Archive for February 2018
The Eternal City blanketed in white
I first began this blog post in 2012 and one of my first posts was about Roman snow, namely, an unusual snowstorm that hit the Italian capital and shut down the schools for two days. Six years later, white powder has fallen on the Eternal City once again, and these Roman school snow days seem…
Read MoreReading and writing inspiration on the slopes
When this post goes out, I will be at the end of a week on the slopes. Skiing holidays are always regenerating. I love to be out in the mountains, breathing fresh air, and exercising each day. And at the end of the day when I’m physically exhausted, I love to curl up with a …
Read MoreReason #5387 to love Rome: Il Mercato Centrale
This was a great addition to Rome’s Termini train station, in the center of Rome. Following a similar outlet in Florence, Rome’s Mercato centrale opened less than two years ago, and it is open daily from 8:00 am to midnight. It opened in the spectacular Cappa Mazzoniana within the Termini complex – and impressive space…
Read MoreThree cheers for translated fiction
Many moons ago, I was in a Book Club with a member who proclaimed we should “never” read translated fiction. “After all,” she loved to stress, “we’ll never run out of fiction written in the English language.” Yes, technically I suppose this is true. But what a narrow world view… Not surprisingly, I didn’t stay…
Read MoreAfter your museum visit – exploring Bilbao, Spain
Last week I wrote about visiting the spectacular Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain. You can see my post here. But after your museum visit is over, you’ll want to make time to stroll down the river and enjoy Bilbao’s old town. Although Bilbao’s medieval old town and its architecture dates back to the XIVth century,…
Read MoreWriting advice from Virginia Woolf
“So long as you write what you wish to write, that is all that matters; and whether it matters for ages or only for hours, nobody can say.” -Virginia Woolf Who can argue with this brilliant writing advice from author Virginia Woolf? Woolf’s writing has certainly stood the test of time, but I like the…
Read MoreBilbao’s fabulous Guggenheim, Spain
It’s been years I’ve been “meaning to” get to the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain. A holiday in France’s Basque region provided me with the opportunity to journey across the border into Spain’s Basque country to visit this modern art museum that celebrated its 20th birthday last year. This striking modern architecture was created by…
Read MoreBook Review: Eligible
I’m a huge Jane Austen fan, and so I was very interested when I heard about The Austen Project: a plan to retell Austen’s six novels set in modern times, and reinterpreted by six different contemporary authors. I enjoyed the modern version of Sense and Sensibility by Joanna Trolloppe. But then I pretty much gave up…
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