Author Archives: chrisgarske

Arriving in Turkey for the first time feels a lot like arriving in Italy, Spain or Greece. Old-world Mediterranean. After Asia and Africa, the cobblestoned streets and cafes, vineyards and olive groves all seemed to whisper  “…you’re back in the west, now. … Continue reading →

In Switzerland, I kept thinking about Yosemite. Switzerland has much better chocolate than Yosemite, though. Clocks, banks, cheese, and charming villages, too. On the other hand, Yosemite is a park. Switzerland is full of Swiss people. I was almost broke, … Continue reading →

My Swedish host, a banker, surprised me. “We Swedes have a reputation for promiscuity that is overblown, but it is true that for us, sex is not such a big deal. It’s just something everyone should do a few times … Continue reading →

On one hand, modern Greece is a picturesque nation on the periphery of Europe, distinguished for its excellent food, lively music, poverty, corruption and economic troubles. On the other hand, ancient Greece is the still-echoing explosion of genius that overshadows … Continue reading →

…according to people who should know. A Norwegian outfit contacted 100 top writers around the world and asked each of them for their list of the ten best and most important books – this is the resulting compilation. In one of … Continue reading →

It was the last day of a 5-month trip, and I was down to my last $4.  In those days I always arrived home flat broke. It was May, 1980. I was 24. My all-night train from Switzerland rolled into … Continue reading →

Angkor Wat in Siem Riep, Cambodia- the largest religious monument in the world. There are around 1000 other temples nearby, moldering in the jungles. Everyone goes to the four most spectacular ones, so that leaves 996 others, mostly empty of … Continue reading →

The biggest living things on earth. The oldest – already 3000 years old when Christ walked. The tallest living things on the planet – the height of a 35-story building. The lowest, driest, hottest place in North America. The richest, … Continue reading →

…are made of trash. Economical, no? The poverty-stricken waste little. 

The couple that owns the place we’re staying in Hanalei are accomplished surfers – that’s why they moved here from Santa Cruz. They have a paddle board in the yard and told us to use it any time. I think … Continue reading →