Surf towns have a distinct, laid-back vibe, judging from my visits to La Union, Baler, and Hale'iwa on the North Shore of Oahu. Among them all, tiny Liwliwa has got to be the chillest, stripped to the barest scene I've experienced.
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tourist
Several blogs helped me narrow the choices down to Spreewald, Leipzig, Hamburg, Saxon Switzerland, and Dresden. All of them looked gorgeous in the springtime, thanks to all the featured photos; none of them advertised winter. What made me decide Dresden over Hamburg and the rest were 1. it was the shortest distance by bus, 2. its compact downtown area is completely accessible by walking, and 3. it had the best (warmest and driest) weather forecast for the day.
I read somewhere that "a journey is best measured in friends rather than miles" (Tim Cahill), and it's so true for me. I've traveled quite a lot since high school, for various reasons, but mostly as a cultural ambassador of music. As such, I had the opportunity of meeting people from all over the world at competitions, festivals, and concert tours; there is absolutely no greater souvenir from those trips than all the people that I've met and kept in touch with. Somehow, it has made the world feel both bigger and sm[...]