According to legend, the floors of Nijo Castle in Kyoto, Japan were crafted to squeak like the song of a nightengale — to warn the Shogun and his bodyguards of prowling ninja. Here’s a brief clip of the that sound (presented here on the website). H, W and I visited Nijo Castle...

When we started this journey, our itinerary was a list of PLACES we would visit. Looking back on our journey so far, it is PEOPLE who are the milestones. We REMEMBER the steps of our journey through the litany of people we met — and loved. These are a few dozen steps of the many...

Monday afternoon in Xian, China: Two blocks of vendors hang calligraphy brushes and stack thick parchment rolls in stalls under canvas umbrellas. A dozen women in comfortable clothing move through the delicate choreography of a sword dance, as their teacher — an elderly man —...

The woman in this photo was once on the verge of closing a profitable real estate deal in Nairobi’s Kangemi slum neighborhood. Her mind was changed, however … and the deal never happened. Instead, the property became the home for — and she became the Founder of — Akiba...

Some new friends competed in a raucous 9-on-9 soccer tournament over the weekend — playing for pride against friends and neighbors in a Kenyan election spectacle organized to promote a candidate running for a seat in parliament. Four of the men in this team photo are involved with...

I know it’s been many weeks since we were on safari … but we want to share this giant audio journey of our time with lions, elephants, hippos, vultures, hyenas, cheetahs, leopards, wildebeest, zebras, and the rest of Creation. It’s a quick-moving yet ponderous 15-minute epic...

Get out of bed, Jerusalem! Wake up. Put your face in the sunlight. These were the words I happened to read this morning from Isaiah, as we woke up to brilliant sunshine today in Musanze, Rwanda. Adding to the morning glory, the daughter of our current hosts was reciting this poem to the...

I tried to explain the Rwandan genocide to our boys in a few minutes this morning. They really tracked with the information — from colonial rule, to the creation of Tutsi and Hutu labels, to civil war, to mass murder … but they stopped me when I started talking about...

We have just returned from safari … with TONS of stories to pass along. This is our first: four lionesses struck down, then slaughtered, a young wildebeest outside our two, canvas Serengeti tents … as we “slept” inside. There will be lots more to say about the...

The men in this picture are singing Gnaoua music. Their ancestors were West African slaves, taken from an area once known as Ancient Ghana. They created their music to heal their pain, to exalt the memory of their ancestors — and to simply live in a hard place far home. Here is a song...

H and I went to an FC Barcelona soccer match together — tonight — for his 11th birthday. We were so close to the field, I could see the evening dew on the players’ cleats. Barcelona currently has one of the greatest complete soccer teams in a generation. (Ever?) One of the...

We said goodbye this week to Croatia on a hulking ferry bound for Italy. Our last glimpse of the country was the one pictured above – of Split, Croatia’s harbor, as seen from the ferry’s rear deck railing. A group of Catholic pilgrims were near us at the rear of the boat,...

  We set out on an epic bike journey during our first week in Croatia — in the same hills where Mario Andretti was born! We never reached our destination … it rained a fair amount … W’s pedal came off … E lost his chain … but we logged some great...

We spent an epic day in central London a few days ago. Wake was our “trip leader.” It rained on us. We were on the move for ELEVEN hours. And the whole experience was truly joyful – truly, truly joyful. Wonderful memories. Please join us for some of the experience in this audio postcard....

My maternal grandmother was often part of my family beach vacations. Mama Liz showed me how to play cards on those trips, usually on her bed. She floated effortlessly and endlessly on her back in the surf. And she taught me the words and music to French national anthem. We sang that anthem as...

L’Eglise Paroissial de Beynac et Cazenac was constructed on the side of a limestone cliff in the thirteenth century to serve as a castle’s chapel. Parishioners entered through a wooden door in the transect. Turning left – east – they approached the altar. Turning right, they...

Please join us for a few minutes of sounds from a nearby village market this morning. We go from chickens for sale (E noted that baby ducks and baby chickens cost less Euros than collared shirts), to a cheese maker who named her goats, to a flower lady with an infectious laugh, to W buying a...

Our three goofballs worked out this performance during a few car rides. Booking slots are going fast. Please listen...