Travel
Raphael in New York
I was fortunate to be in New York this spring soon after the Raphael: Sublime Poetry exhibition launched at the Metropolitan Musuem of Art. I’m a long-time Met member, and I had asked my son to wait for my visit so we could see it together. It was extremely crowded when we went, but it…
Read MoreA mini Charles Bridge in Würzburg, Germany
This spring, I was in Würzburg, Germany for the first time, visiting a German uncle of mine who has moved there recently. This is a small town in Germany’s Bavaria region, along the Main River. There is so much to see in this town, but the old bridge crossing over the river is a must-see…
Read MoreHanging out at the Kaffeehaus Goldene Waage in Frankfurt
One of the fun aspects of visiting new destinations (or, in this case, revisiting destinations you haven’t returned to in years) is picking out what would be my favorite café were I to live there. Were I to live in Frankfurt, Germany, that would definitely be the Kaffeehaus Goldene Waage. After my son as I…
Read MoreMissed cherry blossom season in DC – but caught them in New York!
In a country as vast as America, you can take advantage of varying climates during your travels. On a recent stay in Washington, DC, I knew I wouldn’t hit peak cherry blossom season, but I didn’t realize high winds blew away all the pretty blossoms. I walked the entire stretch of the Tidal Basin, but…
Read MoreSpectacular views from the top of Frankfurt’s Domturm
I’ve been to Frankfurt, Germany numerous times, but during my visit this past March, it was my first time venturing up the cathedral’s belltower – Domturm. I was with my hyper-fit sprinter/hurdler younger son, who tears up stairs without batting an eye. But, even with this “competition”, I held my own climbing an exhausting 328…
Read MoreOld World elegance in Vienna’s Café Central
Vienna is such a beautiful, elegant city, and nothing captures that spirit better than its opulent cafés. These cafés were once the haunt of artists, musicians, and writers, whereas now you have to fight the masses of tourists to gain entrée … but they are still worth it. Café Central is one such café where…
Read MoreA base for exploring in Kutaisi, Georgia
On our roadtrip around Georgia this past summer, we based ourselves in several towns and villages to explore the region. Kutaisi, in western Georgia, was one of our bases on this travel. Kutaisi is Georgia’s third largest city, after Tblisi and Batumi (the latter, we also visited during our time in Kutaisi). The small city,…
Read MoreGeorgia’s haunting Tskaltubo spas
On the edges of Kutaisi, Georgia is the spa town of Tskaltubo, very much in vogue when this was a part of the USSR. We went to visit these haunting remains of this elegant spa town. This was a favorite spa destination of native Georgian Joseph Stalin, and the infrsastructure exploded around his visits, making…
Read MoreAdmiring the Cyclops’ walls of Lazio’s Alatri
My husband and I were in southern Lazio – the region (state) in which Rome is located – to visit the beautiful town of Anagni, frequently called the “Medieval Sistine Chapel” for its spectacular painted crypt. I’ll write more about it in a future post. The weather was beautiful and we decided to explore a…
Read MoreAn evening at Vienna’s Volksoper
During my last visit to Vienna, the Opera Ball had been at the opera house in previous days, and ballet performances were scheduled. Luckily, there was Strauss at the Volksoper, so I booked my tickets. Vienna’s Volksoper opened in 1898, originally as the Emperor’s Anniversary City Theater. In 1903, the theatre shifted to operas and…
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