A trip to Switzerland in September of 2006 made me fall in love with the Alps forever. Some of my fondest travel memories to date come from backpacking from village to village in the Jungfrau region around the Eiger and Lauterbrunnen Valley. I flew into Geneva, took a trip to the Jungfrau region, came back to Geneva for a conference, and then headed out to Zermatt for a couple days with two friends. I didn't find the people in Geneva to be overly friendly but I found the historic part of Geneva to be a wonderful place to walk around and explore. I would recommend Pizzeria De Paulo at 3, rue du lac for some great pizza--the staff was great also. Also, my runs down the lake toward the United Nations were good particularly up around ... read more

In July of 2008 I spent about 11 days in Cyprus. I was lucky because a good friend of mine, Theano, is from Cyprus and was there when I visited. She and her sister, Petroula, were great tour guides and I was fortunate enough to get to spend time with their family and to eating great meals with them! I was also able to visit with families of two other friends Maria and Theodora and I felt like all I did was eat . . . Maria's Mom makes the best cake! . . . and Theodora's family had so much good food! So, it's always different when you get the chance to visit another country and spend time with natives. I stayed in Larnaka and was able to take in most of the island on ... read more

In 2003 I took a trip to Costa Rica. It was a wonderful experience particularly the visit to the Corcovado Rain Forest on the Osa Penninsula. I would highly recommend staying at a tent camp and exploring the Corovado park if you want a more authentic experience in the jungle. Within the first 10 minutes of being in the tent campus a troop of white faced monkeys were making their way through camp and we had spotted a toucan. Getting to the camp is quite an adventure as you take a small plane from San Jose, then jump on a rural bus, then a small boat which takes you through mangrove rivers and out into the open ocean until reaching camp. I had a wonderful experience going through the jungle with a guide for a whole ... read more

In the summer of 2005 I had the opportunity to see some beautiful sights in Greece while on a conference trip. The trip took me first to Athens with a side trip to Hydra, Poros, and Aegina. Being a huge fan of the Olympics it was interesting to see the stadium of the first modern Olympic games in Athens. Also, the Parthenon and area around it was fun to explore. The Parthenon itself is difficult to get a picture of minus people or scaffolding but is still a great thing to see nonetheless. A friend who had also traveled to the conference and I had a wonderful dinner at the base of the Parthenon one night--with the full complement of Greek meats and side dishes. The monuments are lit up and night and the streets below ... read more

We visited Arches National Park (March, 2008) after Zion, Bryce, and Coral Reef. It is very impressive and more populated. We had become accustomed to seeing only a handful of people on the park trails until we came here. The diversity of arches here is impressive indeed. We attempted to see nearly the entire park in one day but still left not seeing the arches in the middle of the park, particularly around balanced rock. Seeing Delicate Arch during sunset though is a must. It was quite chilly waiting when we were there but definitely worth it. The arch itself is enhanced by its setting. I found Moab to get great for the soft-surface running trails leading right out the west side of town. There are also a wide variety of hotels and restaurants unlike locations ... read more