Travel

I’ve spent two summers in Alaska, and a week on the Inside Passage, but I still jump at any opportunity to return to the state. The early summer of 2021 was an unusual time to visit, as much of the state had reopened after the COVID-19 pandemic, but the cruise ships that bring most of the state’s tourists still weren’t permitted to sail.

We arrived in Ketchikan on a Wednesday evening and checked into the Black Bear Inn. Strolling around downtown Ketchikan, we noticed that many of the shops—several which are owned and operated by the cruise ship companies—were shuttered. We got some beers at the Bawden Street Brewing Company and then ate a tasty dinner at the Heen Kahidi Dining Room which, perched in the Cape Fox Lodge on the hills above town, also offers excellent views.

Hawaii is an incredibly special place. Those lucky enough to visit are overwhelmed with far too many excellent options, but one of the best is Kona, also known as Hawai’i or the “Big Island.” Its combination of volcanoes and beaches is unmatched. I visited with my family in the winter of 2020.

One of the early highlights of our trip was the hike out to Kīholo Bay. The walk takes you past the Queen’s Bath, a freshwater pool bored dramatically into the volcanic rock. In ancient Hawaii, only royalty were permitted to enter the pool; today anyone may swim in the waters once reserved for the Hawaiian elite.

I’ve always been curious about Maine, but I’d never had an opportunity to visit. I’d planned a trip to Germany, Austria, and the Czech Republic for the fall of 2020, but then the COVID-19 pandemic struck. Americans weren’t allowed to travel to Europe, and our vacation fell through. Maine seemed like a good alternative: the state required that visitors be tested before arrival, and it had implemented safety policies at hotels, restaurants, and bars.

I hadn’t really thought about it before I visited, but Sicily’s remarkable and consequential history should be obvious. Much of the history of Europe is the history of the Mediterranean Sea. As a large island right in the middle of the Mediterranean, Sicily was strategically vital at least from the time of the ancient Greeks through World War II. Some of the island’s oldest signs of human habitation are cave paintings dating to around 8000 B.C.E. In subsequent millennia, Sicily was settled by the Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Greeks, Romans, Germanic tribes, Byzantines, Arabs, and Normans. Each civilization left its mark, creating unique layers of history that you can still see today.

It was raining heavily when my flight landed Toulouse-Blagnac Airport in Toulouse, France early on a Saturday evening. Ducking through the raindrops, I made my way to the car my wife and in-laws had rented. We drove southeast about an hour to the town of Carcassonne. Carcassonne’s predominant feature is the massive citadel, La Cité, that rings its hilltop. People have lived in the area around Carcassonne since around 3500 B.C.E., and the Romans built an outpost there around 100 B.C.E.

Lying between the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians, the Shenandoah Valley is a stunning place brimming with natural beauty, historic towns, wineries, and breweries. I visited twice during October 2017, on two different fall weekends.

My first stop was the Purple Wolf Vineyard. The vineyard lies on the White Oak Lavender farm, a delightfully pastoral spot west of Shenandoah National Park off of Highway 81. The vineyard has both indoor and outdoor seating, and sitting outside was perfect on an unseasonably warm October day. We alternately relaxed in the winery’s comfy chairs and explored the farms as we drank our wines.