Literary Rome: Books To Read To Get Ready To Visit
Rome is an overwhelming city: layer on layer, history on history. To sort through it would take a lifetime and I’ve started too late. The … Read more
Europe
Travelling Solo In Sarajevo, Bosnia
Sarajevo, Bosnia, and Herzegovina, is a city on the Balkan peninsula, still visibly recovering from the longest siege in modern European history, which began 20 … Read more
Visit Guérande, France
I am in Guérande, France, a charming, walled, medieval village near the Atlantic coast. The town is the stuff of fairy tales, dreamlike, really. It is the kind of French village I always hope I’ll luck into.
Travel Tips for Italy: 8 Lessons learned from a Minor Injury
Sometimes there are just things, albeit unofficial, that you should just know. That’s why I’m telling you all about my non-medical travel tips for Italy…that … Read more
Travel Expectations and Finding the Silver Lining
I’m sure that every one who loves to travel the world has at least once experienced a moment of disappointment. You have chosen a destination because of the beautiful or interesting things you have heard or seen in pictures; you get there and all you think is: oh my God, what’s all the hype about? And if you could, you would like nothing better than turn on your heel and return to from where you came.
But as the following story of my trip to Bulgaria will reveal, don’t! Look closer and you will find that there is almost always a silver lining, something to look at and admire which, more often than not, is completely unexpected. Often the key is to just give the place a chance.
The Street Food of Athens, Greece
… under the looming gaze of the Parthenon, lies the Monastiraki section of the city. Take a stroll through this bustling neighborhood where vendors sell fish, meat and vegetables alongside more touristy fare of T-shirts, worry beads and replicas of ancient vases, and you’ll come across one of my all-time favorite treats : roast chestnuts. You have to work a little at peeling back the crispy outer layer, but it’s worth it! Chestnut vendors sell roast corn as well — tastes great with a sprinkle of Greek sea salt on top.
The Hiding Place: Haarlem, The Netherlands
In 1940 the Nazi’s invaded Holland and before long were rounding up Jews and political dissidents, sending them off to prisons, concentration camps and forced labor. In a tall, narrow home just steps away from the Grote Markt, an elderly clock maker and his two unmarried, middle-aged daughters put plans in motion to save as many as they could.
Café Gourmand: The Paris Secret to Desserts and Waistlines
In deference to my jeans, which I’d prefer to continue wearing, I don’t order dessert all that often anymore, with one small exception: the café gourmand.
Cortona For The Tuscan Food And Wine Lover
The first thing I think of when Italy comes to mind is food – well, food and wine. Our most recent trip to Cortona, Italy, proved to be more wonderful and delicious than I could have ever imagined. We stayed less than five minutes from the main village at the magnificent Villa Marsili. The close proximity to the rustic Italian village proved to be an advantage to our appetites, if a disadvantage to our waistlines.