Antigua (not to be confused with the island) was the Spanish colonial capital until 1773, when an earthquake damaged many of the since-restored structures. Before traveling to the country, I asked a friend about the draw of the town, considering it is the most visited destination for American embassy employees in Guatemala. He said, “nothing really. You just hang out, eat and drink.”
Misha, Mochi, and I have now been in Guatemala City for three weeks. Keeping with the formula I started in Israel, I'd like to start my Guatemala series with my first impressions of our new post here and then write several follow up pieces once I've gotten more chances to explore the city. We live... Continue Reading →
Home Leave is a State Department mandated vacation that occurs between tours. Our leave happened to be the maximum time allotted to us, or 30 days, plus a week of Annual Leave tacked on at the end. We used this time to travel around the country, visit with family, renew our licenses, attend medical appointments, and try to relax despite the near constant stream of activities we attempted to squeeze in. Here's a quick recap of our first home leave.
After what feels like only two shakes of a lambs' tail (to quote Mia Wallace), our time in the DC area is quickly coming to an end. While we don't depart for Guatemala until mid-October, we are already planning our exit from Virginia.
With our time in Israel now over, we're back stateside in between tours. Misha jumped immediately into Spanish before even getting over her jet lag, while I've taken the time to relax (because I just worked so hard before, right Misha?). The departure process included selling my car, sorting through our belongings (see below), getting... Continue Reading →
In what was perhaps our last excursion from Israel, Misha and I had an absolute blast in Jordan, Israel's eastern neighbor. The country is currently only allowing those with diplomatic visas to cross the border by car, so we took advantage of our status once again. This may also be our last road trip in my car before we sell it to a fellow diplomat, so it was a nice final drive for my Jetta. This trip didn't have the bewildering brush with border patrol that our Belgium trip had, but it wasn't complete devoid of anxiety all the same. Namely, as the trip wore on, I felt more and more certain that I was coming down with covid.
After our first attempt to visit Belgium was nixed back in August, Misha and I regrouped for a second attempt during the Christmas season. I can't believe I'm saying this after only two years away from Massachusetts, but the trip actually made me miss winter weather....It wasn't all a nostalgic return to holiday cheer, though. As a matter of fact, it started as poorly as an international trip can start.
Back in November, Misha and I, along with my mother and sisters, took an off-season trip to Greece. Keeping with the tradition of this blog, I will eschew a day by day breakdown of our vacation and instead recount a few anecdotes and highlights. An aspiring travel writer I am not. Even if I were, it’s a little late in the blogging game to be offering advice on what to do in Athens and Santorini.
Misha and I took advantage of the September holiday season in Israel to skip town for a week and head to Germany. Rather than return to Bavaria, this time we spent two days each at the beginning and end of our trip in Berlin with two days in Saxony sandwiched in the middle. The food was delicious, the weather warm and sunny, the trip a great success.
After several false starts due to ever-changing travel restrictions, Misha and I finally settled on an August vacation destination: Austria. We stayed at an Airbnb in a quiet little town near Krems an der Donau for two nights. Then, it was on to Vienna.
Beer and Diplomacy 
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