by Matthew Allison | Oct 10, 2022 | Europe
October, 2022: As part of a larger European trip and in order to complete my last European countries, Andorra, and Monaco, my wife and mother-in-law flew to Barcelona, Spain. This was my second visit to Spain, my first being to Madrid in September 2006. The main...
by Matthew Allison | Oct 10, 2022 | Europe
October 2022: The island of Sicily has been on my bucket list for a while. I have wanted to see the highest active volcano in Europe, Mount Etna and learn more about the island made famous by the movie Godfather and its mafia history. About Siciliy ...
by Matthew Allison | Oct 10, 2022 | Europe
October 2022: Exploring Malta A Tiny Country with a Big History Malta may be small, but it is absolutely packed with history. Sitting in the middle of the Mediterranean—just off the shores of Sicily, Italy, and Tunisia—the island has held enormous strategic importance...
by Matthew Allison | Oct 10, 2022 | Europe
October 2022: In order to visit my last country in Europe, Lichtenstein, my wife, I and mother-in-law flew into Zurich, Switzerland, rented a car to make our way across the eastern Swiss Alps to cross into Lichtenstein. It was good to be back in Switzerland, a country...
by Matthew Allison | Oct 9, 2022 | Europe
October 2022: Visiting every country wasn’t always my goal but over the years I realized it is suddenly possible and I am actually within reach of accomplishing something I never thought possible. So, this quest has brought me to countries like Monaco that I...
by Matthew Allison | Oct 8, 2022 | Europe
October 2022: Throughout my travels, the Nordik country of Denmark somehow managed to escape my sights. The same cannot be said about its territories, the Faroe Islands and Greenland but the actual country itself had evaded me up until now. On a 10-day trip around the...
by Matthew Allison | Sep 18, 2022 | Middle East
Reevaluating the UAE: Beyond the Glitz and Glamour I admit that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has never been my favorite destination in the Gulf. Compared to Oman, Saudi Arabia, or Yemen, it always felt too decadent, too artificial, and lacking the deeper cultural...
by Matthew Allison | Sep 17, 2022 | Middle East
Qatar: A Gateway to an Unconventional Journey August 2022: Qatar, a small oil-rich kingdom in the Persian Gulf, was the starting point for a two-week journey through Pakistan, Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, Dubai, and Bahrain. Though just a peninsula jutting out from...
by Matthew Allison | Sep 17, 2022 | Middle East
Arrival in Bahrain: A Gulf Journey Through Contrasts September 2022: After wrapping up an intense two-week journey through Qatar and Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, my friend John and I arrived in Bahrain. Despite its proximity to Qatar—another oil-rich Gulf...
by Matthew Allison | Aug 27, 2022 | Asia
Return to Afghanistan: Chasing a Once-Impossible Dream The Minaret of Jam and a New Chapter in a Beloved Land August 2022 — After decades of war and turmoil, Afghanistan had unexpectedly opened its doors. The Taliban insurgents I once evaded were now in power,...
