Monthly Archives: April 2013
Dougga, Tunisia
It's hard to describe how striking Dougga was. I was completely unprepared for it. My Lonely Planet had said it was an impressive site of Roman ruins and it was just a couple of hours south of Tunis, so I decided to head down there and take a look. There was a bizarre incident on … Continue reading
Carthage, Tunisia
It's incredible how many layers of history are found in Carthage. It was originally founded by the Phoenicians in the 9th century BC and flourished as an important trading post due to its prime location on the Mediterranean beginning in the 6th century BC. During the Punic wars, the Romans eventually destroyed and conquered Carthage … Continue reading
Shut up legs!
This weekend I had the wonderful privilege of meeting one of my heroes: cyclist Jens Voigt. He was participating in a charity bike ride to raise money for The Epilepsy Society in New Forest, England. The evening before the ride, the weather didn’t look terribly promising with one direction pure sunshine and the other rain … Continue reading
Sidi Bou Saïd, Tunisia
Visiting Sidi Bou Saïd, just a short ride north of Tunis on the commuter train, is like stepping into a postcard. With its crisp white buildings and bright blue doors and windows, everywhere you look is a photograph begging to be taken. There were at least twice as many Tunisians as tourists there, spending … Continue reading
Toronto on the rocks
My cousin, her boyfriend, and I spent a recent afternoon at The Rock Oasis, a rock climbing gym in Toronto. After a lesson on how to belay, we were turned loose in the gym. We headed first to the auto-belay wall. The initial goal for us was simply to feel a little more confident … Continue reading
Bruges
Bruges is every bit the cute fairy tale town I had expected. Aside from the masses of tourists, the only ugly thing in the whole town was the Ito Pavilion. When the city was named a European Capital of Culture in 2002, Toyo Ito's Pavilion was constructed, intending to link the past and present. I'll … Continue reading
Lille
Lille is one of those places you go to because you're going somewhere else. For me, it was Paris-Roubaix. I somehow managed to get a few photos that make it look uncharacteristically pretty and French.
Belgium miscellaneous
In case you were wondering about fines for failing to clean up your dog’s poop, Antwerp and Bruges make it pretty easy to find out. Two museums I skipped but could have easily been persuaded to visit. With staircases as narrow and steep and winding as this, it’s no wonder Ikea and their … Continue reading
Paris-Roubaix 2013
It’s called the Hell of the North for a reason. Go ride your bike for 254 kilometers through dirt, dust, mud and anything else unpleasant you can think of. Just make sure you also rode through 27 different sets of cobblestones totaling over 50 kilometers and then finish with a lap and a half in … Continue reading
I don’t speak Flemish…
…but I've certainly enjoyed reading the signs in Belgium! (This last one means blind donkey street.)