Travel
Admiring Exeter’s Cathedral between bouts of rain
This past autumn, I was in Devon, England for the Historical Novel Society Conference. While there, I joined one of the organized trips for us to visit Exeter’s Norman-Gothic cathedral, and to enjoy a wander around the pretty town. The Exeter Cathedral was founded in 1050, but was expanded between the twelfth and fourteenth centuries.…
Read MoreEnjoying the early spring rays in Marche’s seaside Fano
It was a glorious, sunny March day and my husband and I were were driving from our weekend trip to Urbino and long the Marche coast back to Rome. We had never been to seaside Fano, and since it was on our way we stopped off to explore this beach town. The weather was perfect…
Read MoreThe stunning fourteenth century frescoes in Padova’s Palazzo della Ragione
You can’t miss this spectacular structure on your visit to pretty Padova. I’ve already written about the picturesque Piazza della frutta and Piazza delle erbe, on which this palace is located. The bottom of the Palazzo della Ragione (The Palace of Reason) was dedicated to a covered market built in 1166, but the upper section…
Read MoreTraining it along the “English Riviera”
This past autumn, I traveled to Devon, UK for the Historical Novel Society conference. Flying in to Exeter, I took a bus to the train station, and then embarked on a trip down to the Devon coastline – also known as England’s Riviera. I nabbed a coastline window so I could catch views of the…
Read MoreAn afternoon stroll through silent, artistic Totnes, Devon
Back in September, I was at the fabulous Historical Novel Society UK Conference in beautiful Devon. Each day, on our way to the spectacular conference venue, Dartington Hall , the bus taking us from our hotel would pass through picture-perfect Totnes, nestled along the River Dart. I would press my face against thw window and…
Read MoreExploring rock & roll roots at Buddy Holly Museum in Lubbock, Texas
I was in Lubbock, Texas recently to cheer on my son at a track and field competition, and while I spent most of my time in Lubbock at the fabulous Texas Tech athletic facilities, I’m always curious to discover new places when I travel. Although I’ve travelled quite a bit in Texas, I’d never been…
Read MoreMet Rooftop – Summer 2024
I’m a member at the wonderful New York Metropolitan Museum of Art, and I always love passing by to see the latest exhibitions and visiting my favorite wings, whenever I am back in NY. And, when I’m there in summer, I always stop off to see the installation art on The Met’s spectacular rooftop terrace.…
Read MoreHanging out in Indianapolis, Indiana
I’ve already written a post about my cross-country driving trip with my younger son last summer from Washington, DC to Kansas. One of the stops along the way was a city new to both of us. I’ve driven by Indiana’s capital city multiple times, but have never before taken the time to drive in, park…
Read MoreChagall’s splash of color in Zurich’s Fraumünster
On a recent trip to Zurich, I returned to see the Chagall painted windows I hadn’t seen in years. Russian-Jewsih artist Marc Chagall (Moishe Segal/Mark Zacharovič Šagal, 1887-1985) began a new phase of his career with stained glass and painted windows for churches. Zurich’s Fraumünster church, founded in 853 by Louis the German for his…
Read MoreIn the steps of the Ingalls family at Tallgrass Prairies National Reserve, Kansas
Like many young girls, I grew up reading the Little House in the Prairies books, written by Laura Ingalls Wilder, and wondering what life must have been like out in the American prairies. The series was turned into a popular television series, and I enjoyed those, too. It wouldn’t be until years later, this past…
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