Athens  

The Acropolis

The grandaddy of them all, the view of Athens from the Acropolis is arguably better than the view of the Acropolis from Athens. You can see the city sprawling as far as the eye can see, and it’s a peaceful place free of traffic, motos, and ouzo.

Bonus: Spend the day up here and, in true Greek style, learn to play the bouzouki.

Brisbane

Mt. Cooth-tha

The highest peak in Brisbane is located in the western suburbs. You can, of course, bus or drive to the top, but for the industrious there is a pleasant two-hour climb. It’s worth the climb. The views of the city are remarkable, there is an (admittedly overpriced) restaurant and giftshop, there are nearby waterfalls and biking trails, and there are some great Botanical Gardens at the base of the mountain.

Bonus: If it’s dusk, and you have peeping tom tendencies, look for the plethora of parked couples on the side of the road.

Edinburgh

Arthur’s Seat

Not related to either the famous leader or the debauched millionaire, this extinct volcano reveals a smashing panorama of the city, from Edinburgh castle to the Firth of Forth. Dotted with small lochs, this windy hill was recommended by Robert Louis Stevenson “for magnitude, [it's] a mountain in virtue of its bold design.”

Bonus: Your wee dram of whisky will taste extra nice after the climb.

Pokhara

World Peace Pagoda

This hike will take you through monkey-infested forests and up to a bird’s eye view of the lake, Phewa Tal. The Pagoda itself is a striking building, but the views down to Nepal’s second biggest city, hugging Phewa Tal, are stupendous. There are a few cafes here, and you can get a boat ride back to the town.

Bonus: On a clear day, you can see the mighty Annapurna range from up close and personal.

Portland

Mt. Tabor

Another extinct volcano, this one is home to parks, reservoirs, playgrounds, statues, and ancient trees. Though Mt. Tabor is not enormous, there are enough trails to hike for a few hours. It’s especially worth visiting in the spring or autumn, when the blossoms and changing leaves, respectively, really stand out. The view of downtown Portland is nice; equally so is the view of Mt. Hood in the other direction. It’s Portland, so wherever you come down from the mountain, there will be food carts and microbrews close by.

Bonus: For one glorious day in the summer, you can attend an adult soapbox derby. This is an all-day event with prizes for the fastest and most creative vehicles. Pack a picnic and a jug of sangria and rest beneath a tree while observing cars that look like an origami swan or a functioning basketball court.

Seoul

Achasan

There are no shortage of mountains in Seoul, but Achasan is certainly the easiest to climb and is well-situated for views of the city and the Han river. This can be a short, one-hour hike, or you can add a few hours and include a famous cemetery or another couple of mountain peaks in your afternoon jaunt. However, try to avoid hiking in the summer to see through the haze.

Bonus: Do as the Koreans, and bring a bottle or two of makgeolli, a grain wine (about 7 percent alcohol) that seems to be as necessary to hiking as boots or poles.

Wellington

Mt. Vic

Nestled in the heart of Wellington, New Zealand, Mt Vic. boasts views of the beautiful harbor, the compact but character-filled Central City, and the, uh, quirky (read: fairly hideous) Te Papa, the Museum of New Zealand. If you do get the chance to visit Mt Vic., make sure you look out the window on your way up (or, better yet, walk!)– the Victorian era villas and cottages are as much a part of the hill’s appeal as the panoramic views.

Bonus: The keenest, luckiest of observers have been known to spot hobbits. So pay attention.

I’ve looked back and picked a picture from each month; a picture that in some way encapsulated that time. Without further ado:

January 2011

We celebrated Rachel’s birthday at the Bye-and-Bye, a vegan restaurant and great bar. Afterward, we hung out with local musician Kent Smith and listened to some live tunes.

February 2011

February saw a free party from Yelp, where we ate and drank for free all night. This photo reveals one of the night’s discoveries; shaking your head really quickly whilst taking a picture.

March 2011

March was my birthday month, and I chose one of my favorite spots in the world. A bar with dozens of beers on tap (see the LED board) with my favorite Mexican restaurant next door.

April 2011

The fourth month had many highlights, including a trip to Bend, Southern Oregon hiking, family time, and Coachella. But looking back, Munchkin and microbrews with friends was an absolute highlight.

May 2011

May was a gloomy, farewell month. Walking through Portland food carts on a rainy day was a pretty apt bookend for our USA existence.

June 2011

June saw a new job in a familiar city. I was quickly impressed by how picturesque my area was.

July 2011

The floods were the story of the summer. On one of the few days that was rain-free, we hiked Cheonggyesan to start building our Korean hiking muscles. It was brutal and fun. And hot.

August 2011

August was a hot steamy hot month full of heat. One of the highlights of Seoul in general is going out into a neon jungle and not emerging until the sun comes up. This was our first return to Heywa and Suyu and we had a nice hike on Bukhansan the next day.

September 2011

September was a month of hikes and the air began to clear. We saw a lot of Seoul from the mountains, and this one from Achasan is one of my favorites.

October 2011

October was maybe the best month in Korea; hiking, biking, and so much more. It’s a pity not to have a hiking picture here, but Halloween was pretty unforgettable. Hi-ya!

November 2011

We’ve had a lot of good trips to Seoraksan, but this time we had friends with us and saw some new areas of the park.

December 2011

December was full of fun, but it’s hard to go past an abandoned Alice in Wonderland theme park.

There is a new trail on Bukhansan as well: Dule-gil. Rather than every other hike in the area (in the country, perhaps), it does not consist of a steep trails that race to the peak. Instead, it’s 63 kilometers of trail that winds through isolated regions of Seoul, past Buddhist temples, through pine-covered mountain forests, along mansion-decorated streets, and even some wildlife.

We have so far only hike about a quarter of Dule-gil, though we hope to hike the whole thing consecutively. (Part of it, the Uiryeong-gil section, needs to be booked in advanced.)

It’s incredibly well-sign posted, and like many good hikes, it’s always changing. Even though you don’t climb up any peaks (there are bountiful side-trips available) it climbs and dips repeatedly. As the path is a circle, you can start from many different places. We chose to begin from Yeonsinnae, a subway stop far up the North Line (far up for us southies, anyway.)

There really are signs everywhere. Some are small, attesting to the fact that you are still on Dule-gil.

Others, less frequent but probably still every half-hour or so, give you a map of the entire hike. These are useful not just to confirm where you are, but they let you know nearby subway stops, convenience stores, and motels.

The stretch of road that we hiked includes a significant portion along Pyeonchang-gil. This incredibly fancy street (by Seoul standards) has designer houses, embassies, and amazing views of the mountains.

There is always something unexpected in Korea. In this case, we ran into a de facto library, located on a walkway that meandered into a pine forest.

A nice thing about hiking in winter is that there aren’t too many crowds. Another advantage is that it’s easier to dress for the cold than to deal with the intense summer heat. Most of all, though, you can find some pretty stellar winter vistas.

Hiking Dule-gil might be my absolute favorite thing in Seoul. A hike that includes the best of mountain scenery and urban wandering is rather Yeti-friendly indeed. We also saw a squirrel, some “eating dogs” that had escaped, a loony adjumma who said she was lost and then showed us her house, and some Koreans who greeted us in German.

Hiking the rest of it, in other seasons, shouldn’t be the worst thing ever.