Scout Adventure #3 // Cultures Converge in Istanbul, Turkey

Istanbul has everything I want in a destination: history, culture, architectural marvels, excellent food, a nightlife scene, easy public transportation, great weather, a sense of style… the list goes on. Clearly I don’t ask much.

Aside from checking off nearly everything on my city wish list, Istanbul has the added bonus of straddling Europe and Asia. Where else will you find the clash and harmony of two continents, two worlds, and two cultures? I’ve yet to see any other place do it with the same grace and comfort that I found in Istanbul.

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The ever-present çay, Turkish tea, in a tulip glass.

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Pyramids of spices at the Spice Bazaar, where scents swirl together in the air and even perfume your clothes as you pass by.

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Tiny tiles dress up the dramatic domed ceiling of Sultanahmet Mosque, also known as The Blue Mosque.

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Waiting for a sale.

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Kofte: Turkish meatballs cooked in a cast-iron skillet with a mix of local peppers. Amazing.

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Quiet streets of Gulhane before the morning bustle. Modern and comfortable, yet only steps from ancient history.

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Colorful Turkish lanterns at the Grand Bazaar.

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Fresh orange juice is a city favorite.

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A late night ice cream mission.

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Beautiful chandeliers adorn the Aya Sofya, one of Istanbul’s most famous sites.

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A stunning sunset puts Sultanahmet’s many minarets in silhouette.

Scout Adventure #2 // Searching for the "Real" Puerto Rico

These photos are something of a local's guide to Puerto Rico. The beach, hotel casinos, and the Barcardi plant are fun to visit, but those places are not the "real" Puerto Rico. 

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The Camuy Caverns - 17 stories high inside - and the drive to get to them show the beauty the interior of the island.

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Another town, Cayey, in the mountains, is known for local lechoneras, or restaurants offering roast pig.

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The pig is chopped up into servings with a machete.

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Machetes are useful for lots of island delicacies. At the fruit stand and grocery on Avenida Esmeralda in Guaynabo, a San Juan suburb, my mother-in-law, Vivian, and I were led to a room in the back of the shop where we were treated to a show of how coconuts are enjoyed.

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Our machete-wielding friend made a utensil out of some of the coconut shell so that we could eat the meat.

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No trip to Puerto Rico is complete without visiting Viejo (Old) San Juan. Walking the streets paved with adoquines, unique blue cobblestones, is a rich experience as a tourist or as a local - and even as a French bulldog.

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There is a rich sense of history in the 500-year-old stones and colorfully painted buildings and townhomes. And so many breathtaking views of the Atlantic Ocean on one side and mountains on the other.

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And always, always more pigeons than you can count.

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The "Isla del Encanto" is indeed charming in many respects, though crime also plagues it. Bars on every window, door, and carport are a reminder of the crime and poverty that is prevalent.

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But for me, having married into the Puerto Rican culture (pictured is my husband's abuelo on his 100th birthday), the island will always be a symbol of delicious smells, tastes, laughter, kindness, and adventure.

#Scoutspiration // Love Locks Spread Throughout the World

The idea behind "love locks" is simple: couples prove their bond is unbreakable by affixing a lock scrawled with their initials on a bridge and then tossing the key into the river below, never to be seen again.

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The tradition is said to have originated on the Ponte Milivio, a bridge over the Tiber in Rome. Now, it has become a worldwide phenomenon, with love locks being spotted everywhere from Uruguay to the Ukraine.

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Not everyone is in love with the tradition, though. Love locks were just banned on a Kentucky bridge over the Ohio River, and the locks pictured above were once threatened, too. These are from the Hohenzollern Bridge in Cologne, Germany, an overpass that has become so packed with padlocks the bridge's operator has threatened to saw them off. But the people of Cologne, as well as visitors, wouldn't have it. After public outcry over the matter, the operator was forced to have -- you guessed it -- a change of heart.

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Today, the love locks add a little glitter to a bridge that is otherwise gritty and dull. But up close things aren't always picture perfect: there were a few spots where fence wires were cut, perhaps in an symbolic effort to release scorned lovers of their shackles.

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As I crossed the bridge, two little boys were tugging on the padlocks trying to shake them loose -- I guess the heartbreaking starts early in Germany.

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Below the bridge, I was actually a little surprised there weren't vendors peddling padlocks. I imagine they could camp out, armed with engraving tools, hawking love locks to tourists for 20 euros a pop. It looks like there really are some things that are still sacred.