Posts by Kimberly Sullivan
Wise words (learned on holidays) to face the ‘rientro’
In Italian it’s called the ‘rientro’. In French the ‘rentrée’. In America, where holidays are so stingy – if you’re allowed to take them at all – I doubt the term exists at all. If it did, it would be called ‘The Return’. Back when I worked in my own country, I wasn’t familiar with…
Read MoreHiking to Spain along France’s Pays Basque coastal trail
This past summer, I enjoyed a fabulous summer holiday to France’s Basque region (Pays basque). It was my first visit to this corner of southwestern France, bordering the Atlantic Ocean to the west and the border of Spain to the south. It was easy to fill my three weeks here with interesting places to visit,…
Read MoreBook review: The Human Flies
I bought this novel when traveling in Norway. Embarrassingly, aside from Ibsen (whom I love), I’m completely ignorant about Norwegian writers. I know Norway boasts thriller writers, such as Nesbo, who fill the book shops, but I was looking for something different and picked up this debut mystery novel by contemporary author Hans Olav Lahlum.…
Read MoreStretching my legs with a passeggiata in Sora, Italy
I’ve long been curious to visit the town of Sora, in Italy’s Lazio region and located in the province of Frosinone – just along the border with Abruzzo. Since it’s a little off the beaten trail from the surrounding areas I visit more often (including the wonderful Parco Nazionale d’Abruzzo), I’ve never managed to get…
Read MoreQuality over quantity – E.M. Forster
“My regret is that I haven’t written a bit more.” E.M. Forster I was surprised to read E.M. Forster’s regret – if anything, it proves that harboring regrets makes no sense. It’s true that the British writer Forster (1879-1970) only wrote six novels (one published posthumously) over his long lifetime – in addition to his…
Read MoreOslo’s National Museum of Art
On a visit to Oslo, there were three museums I wanted to visit, but I only had time for one. Therefore, the centrally-located National Museum of Art made the cut, and I have two more museums I need to see on my next trip! Oslo’s National Museum of Art is definitely worth the trip on…
Read MoreDo you often remember where you read your novels better than the books themselves?
I’ve already written a post about context reading. The concept is the same as ‘context drinking’ – how that Tuscan wine just tastes so much better when you drink it on holidays on a sunny piazza in Italy than it does when you bring it home to Peoria. When I travel I often look for…
Read MoreBigger than Versailles – the Royal palace at Caserta
I’ve already written about exploring the amazing gardens of the Reggia di Caserta. It had been years I’d been ‘ meaning to visit’, so I was thrilled to finally make it to this royal palace in Italy’s southern Campagna region. After the impressive gardens – DO do do dedicate enough time for a proper wander…
Read MoreBook Review: The Expatriates
I enjoyed this novel following the lives of three expatriate women living in Hong Kong. The Expatriates by Janice Y.K. Lee explores the lives of three women – all adrift in their own way – living in Hong Kong’s expat community. Mercy is a Korean-American Ivy League grad who has been drifting ever since graduating…
Read MoreOutdoor cinema at Piazza Vittorio – Rome
After two years of its absence and semi-absence, I’m so pleased that Notti di cinema a Piazza Vittorio has returned once again. The two screens, often showing four films outdoor on summer evenings is one of those great Roman traditions for Roman summer. The outdoor films run from 4 July – 10 September. I’ve been…
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