Archive for December 2015
The view from the top of St Vitus’ bell tower, Prague
Admittedly, I may have a problem. It doesn’t matter where I am in the world, when I visit a city, I always want to make a beeline to the highest vanatage point to enjoy the views from a bird’s eye perspective. This includes skyscraper tourism in modern cities, and – most commonly- church bell towers…
Read MoreGoodreads Challenge: Another great year of books
Taking this opportunity to wish those of you who celebrate Christmas a Very Merry Christmas! I always love to have books under the Christmas tree, and in these lazy days around the holiday, I often find myself content and curled up with a good book… with my family members curled up nearby with their own.…
Read MoreA round-up of European Christmas markets to visit
This year, I couldn’t manage to escape to one of the Christmas markets I love in Europe, so instead on this post I’ll pine away thinking about great Christmas markets of the past take a look at some of the Christmas markets I’ve posted about in European cities. Should you find yourself in any of…
Read MoreBeyond the idea…
“But the truth is, it’s not the idea, it’s never the idea, it’s always what you do with it.” Neil Gaiman I recently read (and loved) this quote from author Neil Gaiman. Gaiman, whose work spans such a wide range of genres and age categories, surely knows a thing or two about how to…
Read MoreGone fishing … in Bali
I’ve never been much of a fisherwoman. I love eating fish, but I don’t have the patience or passion to go out there with a fishing rod to try to catch them myself. My oldest son, on the other hand, loves fishing. So when I was in the coastal area of Nusa Dua in Bali,…
Read MoreThe devil’s in the details
“Making people believe the unbelievable is no trick; it’s work … Belief and reader absorption come in the details: An overturned tricycle in the gutter of an abandoned neighborhood can stand for everything. Or a broken billboard. Or weeds growing in the cracks of a library’s steps. … The details are always the starting place in…
Read MoreThe winding streets of Nice’s old town
The French Riviera city of Nice is a beautiful place to visit. I especially loved wandering Vieux Nice, where I could be forgiven for thinking I was back in Italy. The old quarter used to have a reputation for being dangerous, but today it’s a beautiful area to wander and enjoy the views into the…
Read MoreCoca Cola, chocolate bar … and a short story?
Viva la France! If we hadn’t reach that conclusion alone in these weeks after the events of Paris last month, we would have arrived there by the admirable appreciation of culture and literature in that country. France – and specifically the pretty, southeastern mountain city of Grenoble – is the first city ever to offer…
Read MoreCooking pasta in Vitorchiano, Italy
I’ve already written about my pleasant trip to Vitorchiano, an adorable medieval town north of Rome. While there, I was also lucky enough to take part in a cooking course. After all these years of living in Italy, I finally learned how to make homemade fettuccine pasta. Some in my family might say ‘About time’……
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