Archive for January 2019
Modern medieval pilgrims at Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, France
Sadly, I wasn’t in this picturesque, medieval French town on a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, but I loved observing all those lucky fellow travelers who were. I was in postcard-perfect Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port on a family holiday to France’s Pays Basque, and I couldn’t miss out on visiting this pretty town along the pilgrimage to Galicia’s…
Read MoreSeven year itch?
No, I’m not actually writing about the film perhaps best known for this iconic subway grate scene with Marilyn Monroe. No, my seven year itch post refers neither to the Monroe film nor marriage (I’ve been married much, much longer that seven years), but to blogging. I received a little reminder from WordPress.com that it…
Read MoreCommemorating WWI soldiers in Abruzzo
On my recent ski escape, I was in Ovindoli, in Italy’s Apennine mountains of the Abruzzo region. Like most little mountain towns, Ovindoli has a memorial to the soldiers who died both in WWI and WWII. For those who know the region well, most of these towns have much longer lists for the First World…
Read MoreNovels in the mountains
I always love reading, but there’s something special about books I take with me to read when I’m out in the mountains. I spend a lot of time out in the mountains, both in the spring and summer for hiking and in the winter for skiing. On a recent skiing escape in Abruzzo, I read…
Read MoreSnow was only okay, but the skiing was fabulous. Abruzzo
Is there anything more magical than the first ski run of the season? Even after all these years, it never fails to put me in a good mood. I’m generally loathe to organize complicated travel plans for the Christmas holidays, since I hate to travel at on of the most chaotic times of the year.…
Read MoreAnother year, another Goodreads Reading Challenge
The champagne bubbles are flat. Work replaces holiday days. Your regular exercise regime kicks back in, replacing those holiday excesses. But the one bright light in the return-to-business- as-usual (and the only New Years’ Resolution you actually enjoy keeping) is the new Goodreads Reading Challenge! Why not take part this year? I’ve been doing this…
Read MoreColonial splendor in Guayaquil’s Las Peñas neighborhood, Ecuador
I always fall for colonial architecture, so when I was in Guayaquil, Ecuador this past autumn, it’s not surprising I was immediately drawn to the gorgeous Las Peñas neighborhood. Las Peñas was the first neighborhood built in Guayaquil – now Ecuador’s largest city. It was constructed 400 years ago in typical colonial Spanish style. Unfortunately,…
Read MoreHappy New Year!
I don’t know about you, but I no longer know how the years fly by so quickly. But race by they do, and here we are in 2019. Here’s hoping your first days of the new year are starting off right, and to all you readers and writers out here – wishing you a spectacular…
Read MoreLuckily no more bulls on Madrid’s Plaza Mayor
On a recent trip to Madrid, we enjoyed clear winter days – perfect walking weather to explore Spain’s capital … and explore the city by foot, we did! Our walks, of course, often led us back to Madrid’s Plaza Mayor. The pedestrianized square is stunning – even more so with a lively Christmas market set…
Read More