Best places to experience Vienna’s café culture
Vienna is one of my favorite cities. I spent a happy year living here far too many years ago, and I’ve returned countless times as a tourist. To truly enjoy the city, a visitor shouldn’t rush, but should instead slow down and enjoy age-old Viennese traditions. Few of these traditions are as enjoyable as taking…
Read MoreFavorite web resources for writers
I’m not always a fan of tecnology, and I often lament the fact that it takes us away from the daydreaming and writing that we writers should set aside more of our time in pursuing. But I’m also the first to admit that a writer’s job – particularly a writer just starting out – is…
Read MoreFairy tale spires and lake views in Lausanne, Switzerland
On a recent trip to Geneva, I had a few hours free on a Sunday afternoon, so I hopped on one of the frequent trains (love, love, love efficient Swiss public transport) to nearby Lausanne. Lausanne is about fifty-three kilometers north-east of Geneva, along the banks of Lake Geneva. During the summer months, there are…
Read MoreCall for submissions at Writers Abroad
Writers, sharpen your pencils. The submission period is open for the Writers Abroad annual anthology. Each year, the writers group Writers Abroad publishes an anthology, organized around a particular theme. This year’s theme is Far Flung and Foreign. They seek submissions of short stories (up to 1700 words), flash fiction (up to 500 words), non-fiction (up to 1000…
Read MoreBe an explorer at Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado
The Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado was a great find on a family trip we took out west. I already blogged about it in this post. We (foolishly) thought to make a quick stop here while driving from Telluride, Colorado to Bryce Canyon, Utah but we wound up spending several hours and would have liked to…
Read MoreWorking art into literature
As an undergraduate in a school that didn’t have minors, I unwittingly almost triple majored in art history. I’d accumulated so many classes in it that by senior year I was just shy a couple. In the end, living in Italy, I (only half jokingly) claim it’s the most important subject I ever studied. After all, here in Italy…
Read MoreReason #5365 to love Rome: The Ludus Magnus – gladiator training grounds
When you are next visiting Rome’s Colosseum, be sure to take the time to cross the street and peer into the area known as the Ludus Magnus. Two thousand years ago, this was the largest and most prestigious of Rome’s gladiatorial training schools. The Ludus Magnus was built during the reign of Emperor Domitian (81-96…
Read MoreMore fun with historical research: Ball gowns!
And here’s where most men will stop reading… As Mr. Bennet himself put it so elegantly when his wife attempted to describe ball gowns to him in the BBC film version of Pride and Prejudice: “No lace. No lace, Mrs. Bennet, I beg you!” Chapter three of Pride and Prejudice expresses Mr. Bennet’s disdain for discussions…
Read MoreStunning frescoes in Bulgaria’s Boyana Church
On a recent trip to Bulgaria’s capital of Sofia, I set aside some time to visit the area of Boyana, on the outskirts of the city, to visit the not-to-be-missed Boyana church. Last week I wrote about the spectacular Orthodox monasteries of Kosovo, but Bulgaria’s Boyana church is another impressive example of Balkan Byzantine art that is…
Read MoreI finally joined the Twitter bandwagon
It took me a while, but I’ve finally joined over 200 million users of Twitter. I’ve been using Twitter for my work, and find it quite useful for reaching specialized audiences. Unlike Facebook – which I hate, loathe, despise, makes me break out in hives – I find Twitter to be a great way to…
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