Writing archive
New writing lives on Substack — essays, notes, and the conversations I’m having now. This page is the Vagabondess Blog Archive: articles published August 2012 through March 2024.
Sobrado de Monxes Cathedral, Galicia, Spain.He asked if there was water nearby.The two dogs, attached to his belt by lengths of thick rope, were thirsty.We were about sixty kilometers (or several days) outside of Santiago when we met him.
Sunrise over Bolibar, Basque Country, after an accidental four a.m. The familiar turning on sound of my shiny laptop that I haven’t heard in a month. Not one single “hola, peregrina!”* as I pass crowds of strangers in the streets.
On Sunday, June fifth (yes, that’s tomorrow), I will close my laptop. I will put it on a shelf, and I will not see it again for a month.
Sicily, 2013—where I first learned about putting olive oil on everything.Florence, TuscanyGnocchi with fennel, mint and gorgonzola. A generous drizzle of olive oil (the frisky, green, good quality kind) on plain, unsalted bread.
Villa Borghese Gardens, RomeValle Aurelia, Rome, ItalyThis could be any street in any city.Mixed-era apartment buildings. Passerby dressed in scales of gray.So, what makes this different from any other street—any other city?
Tzukim, Arava, IsraelThe whirring of the machine as I touch my foot to the pedal brings me back.To my grandmother’s home and her ancient Singer. To the costume room in the basement of my middle school theater.
View from Old Jaffa, Tel Aviv“If the Arabs didn’t kill me, my wife would.”Bloody hell. Did he just say that?After the split second necessary for me to process his words and maintain a neutral expression, I answer:“Why’s that?”“She doesn’t want me walking through the Arab neighborhood.”Obviously.
De-Nile, and other Ugandan States — an essay from Toby’s on-site writing archive, written before new work moved to Substack.
Final Destination: Jinja, Uganda—the mouth of the NileTuesday, 12 April, 2016—Nairobi, KenyaThe New York Times may have all the tips for how to spend your 36-hour weekend in Nairobi, but you only need 10 hours to enjoy all the delights of the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport!
30 minutes and 90 stamps later ^^Once, a great guru came to a small village. He gave a long speech and held forth on many subjects, and he claimed that the world rested on the back of four elephants.
A side alley off Buitenkant Street, Gardens, City Center, Cape Town The first sip is bitter, sour, almost acrid, before my palette adjusts and the taste mellows into a more complex configuration of nutty, earthy, sweet and rich.
Reunited in Cape Town: Hiking Table MountainIs it hard to form deep, enduring friendships when you’re always moving around?I get that question a lot.The answer, as you could probably guess, is no and yes.
More tourist-ing on the way to the Garden Route.Sometimes, it’s fun to play tourist in your own town—or, you know, any town.Funny, coming from me, the anti-tourist. I know.And sure, I believe the following to be true:1) There are no “have to’s” in travel.
Street art near Assembly, Cape Town.Are these snapshots I share so often an exercise in lassitude or creativity?I’ll admit I write them when I can’t think of a full article I want to lay out.
(C’mon, I’m not crazy!)“I haven’t told anyone this yet—not even my business partner,” said Jack.Two pairs of bluebell eyes stared at me gravely—Jack’s, and his infant son’s. Our Jeep sat in Cape Town traffic at the edge of the City Bowl.
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