawaiian cuisine incorporates and takes the best from all of these culinary traditions. Mix that up with tons of fresh fish and fresh fruit and you have a cuisine to match the scenery. Hawaiians have also embraced the food truck, the roadside stand, and the divey fast casual joint, so some of the best Hawaiian dishes are found in unassuming digs and won’t break the bank. Here is a sampling of some of the uniquely Hawaiian foods we have tried so far.
The Sun Rising over Kauai from Poipu Beach. January 23rd, 2022