We planned our Greek island trip as we went, so when we were in fancy Santorini, it was time to think about the next stop. Perhaps the obvious choice was Mykonos, mostly because I had heard of it. But an island with a reputation for where the super rich land their private jets for a […]
Category: Fitness
Revisiting Madrid & Rabat, and a Moroccan Yoga Retreat
First, some news: I am no longer Algiers’ foremost lady of leisure. (As much as this city lends itself to leisure, anyway). I have traded my well-worn pajama pants for pants with a zipper and a button as I have again found myself having a real pants-wearing job. This job is both a real, as […]
Hiking The Highest Mountain in North Africa
At 4,167 meters (13,671 feet), Mt. Toubkal is the highest peak in Morocco, in North Africa, and in the entire Arab world. And we hiked it last week. It was the hardest hike I’ve ever done. Adam planned this trip right when we first arrived to Morocco back in September. Perhaps he thought climbing a […]
Moroccan Surf and Yoga Camp
A few days ago I posted about the amazing shopping in Morocco that my friend Neda and I partook in during her recent visit to Morocco. And now, for part deux: Surf and yoga camp in Morocco. So neither Neda nor I know how to surf, but we thought it would be fun to learn in […]
Buying All the Beautiful Things in Morocco’s Medinas
My good friend Neda, who is one of my all-around favorite people, came to visit me in Morocco. (Our first Morocco visitor, yay!) I thought that a surf-and-yoga retreat I’d heard about sounded like a perfect friends’ getaway for us. See a new part of this beautiful country and be super active with my adventurous […]
Great Hikes Near Jersualem
In 2014, when I was living in Spain, I published a blog called Great Hikes Near Madrid that I hoped would be useful for English-speaking hikers because almost all of the online info about hiking around Madrid was in Spanish. Four years later, that post gets more traffic, by far, than any other post on this […]
There are Two Sides to Every Hike
On the first day of Passover, a group of friends and I went on a hike. Our plan was to start just outside of Jerusalem in an Israeli National Park and end up in the Palestinian town of Jericho. We figured it would take us about six hours, because some ultra-fit friends said they ran […]
Mixing it Up at the Gym
Welp, it’s that annual time where I get restless with my normal gym routine and search for something new. I’m still going to the gym regularly and pushing my way through the same old circuit training workouts (so many squats and burpees and push ups, you know the drill) and I run now and then […]
The Exercise Habit
One of the first things I do when I move to a new place is figure out a new workout routine. In Yemen, it was running from bullets. Just kidding, it was swimming laps and doing Crossfit in the hyper-masculine hotel gym with Marines who blasted death metal. Before that, in Washington DC, it was […]
Great Hikes Around Madrid
City living got you longing for some fresh air and open spaces? Lucky for you, Madrid is situated near some great hiking trails that can take you over mountains, through forests and quaint old towns. Here are a handful of stand-out hiking areas near Madrid, all of which offer a number of hiking trails. 1. […]