Month: April 2024

10 Walks in Washington, DC

M's Adventures

So you have done all the touristy things… now what?

Clamber the rocks and walk on the Billy Goat trail. My favorite in this area because it is rocky and yet you are so close to the city.

Walk on Theodore Roosevelt Island. Find the trail at Key bridge.

Walk along the canal in Georgetown.

Watch the mighty Potomac crash through Great Falls. It is magnificent without being strenuous. Great Falls is on both sides of the river but the better walk is on the Maryland side.

View the monuments by night with friends. The monuments are lit up at night and it is completely different than visiting during the day. And cooler (if it is summer).

Walk in Arlington National Cemetery. Available by Metro. It is quiet and hilly. Great view of DC.

Walk in Rock Creek Park.

Walk in the Arboretum. See pretty plants and Greek columns.

Explore a local trail. There are many that one rarely notices. One example is the Arlington Loop, map here.

Walk along the George Washington Parkway, or along the river on the Virginia side. Take the trail from Memorial bridge. Walk all the way to Mount Vernon if you… bike! It is 18 miles from Theodore Roosevelt Island (see above) to Mount Vernon.

A view from the car of the Washington Memorial across the river.

Join a walking group. Or find other walks in this list from Town and Tourist.

Tourist In DC

M's Adventures

Here is a list of things I recommend doing as a tourist to DC.

National Postal Museum: It is part of the Smithsonian (so free entrance) and located next to the main train station, Union Station, in DC.

Air and Space museum out by Dulles

Walk the mall

Walk Georgetown

The Iwo Jima memorial

Arlington National Cemetery which is large and also houses trees from all over the world.

Old Town Alexandria

Tour the White House

Smithsonian (there are over 18 museums)

Spy Museum

Finnish Comfort Food — Karjalanpiirakka

M's Adventures

Comfort food is, thankfully, different in every place one calls home.

The Finns love their “karjalanpiirakka” or rice pudding filled rye pasties. I think of them as small lifeboats of yum. “Karjala” is a part of Finland and “piirakka” is “pie/pasty/dumpling.” The result is a mild buttery eggy rye taste.

Like all comfort foods, there is a different recipe for every grandma and the preparation and eating rituals lead to stories filled with nostalgia and memory.

If you have a Finn who can share their recipe with you, then go with that. Otherwise, look it up online. If you want to watch a video version of this article, please go to my YouTube channel.

This Finnish dish may not be exciting but I love it. I love the chewy rye, the buttery egg, and the creamy rice pudding. But it also reminds me of my childhood, and nothing is as delicious as food that reminds you of the comfort of a happy place.

The Greatest Souk in the World?

M's Adventures

I often write about markets, perhaps because as a a child, my imagination was fired up by stories about exotic markets with fluttering fabrics and adventures down narrow alleyways. The result is that, in every city I visit, I visit the market. The great market of Cairo, Khan el-Khalili, is extremely touristy, but maybe I should have appreciated getting away from the traffic.

I think I prefer the one in Istanbul. When I lived in Colombia, one of my favorite places in Bogota was the Paloquemao market.

In Peru, I went regularly on field trips to explore the markets. One thing I recall is that they always had a bathroom. I went to a couple of “dicey” ones including the fabric market near Sodom, Gamarra. When I visited the fish market, it seemed like it would be something from a Tarantino film but the reality was more late night shopping channel.

Another surreal place was the market in Caracas. There was an abundance of food but no one could afford it.

When I moved to Bangladesh, I had no idea what the markets would be like.

Another market that I return to all the time is Torvehallerne in Copenhagen.