Welcome, Bienvenido, Willkommen, Failte

Where has this Eagle landed? It’s a very good question. Although my nest is currently in the charming historic city of Baltimore, Maryland I am someone who loves to leave home and explore the world. I suffer from a severe case of wanderlust. I may have caught this bug later than some, but I have tried to make up for lost time. I have been to 30 countries and 27 states so far with still so much of this globe to explore. I have traveled alone and with friends and family. Both have their advantages. Nothing is better than sharing an amazing once-in-a-lifetime experience or a delectable meal with someone. A companion can also take your photo without the need of the horrible selfie stick (which I will never use, they should be banned, and people who fall off cliffs… never mind you get the idea). Furthermore, when disaster strikes, and they do, having someone freak out with me or brainstorm with is very handy, and a witness can embellish hysterical stories of holiday doom for your family & friends (Who doesn’t like a good story?). Yet traveling alone forces me to leave my comfort zone. I am not in a travel bubble with a comrade. If I want to talk to someone I have to make friends in a place where I am the foreigner (with a cute accent hopefully). I find I can learn about a place and people more intimately on my own by exchanging ideas with locals, dispelling myths about each other’s cultures, and being game for a drunken adventure with new friends. Traveling alone teaches me a lot about myself that I can then use back in my everyday reality.

So why an Eagle? I have been obsessed with them since I was a kid. To me eagles represent strength, grace, and freedom, all qualities I admire and are very useful for cultural exploration. Eagles also hunt for food. When I travel I’m always hunting for the right local meal. Basque pintxos, Scottish haggis, Austria’s Sachre Torte all tell a history of a people, place, and culture. While the Catalans in Barcelona may have adopted pinchos, I doubt anyone but the Scots serve haggis, and no one would have the audacity to challenge Viennese hegemony on the Sachre Torte. By eating my way across a country I am discovering the real essence of a nation and incorporating it into my soul, and my stomach of course.

This blog will be a mix of commentary, reviews, poems and photos that hopefully will inspire readers to go find their own misadventures. While not a foodie blog per se, there will be much said and photographed about food. I truly believe the more people travel and expose themselves to other cultures can this world truly find peace and rejoice in the gifts that we all have to offer.