The archive

All letters

34 letters so far, to cities and villages, mountains and islands, and to the people who travel between them.

Letter No. 18May 2026

Hoi An, Vietnam

Dear Hoi An, Lanterns, Tailors and Quiet Mornings

A former trading port of ochre houses and silk lanterns that comes alive at night, and is most itself at six in the morning.

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Letter No. 17May 2026

Chefchaouen, Morocco

Dear Chefchaouen, A Town Painted in Blue

Steps and doorways washed in every shade of blue, the Rif Mountains behind, and a slower pace than Morocco's big cities.

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Letter No. 16April 2026

Hallstatt, Austria

Dear Hallstatt, Please Come Gently

A lakeside village of fewer than a thousand residents that has become one of the most photographed places in Europe. A letter about visiting more gently.

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Letter No. 15April 2026

Coyoacán, Mexico City, Mexico

Dear Coyoacán, A Village Inside the City

Cobbled streets, coyote fountains, churros on the plaza and the blue house where Frida Kahlo was born and died.

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Letter No. 14April 2026

Nara, Japan

Dear Nara, The Deer Bow First

A former capital where wild deer wander among temples, a great bronze Buddha, and a lesson in respect for animals that are not pets.

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Letter No. 13April 2026

Sintra, Portugal

Dear Sintra, Fairy Tale with a Sensible Pair of Shoes

Palaces in the mist, forests full of ferns, and hills that are steeper than every photograph suggests. Come early, and wear proper shoes.

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