November 2024

I resolved to make at least one pilgrimage every year. Not a grandiose journey, but something modest—130 kilometers between Lucca and Siena along the famed Via Francigena, one of Europe’s three major Christian pilgrimage routes, stretching from Canterbury to Rome. I pictured myself strolling through sunlit vineyards and medieval Tuscan Read more…

The Balkans are: free antibiotics for my ear infection, the sweetest nectarines, aggressive drivers, hungry glances at women’s nipples under the thin tops, canopy beds on the beach, remnants of Ottoman culture, fresh fishes from the lake, endless traffic jams, okra in the market, men-only cafes, defenders of the faith, Read more…