The Observer Effect

The Observer Effect

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The Observer Effect episodes

  • 116 Lost City—Scotland, Where Joe Rescued a Drone
    Joe ditched his drone in the middle of a herd of cattle in Scotland. The question was how to get it out again. I asked how travel shapes his creativity building the props for the Star Wars movies ... and hope listening like this evaporates borders. Special thanks to the musicians, Dana Boulé and Grupo Sonkoy.
    Consider donating to www.kiva.org or www.westinsfund.org.
    “Whole castles have vanished from my memory, whole cities I have never visited again.”
    —Ford Madox Ford
    27 min
  • 115 The Cloud Sea—China, Where Gabriel Sang
    Gabriel and his girlfriend left Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean to travel the entire world. We met in Valparaíso, Chile nine months in. I asked what could make them leave paradise ... and hope listening like this evaporates borders. Special thanks to the musicians, Dana Boulé.
    Donate to Westin's Fund—westinsfund.org
    "Je te reconnaître dans tous les hommes."
    —Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
    39 min
  • 114 Absolute Silence—Auschwitz, Where Dominik Cried
    Dominik moved to Berlin to become a poet, which makes him uniquely suited to tell the story of a visit to Auschwitz. I asked why he thought the German capital would change him ... and hope listening like this evaporates borders. Special thanks to the musicians, Dana Boulé.
    Donate to Westin's Fund at http://www.westinsfund.org/
    "May they be safe where it is told."
    —Peig Sayers
    32 min
  • 113 ¿Qué vamos a hacer?—Panama, Where Caleb Brought a Stranger to Church

    Caleb moved his family to Panama to begin a teaching career. I asked if he would pick me up at the airport after we met on Twitter ... and hope listening like this evaporates borders. Special thanks to the musician, Dana Boulé.

    Donate to Westin’s Fund, a group that defrays the medical costs for families who lose children to miscarriages at westinsfund.org.

    “Keep reaching out to the Unknown in others, whatever the odds.”

    —Graham Murtaugh

    37 min
  • 112 The Social Play—Ireland, Where Emma Dreams
    Emma once lived at a kibbutz in Israel. I asked what it takes to integrate in the Irish countryside ... and hope listening like this evaporates borders. Special thanks to the musicians, Dana Boulé.
    "Suppose you do find a premise in your wanderings."
    —Lajos Egri
    26 min
  • 111 Stolpboerderij De Harn—Ilpendam, Where Jeannette Remains a Geographer
    Jeannette and her golden retriever, Bram, host the best Airbnb that I have ever stayed at—a barn in a village just outside Amsterdam. I asked why the landscape looks so much like the paintings by the Dutch masters ... and hope listening like this evaporates borders. Special thanks to the musicians, Dana Boulé.
    Visit her website to learn more about the work she does: http://www.oasefoundation.eu/project/101
    "To look at the stars always makes me dream, as simply as I dream over the black dots of a map."
    —Vincent Van Gogh
    39 min
  • 110 The Fata Morgana—Rome, Where Peter Immigrated
    Peter oversees the creation of the most wonderful gelato in Rome, at Fata Morgana Gelato. Though Italian by ancestry, he grew up in Canada and moved to the bel paese only later. I asked what it felt like to immigrate ... and hope listening like this evaporates borders. Special thanks to the musicians, Dana Boulé.
    "I wander and wander along, and forever before me gleams the shining city of song."
    —Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
    39 min
  • 109 Stendhal Syndrome—Berlin, Where Cristina Froze
    Cristina took us into the Real Maestranza, Seville’s cathedral of bullfighting, when no one else was there. I asked what to look for when the season started the following day ... and hope listening like this evaporates borders. Special thanks to the musicians, Dana Boulé.
    "A sight, an emotion, creates this wave in the mind, long before it makes words to fit it."
    —Virginia Woolf
    1 hr
  • 108 The Sound of Rain—Chicago, Where Christopher Lived in a Van
    Christopher decided to simplify his life and move into a van. I asked a number of logistical questions ... and hope listening like this evaporates borders. Special thanks to the musicians, Dana Boulé.
    Follow Christopher on Instagram: CHIGUY79
    https://www.instagram.com/chiguy79/?hl=en
    Donate to Westin's Fund, a charity that relieves the financial burden of grieving families:
    http://westinsfund.org
    "Have the courage to digress."
    —John McPhee
    34 min
  • 107 Multi-Colored Mirrors—Ireland, Where Sam Bought a Motorcycle
    Sam rode his new bike from Ireland to Prague where we met in front of the Lennon Wall, a living memorial layered over in years of graffiti. Decades ago, Beatles quote scribbled there launched the Velvet Revolution. I asked what words he added ... and hope listening like this evaporates borders. Special thanks to the musicians, Dana Boulé.
    Follow Michal Oliver Music on Facebook→
    "Oh to be a sparrowhawk."
    —Anonymous Troubadour, Eleventh Century
    15 min

About The Observer Effect

From the publisher's feed

These are strangers' travel stories. Each time I ask how travel has changed them and hope listening like this evaporates borders.