Fernweh: THE KETCH REPUBLIK

Fernweh (Wanderlust)

Fernweh is what the Germans call that longing for faraway places, the poetic certainty that things are better elsewhere. For me, there is a superlative degree of geographic desire, a Fernweh even more sublime for those places on the map marked "Here be dragons".

When the American writer Jack Kerouac tried in 1951 to find the words to convey his wayward journey through the United States and Mexico, he commanded a typewriter and a massive stash of Benzedrine. After a few weeks, the first draft of On the Road was completed. I'm not Jack Kerouac and my poison is Diet Coke and coffee rather than Benzedrine, but here is where I've been and where I hope to go.

Here Be Dragons

Petra, Jordan

Undoubtedly the most famous attraction in Jordan is the Nabatean city of Petra, nestled away in the mountains south of the Dead Sea. Petra, which means "stone" in Greek, is perhaps the most spectacular ancient city remaining in the modern world, and certainly one of my most favorite places.

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Fremonville, France

To stand in the center of the town my grandfather died to retake from the Germans, surrounded by a grateful French community, is a memory that will stay with me forever. I made many friends in France on this one of my 2 trips to follow my grandfather's steps in WW2 France.

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Hong Kong / Kowloon

With it's expansive skyline and deep harbor filled with modern ships and Chinese junks alike, this was an incredible place to visit. From the top of Victoria Peak to the Floating Dragon restaurant to across the harbor in Kowloon, this place was packed with people, sights and sounds.

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Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Known as the cidade maravilhosa (marvelous city), Rio occupies one of the most spectacular settings of any metropolis in the world. From the white sand beaches of Copacabana and Ipanema to the statue of Christo himself with arms outstretched across the city, inviting me back!

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