The Friday Take Five: Recent Episodes
The Friday Take Five
The Friday Take Five is a podcast where we take just about five minutes every Friday to step back from crazy lives to delve into history and adventure. We do our best each week to scratch an itch for travel bugs and history lovers alike. Every episode, we take a look at a new place with a new story. It’s our hope that you’ll walk away with a renewed appreciation for history and a new travel destination to add to your bucket list.
A Mediterranean beauty flying under the radar, the storied Albanian Saranda is another amazing destination waiting to be explored. With white sand beaches, Ottoman conquests, old church ruins and more, episode 54 is an episode that you won't want to miss!
6000 years of history and another great city to add to the bucket list. Adventure 53 is a fan request taking us to the South Eastern European city of Skopje. Often regarded as one of Europe's most unusual capital cities, the unique gastronomic, architectural, historic, and natural appeals of Skopje make it a deserving candidate on any traveler's bucket list. Listen now!
A whole year of The Friday Take Five! Join us on another trip to Europe for the 52nd installment of the podcast, where we take on the small country of Luxembourg and the capital bearing its name. Fantastic history, castles, wine, food, and more - This episode is one you won’t want to miss!
Episode 51 takes us to Quito, one of the oldest and best preserved cities in the Western hemisphere and the capital of beautiful Ecuador. Situated high in the Andes mountains and perched beside Pichincha Volcano, this city is chock full of beauty, adventure, and history. Listen now and get this great city on your bucket list.
Episode 50! It's been almost a year of adventuring to some of the coolest places around the world. In this special milestone episode we explore a part of the world I've called home for a good chunk of my life: Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA. Join me on a tour of my stomping grounds to discover some of the fun things to do and learn some of the unique history of the incredible city.
Narco history and natural beauty - Episode 49 takes us on a 5 minute adventure to Medellín, Colombia. The "City of the Eternal Spring" is one that has transformed itself from one of the most dangerous cities in the world to one of Time Magazine's "World's Greatest Places" in 2023. Listen now to learn more of the history of this great city and to get yet another destination on your travel bucket list.
Join us on a five minute expedition to the small island country of Mauritius and its capital, Port Louis. Arabs, Portuguese, Dutch, French, British - This little island has seen lots of different folks throughout its history. Learn more about the unique story of this country and its unrivaled beauty in our first adventure of 2024!
The Kingdom of Sukhothai, translated literally as the Dawn of Happiness, is the feature of our 47th episode. The ancient kingdom, located in today's north central Thailand, burned bright during its short existence as the "First Thai Kingdom". Join us in a five minute adventure to learn the story of this destination and relics from its past that can still be visited and learned from today.
Episode 46 takes us back to India for a trip to the City of Joy. Kolkata, formerly known as Calcutta, is widely regarded as the cultural capital of India. Listen in to uncover the story of this wildly historic destination and discover some great reasons to get this city on your travel bucket list.
The capital of the good ole USA - Take another 5 minute adventure with us as we explore some of the history behind the District of Columbia and highlight some awesome places to get on your travel bucket list. Episode 45 is one you won't want to miss!
From here to Timbuktu? Join us on a quest to the El Dorado of Africa. A city nearly 1,000 years old shrouded in history and mystery. Join in on our 44th adventure to learn more about the very real city that was a beacon of scholarship, religion, wealth, and more!
Episode 43 just so happens to be one of the best preserved cities of the ancient Mayan civilization and also the base of Rebel forces from the 4th Star Wars movie. Needless to say, it’s got a lot going on! Join us on a journey through time and space to Tikal, Guatemala.
Adventure 42 is an expedition to the land of cigars and classic cars: Havana, Cuba. Join us as we explore the unique story of the Latin American country that has gone from a Spanish colony to a Republic to a Communist regime in the span of just a few hundred years, and hear why we still have this destination on our travel bucket list.
Cuba photo gallery via Wayne Moran Photography: https://wayne-moran.pixels.com/art/cuba
Wilmington, North Carolina, USA, marries a couple of my favorite concepts together: History, and beach accessibility. Listen in to our 41st adventure as we take on a part of the USA that will get beach lovers and history buffs equally excited.
Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark, is yet another destination with great food, great things to experience, and a hundreds of years of a great history just waiting to be explored. Join us as we take on "The Land of The Vikings" in our landmark 40th episode.
The second capital of the Portuguese Empire? Transport yourself to the Brazilian city of Rio, which for a short time served as the only European capital not even remotely close to Europe. Listen now to our 39th episode and discover more of the intriguing history and mysterious beauty of the city.
Welcome to the "City of Tribes": Galway, Ireland. This city has 900 years of stories; surviving, and even thriving through an oligarchy, occupation, feast, and famine. This city has persevered and become one of the friendliest and most exciting in all of Europe. Join us in episode 38 to learn more about this great place, and then start planning your adventure!
Adventure number 37 takes us to one of the most remote human inhabited places in the world: Easter Island. Over 1,000 statues across the island tell the story of the native Rapa Nui people that have inhabited the island in good times and bad for nearly as many years as there are statues. Listen now to learn about the story of this awesome place and get it on your travel bucket list!
With roughly 12,000 years of history, this geological masterpiece just so happens to be a tourist trap, but I still think it's worth your time. Explore the history and beauty of the incredible Niagara Falls in our 36th adventure, and then book your adventure!
More than 238 days of this wild Adventure I've been calling The Friday Take Five. Thank you for following along for 35 episodes of me digging into the stories of incredible places around the world. On our 35th, we head to the southern US and the birthplace of MLK: Atlanta, Georgia. Adventure awaits!
Run around the entire country in under a day? Definitely a possibility with the second smallest country in the world. In our 34th adventure, jet off to the incredibly small and unique country that is rich in both stories and well... Riches! The billionaires paradise: Monte Carlo, Monaco.
This little island changed the world. The lesser known neighboring island to Bali; Lombok, Indonesia is the home to a volcano that altered the course of history. Join us for episode 33 as we discover this astounding jewel that has an incredible past and is worthy of any adventurers bucket list.
Welcome to the Golden State. Episode 32 is an adventure to the sunny and temperate San Diego, yet another town with a unique story, great food, and tons of fun things to do! You won’t want to miss this 5 minute escape.
Athens, known also as the Classic City, is considered as the birthplace of Western Civilization. Join us in episode 31 as we dig into its several thousand year history, hit some of the top spots in the city, and touch on some mouthwatering Greek foods getting us excited to plan a trip.
It’s our 30th episode! Join me for a conversation with author, New Zealander, and World Traveler, Marc Hall.
Over the past 6 months, Marc and I have become mutual supporters, and friends half a world away. In this milestone episode, we dig in on Marc’s travel philosophy, some of his greatest adventures, and his tips and tricks to get out and start adventuring.
Looking to learn more about Marc Hall? Check out some of his awesome travel content:
-Marc Hall’s Blog
-Social Media (@lifewentthatway on all platforms)
Marc Hall had an awesome trek at Everest Base Camp (EBC). Looking to plan your own adventure to EBC? Check out some of Marc’s awesome recommended resources to get started:
-The Travel Files #1 - Guiding and Trekking the Himalayas with Khem Regmi
-Himalayan Pole Treks
A scarred past, but a beautiful future. Listen along in episode 29 as we delve into the intense history of Cape Town, from its founding as a Dutch colony, through the Apartheid era, to a bright future ahead. Voted many times over as one of the best places in the world to visit, this beautiful destination with a storied past should definitely be making your travel list.
Episode 28 takes us back to France for the third time! On our third journey to France we hit its third largest city. With beautiful architecture, out of this world food, a long running history, and wild views, this city is worthy of any traveler’s bucket list.
Frozen tundra? Check! Well, maybe not all the time, but destination 27 is undoubtedly a "coat on" city - Helsinki, Finland. This city isn't tropical, but it brings to the table a great combination of history and adventure. Join us on a five minute adventure to this "cool" (pun intended) and must visit locale.
Come along with us on our 26th adventure to "La Ciudad Amurallada" or the "Walled City". With over 500 years of history, the second oldest city in the Western hemisphere is another incredible destination waiting to be adding to your bucket list.
The Friday Take Five goes to the desert southwest of the United States. With an awesome climate, delicious food, an inspiring landscape, and a deep history, this amazing city is sure to entice history buffs and travel fiends alike. Escape with us for 5 minutes to Phoenix, Arizona, in our landmark 25th episode!
The "Place of the Dawning Sun" was one of the last cities of the ancient Mayan civilization. Listen in to episode 24 to hear about how coincidence brought us to this historical destination of Tulum, Mexico, and gave us memories to last a lifetime.
Hiking, paragliding, and Toblerone?! Episode 23 takes us to the Playground of Europe: Switzerland. Listen in to hear about the beauty and adventure Switzerland has to offer and the history behind the awe-inspiring Swiss town of Interlaken. Another can't miss destination for history lovers and travel bugs alike!
The Little Italy of Africa? Join us for another of adventure in our 22nd episode to a secretly “hoppin” destination with a unique nickname in Malindi, Kenya. Africa is so much more than just desert and the pyramids. Listen in to learn more about the variety this port city has to offer and its rich history that will have you booking your tickets to Africa in no time!
Our 21st adventure takes us to one of the oldest cities in the USA and the birthplace of the American Revolution. From Good Will Hunting and tours of MIT and Harvard, to the Boston Tea Party, this episode is filled with a whole lot of history and a whole lot of fun. Listen in and be swept off your feet to yet another wonderful travel destination.
Take a trip to Morocco's second largest city in our 20th five minute adventure! Listen in to get a taste of both the depths of history in the incredibly well preserved Medina of Fes, and a hint of colonial modernity in La Ville Nouvelle or newer part of the city. Before long, you’ll be adding another awesome city to your travel bucket list.
Listen along to our 19th installment as we take our first adventure to South America. From Lima, the jumping off point of Spanish influence in South America, to Machu Picchu, the hallmark of Incan civilization and a gateway to the past, this episode covers it all.
Episode 18 takes us to a city that is near and dear to our heart. Montpellier is not so common on the average traveller's agenda, but it's the home of many of our great travel memories and awesome history to boot! Discover the underrated southern French city that should definitely make it on your travel list.
Journey to the island country of Iceland, and its capital, Reykjavik. With a landscape and a history that are equally mysterious and dramatic, episode 17 is a jam packed adventure. Join Mark to learn more about this European-"ish" destination and what makes it so truly unique.
Game of Thrones fans rejoice - In episode 16, dive in and explore the astounding city that served as the filming location for King's Landing - Dubrovnik, Croatia. Though there are far fewer dragons in the real version of the city, the history and beauty of it should get any and everyone adding this magical place to their bucket list.
Our 15th five minute adventure takes us to the intersection of religion, culture, and politics. It just so happens to be one of the coolest cities in Italy and the whole of Europe. Join Mark and discover the birthplace of the renaissance: Florence, Italy.
A city with great history, global importance, AND Belgian Waffles?! Take another adventure to another incredible city in episode 14 of The Friday Take Five. Learn more about the distinct history of Brussels and the story behind a world renowned sweet treat.