Travel
A night at the opera … in Madrid
While in Madrid last month, I also made time for an opera performance. The Madrid opera was playing Giaccomo Puccini’s Manon Lescaut, and I got tickets to see it. My hotel in Puerta del Sol was less than a ten-minute walk from the opera house, making it quite easy to reach after a hectic day…
Read MoreBack from the European Writers’ Salon Madrid 2026
At the end of September, I attended the European Writers’ Salon in Madrid, Spain. I’ve been to a few writers’ conferences, and I always enjoy them, but this was my first time with the European Writers’ Salon. They have several pop-up salons throughout the year, but their main salon is held each September, in a…
Read MoreFrankfurt’s picturesque Römerplatz
I had been many years since I was back in Frankfurt, so when I returned last spring, I was eager to return to picturesque Römerplatz, otherwise known as Römersberg. This is the heart of Frankfurt’s old town, and has served as the seat of municipal government since the 15th century. In the past, I’ve been…
Read MoreAn evening in Teramo, Abruzzo
I spend a lot of time in the Italian region of Abruzzo, but strangely, until this summer, I had never visited Teramo. I’d driven by Teramo numerous times, heading off to other destinations. I always told myself that if I had time, I’d stop off – but I never did. So, when my younger son…
Read MoreRock-Rock-Rock- Rockaway Beach – in Queens, New York
Love that when you’re in New York, you can have a fabulous beach day by simply hopping on the subway’s A train. My New York apartment is on this line, so the trip from Harlem to Queen’s Rockaway Beach is one I do frequently in the summer. It’s a long trip, but well worth it.…
Read MoreWalking the medieval walls of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany
The adorable medieval town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber – referring to the Tauber River – dates back to the tenth century. I had been here as a young child, then again as a young teenager – meaning it had been many, many years since my last visit. Since I was nearby in Würzburg with…
Read MoreNew York’s 9/11 Memorial and Museum
This is one of those anniversaries no one wants to mark, but mark it we must. This year marks twenty-five years since 11 September 2001, when terrorists slammed their hijacked planes into New York’s Twin Towers, destroying the towers and killing almost 3000 people. On the same day, another plane crashed into the Pentagon and…
Read MoreHanging out at Todi’s Porchetta Festival
Back in May, I went to Todi with my husband to take part in Todi’s Porchettiamo Festival for its sixteeth edition. Todi is a beautiful Italian hilltown in the Italian region of Umbria, and most of the festival was held on the town’s postcard-perfect medieval square, Piazza del popolo. Porchetta is a pork roast, where…
Read MoreKeeping cool in the mountain air of Abruzzo
It’s been a hot summer in Rome. But then again, every summer is a hot summer in Rome. Come weekends, my youngest son and I were often escaping the heat in the nearby mountains of Abruzzo. Our little town of Ovindoli is 1400 meters from sea level, das are warm but minus humidity, and evenings…
Read MoreCooling off in the sulfuric waters of Tivoli’s springs
Tivoli is a short distance from Rome, and the Acque Albule Springs (also called Terme di Roma) is a great way to cool down in summer. You can arrive easily from Rome by car or bus. The sulphur-rich thermal springs in Tivoli have been well known since the Ancient Roman era, and particularly at the…
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