A Word of Warning

If travelling through Croatia, be careful of venturing off the beaten path. After a few sun soaked days of relaxing in ever so beautiful Dubrovnik, I decided to hike up the local mountain to get a great view of the ocean and the fairy tale like walled city. Not only would I escape the throngs of tourists but I would also work off a killer hangover. I was saved by an old man collecting bottles on the side of the road. He informed me that the Serbs had strategically littered the country side with land mines, and sadly, the government could not afford to have them removed. Who knows where my lower extremities would be right now, if not for that old friendly Croat.

Try the international volunteer service

If you're looking for a cheap way to spend a couple of weeks in Finland, try an international volunteer service. I went through Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE). It only cost $300 US for the program which included room and board. I spent 2 weeks in Lempaala, Finland rebuilding nature trails with local teenagers. The experience is very rewarding and you can make a lot of life long friends. It is also a great way to be immersed in a culture and learn from such wonderful people. CIEE charges a fee to receive the list of programs which is applied to your program fee. The new one comes out in April.

Cézanne to Van Gogh: The Gachet Collection

Paul Ferdinand Gachet was the doctor who cared for Van Gogh during the last 70 days of the painter's life, but Cézanne, Pissaro, Monet and Guillaumin were also welcome guests of the medic, and they similarly exchanged their paintings for advice, allowing Gachet to slowly build up an impressive collection of Impressionist and post-Impressionist works. Now outside France for the first time, the collection can currently be admired alongside the Van Gogh Museum's permanent collection.