This is a very short story about music. In Iran.
I dont know that I've ever been so happy — or oddly surprised — to hear Stevie Wonder in my entire life.
I should explain.
Daniel Noll
Western Iran Shapshots and Experiences
We apologize for the silence on our blog over the last week. Our travels across Iran, while rich and deeply fulfilling, have teamed up with slow and censored internet, a blistering pace of full days that end late, and an attempt to process it all that feels like a slow drip.
Now that we've dispensed with the excuses, we offer a few snapshots of our journey to not-so-traveled Western Iran — Hamadan, Kermanshan, and Ahvaz — where our path through the country begins.
Inside Golestan Palace in Tehran, Iran
Persia's Qajar dynasty kings knew how to have a good time. (Some may argue that they did so at the expense of their subjects and their country, but that's another matter entirely.)
For now, a visual. Take a peek inside the lavishly tiled and ornate Khalvat-e-karimkhani room at Golestan Palace in Tehran, Iran.
Traveling to Iran: Why We’re Going
This is the story of Iran, a country we once expected to visit last, as a final bow wrapped around a journey that tells the story of making human connections around the world. It's also an explanation of why we're traveling to Iran this Friday.
Hot Sauce Tasting: Hurts So Good
A quick visit to a hot sauce store in Berlin turns into an unplanned three-hour hot sauce sampling that made us feel like we just dropped acid.
Have you ever planned a hot sauce tasting? Ever even imagined one? Well, maybe you should.
Base Flying Berlin: An 11th Wedding Anniversary Jump (Video)
What is marriage, if not a leap of faith?
Fourteen years ago, on or around our second date, Audrey and I went skydiving together. It was, as you might imagine, both terrifying and fantastic. And as much as you also might also imagine that it wiped away my fear of heights, it did not. Perhaps it chiseled away at that wall, but it certainly didn’t tear it down. I still swoon thinking about that airplane canopy above 16,000 feet. I still get wobbly above 10 stories.
So here we are 14 years later in Berlin, celebrating our 11th wedding anniversary. What better way to recognize the occasion than to jump (base fly) from the top of a 37-story building?
The Importance of Saying Thank You
This is about saying thank you: why we do it, the ways we do it, the cheapening of it, the deepening of it. And why, when you're traveling, it's one of the most important words to know in the local language.
Bangladesh Food: A Culinary Travel Guide
What is Bangladesh food? Or more correctly, Bangladeshi food? Which dishes should you seek out and what sort of flavors and spices might you find when you visit the country? This Bangladesh Food Guide shares some of our favorite Bangladeshi dishes, meals and experiences from traveling around Bangladesh for almost six weeks and trying all different kinds of Bangladeshi foods on the street, in tea stalls, canteens, restaurants and in village homes.
Why Visit Udaipur, India: Highlights from our Visit
When people ask us about places in India to visit that are filled with intensity, color, and culture, but without being too overwhelming or filled with tourist-schlock, Udaipur is one of our top recommendations (Southern India is another). The setting … Continue Reading
The Travel Apps of Our Dreams
It seems like smartphones can do just about anything these days, from waking us up in the morning according to our sleep cycles to translating foreign language signs we’ve just photographed. But our iPhones and Androids still can’t do everything.
As we put together travel plans for this coming fall, it occurs to us that some travel apps are still missing. Here are just a few of the award-winning ones we’re still waiting for.