Tea Nomad

France

Sun, 05 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

France is one of the pillars of the EU, or at least it has been historically. The country has a vast variety of nature and urban landscapes - Paris is merely the tip of the iceberg. On this trip, I enjoyed the southern coast and a taste of the Alps.

12 chouqettes a day keeps the diabetes away… or something like that

Taste test of fancy French cuisine

Clock and moon - no explanation needed

The same clocktower at a different time of day

Yachts, yacht, and more yachts - the French riviera at its best

Some refugees are living their best life

It looks like EVERYONE decided that today is a great day to go flying

Same place, different view

Fun in the sky

Winds are looking good

Mountains at sunrise

Snowcapped mountains

Glaciers in the Alps

Skiing in April? Why not, just find a taller mountain

Whoever made this car sticker must think they are sooooo funny

Georgia

Fri, 30 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Georgia is a small country that I know about mostly because of its food. January is only a good time of year to visit if you like skiing, but I wanted to visit this country in 2026 because I had already procrastinated my visit many times, so I decided to travel there as early in the year as I could. The food did not disappoint, the traffic was worse than I could have imagined for a city this size, and I will need to return to see the amazing nature that I know this country has.

Travel thought: How much should a city be willing to sacrifice to improve a bad traffic situation? Should the residents accept the destruction of buildings and cost of constructing new roads to save time in the future and future-proof the city?

Beautiful opera building

A towering Soviet antenna overlooks the city from the nearest hill

Hot cacao makes a cold day feel warmer

The fact that the most famous historic monument in downtown is a clock that looks like it might fall over is a decent summary of Tbilisi vibes

The famous Bridge of Peace, with a shiny glass exterior, sits next to sidewalks that look like they have endured a war (but are more likely victims of corruption and poor engineering)

The city clashes the old and new side-by-side

Vilnius & Tbilisi - ex-Soviet BFFs

Cheburashka, the Soviet answer to Mickey Mouse (and much cuter)

A towering Soviet monument that looks like it was pulled out of a movie set

Nothing says “I am a dumb tourist” like eating ice cream in the snow

A very Soviet-looking view. You can have any color of apartment building, as long as the color is unpainted concrete

A monument to a poor hippo that died

This might be the craziest street poster I have seen so far

Slovenia

Mon, 14 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Slovenia has fantastic nature around Triglav National Park. On the other hand, the capital city of Ljubljana is very small and boring. The country has a small population of 2.5 million and is very clean and organized, but the combination of high prices, boring city, and overall sleepy feeling makes me think it’s a nice place to visit but I wouldn’t want to live there.

The country also had a weird feeling for me - it didn’t feel like it fit well into the Balkans, but it also didn’t feel like it fit well into the other surroundings countries. I heard one local say it’s a transit country, with many tourists stopping for the night on their drive to Croatia. Perhaps that and the mixed history contributed to this feeling of the country not fitting in anywhere.

Travel thought: Which city in the world has the highest number of visiting tourists to locals during peak season?

Lake Bled in all its glory

Lake Bled before sunset

Pretzel, lemonade, and lake views - can it get any better?

Scenic lunch at Lake Bled

Clean water

Green water

Over many years, the water has carved the rock

EU money can make buildings look really nice

The central castle overlooks Ljubljana from the hill

You might be suspicious of milk sold in a vending machine, but these dairy products come from cows that live in the pristine environment of Triglav National Park

Thirsty tourists will find convenient drinking water dispensers are found all around Lake Bled

Friendly bear

Having fun with mini golf!

A paragliding takeoff site near the summit of one hike

Tadej Pogacar, the country’s cycling hero, was storing one of his cars while winning the Tour de France

One of the many Yugoslav spomenik, concrete monuments made to commemorate various historic events

Downtown Ljubljana’s retro architectural section

Breathtaking nature can be found in the mountains of Triglav

Serbia Roadtrip

Thu, 27 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Serbia’s central location in eastern Europe has seen lots of history over the centuries. A roadtrip through the country provided a better view of the variety of scenery and sights than simply staying in the capital of Belgrade.

Travel thought: What is the proper balance between an undiscovered place without many travelers and a place with sufficient amenities like lodging, restaurants, and good roads?

Drvengrad is a small town of wooden houses built for a movie set. Today it offers a hotel, restaurant, and photogenic views.

Felix Romuliana in Gamzigrad is a large Roman archaeological site. Roman columns, mosaics, sculptures, and walls are still visible.

A small pup was playfully following me around the Roman ruins when I arrived

Golubac Fortress is perhaps the best restored fortress in Serbia, and one of the top photo highlights of any roadtrip in the country.

Kapaonik is a popular winter ski destination on the border with Kosovo. The mountain views are excellent.

Lepinski Vir is a famous archaelogical site that has some of the oldest sculptures in Europe, dating back to roughly 6000 B.C. The original site was going to be flooded with the construction of a new dam on the Danube river, on the border with Romania, so the archaelogical team moved some of the artifacts to a higher elevation and reconstructed what the site looked like.

Maglić Fortress is situated on a high hilltop and has the feeling of a place lost in time. Minimally restored, it has scenic views from the fortress walls. In the last 2 years, a cool cafe has been developed at the base of the fortress staffed by young foreign volunteers.

Midžor is the highest peak in Serbia. Unlike the highest peaks in some neighboring countries, the mountain feels like a giant meadow. Lots of flowers were to be found all the way to the summit, with many insects flying around during the summer. I slightly prefer more alpine ridgelines, but this high elevation meadow was an unexpected surprise.

Niš is the biggest city in southern Serbia, not to be confused with Nashville :)

Novi Pazar is the largest city with a Muslim majority in Serbia. Located in the Sandžak region, along the border of Montenegro and Serbia, the mixture of people and religions here is an artifact of old Ottoman influence in the region. The city feels very different from elsewhere in Serbia, but in my opinion, it’s finding this variety in a small country that makes Serbia appealing.

Pirot is a small town near the Bulgarian border. A small fortress in the center of town is the tourist highlight here.

Yugoslavian Spomenik, or monuments, are concrete memorials built in Yugoslavian times, usually to commemorate the country’s independence of war victims.

Tara National Park, on the border of Bosnia, is host to amazing mountain forests and views of the Tara Gorge.

Traffic in rural Serbia

Serbia’s near high speed train to Budapest!

Zlatibor hills are very scenic rolling hills. The area is also home to a popular winter ski destination that’s a couple hours away from Belgrade.

Japan

Sun, 11 Feb 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Japan needs no introduction. Although winter is not the most popular season to visit Japan (except for skiing), the country is breaking records for tourism with every passing month thanks to a very weak yen.

Travel thought: Japan has been stuck living in the year 2000 for the past 50 years. Will Japan’s economy recover in the next decade, or is it doomed to fail due to the declining population?

Tourist info at the airport guiding you straight to the anime

The famous Glico Running Man sign

Osaka Castle is a favorite photo spot, for obvious reasons

Giant stones used in the fortifications of Osaka Castle

Osaka Umeda sky building

The attention to small details is visible everywhere. Orange cones don’t fit the neighborhood aesthetic? No problem, we can fix that.

A tiny countertop dishwasher, free kawaii included

Even construction must include kawaii

Caution: this door knows karate

Gion district at night

Everyone’s favorite children’s book just got new graphics: Cat in the Hat

The Chiikawa craze is visible across the entire country. You can’t escape it.

Kyoto is a smaller city in Japan. The Kyoto train station is… not so small

Montbell, Japan’s answer to outdoor brands like Patagonia, North Face, and others

Nitrogen infused loose leaf tea, anyone?

Japan’s oldest teahouse in Uji: Tsuen, since 1160

Ready to catch some Pokemon?!

Yes, there is Pokemon noodle

Titanium chopsticks: only for the most adventurous of eaters. Pairs perfectly with Pokemon noodle

Kyoto at night

Kyoto during the day

Forget a smartphone, you need the Robohon robot phone

Forget having friends, you can hang out with robots

Kyoto station. This is what they call just a small city

Only in Japan is Yahoo still considered high tech

Giant sanmon in Nanzen-ji temple area

Kyoto temple perfection

Gio-ji moss garden

Gio-ji moss garden is hard to beat

Oba-in in Daitokuji

Tatami mats at Sesshu-ji at Tofukuji during a surprisingly quiet visit

View from Sesshu-ji at Tofukuji

Mandatory sushi photo

Mandatory wagyu beef yakiniku photo

The exclusive matcha parfait at the Nakamura Toichi main store

Views overlooking Uji, matcha capital of the world

River view on the outskirts of Arashiyama

Byodo-in in Uji, a famous temple found on Japan’s 10 yen coin

Bamboo

The Hachiko statue may be at Shibuya, but this photobooth is much more fun

Garden perfection at Adachi Gardens

It’s hard to get more perfect than this

The Shunkaen Bonsai Museum is absolutely amazing

This bonsai is 1000 years old

Look at the delicate little red maple leaves!!

Bonsai with a bridge

Bonsai with sakura

Even MORE bonsai

A very cool cafe entrance

Tsutaya in Daikanyama is an amazing bookstore

Tsutaya in Ginza6 is also fantastic

Should all restaurants deliver food to tables with a cat robot? Yes, yes they should

If you want to buy chiikawa food…

you have to wait in line for over 1 hour. There is NO line for the same food without the branding

And if you want to buy other chiikawa items… sorry, sold out

Claw games with cute prizes

Can you handle the extreme cuteness??

A deer admiring the view at Miyajima Island

The REAL dogwifhat

Flying fish? Or just dolphins performing?

The zen garden themed train to Osaka

Okayama castle

Himeji castle

Himeji garden

The first manga in Japan, Chōjū-jinbutsu-giga

Omotesando is a polished part of Tokyo. Shiny, even

The Okinawa pineapple park features all things pineapple

Baskin Robbins? No, this is Okinawa’s Blue Seal

Sakura season is a special time in Japan

When it’s sakura season, EVERYONE is at the park

Shibuya scramble from above

Shinkansen at Tokyo Station

Inside the shinkansen, with a snack!

Street artist drawing with only water

Sushi overload

Now this looks like a teashop I would enjoy!

The Tokyo Imperial Garden’s pines with skyscrapers behind

Wagyu for dinner

The Okinawa aquarium is one of the few in the world to feature a whaleshark

Watching a whaleshark is even better while drinking whaleshark-themed tea

The whaleshark steals the show

Penguins love feeding time

Seal-themed hotdogs, anyone?

Fish perched on a shell

Thailand

Mon, 18 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Chiang Mai has been in the top 5 digital nomad hotspots for probably over a decade at this point. And when even a backpacker’s budget permits small luxuries like a daily mango and a weekly massage, why wouldn’t it be? The best time of year to visit is between October and January, before the annual burning season that make the town much less appealing in February and March.

Travel thought: Are there any “normal” things in your area that might appear strange or illogical to someone viewing it from a different perspective? Some examples in North America might be drying clothes in a machine (as opposed to air drying), the inability to buy smaller sized products (toothpaste is only travel sized or super sized, there’s no half-size washing machines or sinks, etc.), and the lack of public transit. For me, Thailand has many unusual quirks, including “public transit” that follows no fixed route but has a fixed price, delivery apps that offer so many coupons that 2 separate orders (with 2 coupons) is cheaper than 1 combined order, and the biggest quirk of them all: an annual burning season that causes so much smoke that it’s visible from space.

Yi Peng is the biggest festival of the season, and many tourists arrive in Chiang Mai solely to watch the sky lanterns

That’s a lot of lanterns!

The botanical garden has a wide variety of tropical plants, many of which I expect need minimal assistance to grow in the middle of a rain forest

Round cactus

Squiggly cactus

Hobbits live throughout Southeast Asia, not just in New Zealand

The orchids area had special effects smoke for a unique ambiance

Mon Cham (also spelled Mon Jam) is a mountainous area with flower gardens and scenic views

Stand in a hand, apparently what some tourists come for

Fresh coconut with a view over Chiang Mai

Eating fresh mango is common, but this dessert looks particularly exquisite

Serbia

Mon, 23 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Serbia is a unique country in Europe, in part because of its preference for a semi-neutral geopolitical stance and distrust of joining the EU. Lately it has seen a large influx of newcomers due to the war in Ukraine. It has been off the radar for tourism for a long time, but that is slowly changing.

Travel thought: What are the most important factors a European country should consider about joining the EU or Schengen zone?

Avala Tower, rebuilt after destruction in 1999

Belgrade Botanical Garden

Kalemegdan Park is the main park in the downtown that is built around an old fortress

Kalemegdan Park with clouds

The chess crowd is in the park every day

For some reason, Dino Parks are a popular children’s attraction in the region

Kalemegdan gate

The view of the Belgrade waterfront development from Kalemegdan

Kalemegdan at night

Old Ottoman style building in Kalemegdan

Saint Sava Church

Tea time

National Theatre

Belgrade zoo

The Belgrade zoo is literally in the Kalemegdan fortress in the core downtown of the city. The hippos and giraffe get prime real estate, but at the cost of smaller enclosures. Still, there’s an impressive variety of animals.

Romania

Sun, 08 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Romania is not among the top vacation destinations for many visitors to Europe, but it is severely underrated. It is so large in size compared to other countries in the Balkans that it effectively guarantees beautiful nature somewhere in the country. And conveniently for nature-lovers, the Carpathian mountains stretch throughout nearly the entire country. While the harsh communist rule in the 1980’s still leaves its mark on the country in a wide variety of ways, the country has been improving quickly in recent years thanks to money flowing in from the EU. On the other hand, a large number of younger Romanians have fled to richer EU countries for higher paid jobs.

The history of the country is very interesting in that it is the only Romance language country east of Italy, and is surrounded by Slavic language countries (excluding Hungary, the oddball of central Europe). The mix of cultures in the northwest of the country is owed to the extra land gained by the country after WWI taken from the Austro-Hungarian empire.

Travel thought: When comparing all the former Warsaw pact nations that were more communist or socialist before 1989, what were some of the best and worst decisions made by these countries that led to their current situations decades later? Can the impact of specific decisions by political leadership be traced through time to measure the quality of decisions made?

Palace of Parliament in Bucharest, the heaviest building in the world after the Pentagon

The nightly fountain show in front of the big building

Barbie in communist Romania looked a bit different

The Tiriac Collection, a car collection owned by a Romanian billionaire, is ridiculously large and high quality

It may be the only collection to have one of every generation of Rolls Royce Phantom

Many of the “lesser” vehicles are kicked outside in the sun due to lack of interior space

This poor Porsche tractor didn’t qualify to stay indoors

Busteni may be one of the best locations for a fresh lemonade. Note the honey at the bottom, a unique feature of lemonade in Romania compared to neighboring countries

Peles Castle, created for Romanian king Carol I

Same castle, different view

A castle armory fit for a king

It’s a bear market for cryptocurrencies when the only advertising space within budget is in the middle of nowhere

You know it’s a bear market when they’re staring at you through the window

Uh oh, it’s not just a little bear market…

Bring your own sandwich for fox feeding Friday…

Heaven for bench lovers. Or, what central planning looks like.

Beautiful interior of the Bucharest Athenaeum

Another beautiful interior at the Romanian National Bank

The largest replica I’ve ever seen in a museum. Trajan’s column, a key symbol in Romania’s history depicting the collision between Romans and Dacians. The original is in Rome.

Mandatory eastern Europe photo of chess in the park

Looks like a happy chap. Romanian royalty from the past.

An approach I endorse in totali-tea

Romanian hacker life: who needs the dark web when you can buy insta followers at the metro entrance?

Romanian mountains

Mountains near Busteni

Moldoveanu hike, above the clouds

Moldoveanu hike, valley of clouds

Moldoveanu hike, moving clouds

Hero’s Cross above Busteni, a memorial for World War I

Transfagarasan Highway, an extremely scenic drive (at least for the northern half)

Transfagarasan Highway

Spot the shepherd, round 1

Spot the shepherd, round 2

London

Mon, 25 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +0000

London needs no introduction. I got a few days in the city during a long layover.

Travel thought: London and New York are the only two Alpha++ global cities. London has cheaper flights from a greater number of countries, so is it more international in the physical realm (compared to the digital or financial realm)?

London, land of Newton

The most important meal of the day is afternoon tea

This posh silverware will look lovely in my new kitchen. Oh dear, those prices…

I wonder who is buying London real estate these days?

British cuisine looks so delightful. This looks like a light healthy meal.

Canary Wharf, one of London’s financial centers

Coal Drops Yard, one of the most recent developments in London

The Sherlock Holmes museum, located at the famous 221B Baker Street address

Big Ben

Trafalgar Square

Double decker bus views

Regent’s Park on a typical overcast day

Hyde Park gets full during good weather

Lewis Chessmen

Paintings at the National Gallery

Platform 9 and 10 are here, so where’s 9 and 3/4?

Ah ha! I expect Hogwarts will have very large classes this year with a line this long.

Hungary

Sat, 25 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Budapest is one of the top 10 largest cities in Europe, and certainly is one of the most beautiful capital cities in Europe. The historic architecture and facades are mostly well maintained. The public transit in the downtown area is amazing, with metro lines crossing trolley lines crossing bus lines. Margaret Island in the Danube is a very popular park and workout space, with a running track around the island’s perimeter, roads for cycling, and multiple fitness stations making gym memberships unnecessary when the weather is good.

Travel thought: What city in the world has the most beautiful architecture overall? Not just one or a few buildings, but considering the looks of the city as a whole.

Breakfast at “The World’s Most Beautiful Cafe” anyone?

But the competition is stiff because the opera house interior might best the cafe’s…

Meanwhile, the Hungarian National Museum rolls out the red carpet for visitors

Not to be outdone, Hungary’s Parliament building almost makes me want to work in the public sector

Ok, so Budapest might be a London wannabe

The Fisherman’s Bastion offers a great view of the city

A church next to Fisherman’s Bastion has an amazing tiled roof

A statue next to the church

The Tomb of Gül Baba is one of the few surviving examples of Ottoman architecture from the 150 years of Ottoman rule

A morning is only a good morning with quality tea

Pinball, anyone?

Yes, I can believe the Polgar sisters lived near here

Please keep your seatbelt fastened during take-off and landing