Travel
The Duck March at Memphis’ historic Peabody Hotel
Years ago, as a kid, I visited Memphis’ historic hotel, The Peabody. I was fascinated by its twice daily Duck March. So when I was planning a road trip with my younger son, I decided to make a stop in Memphis, Tennessee with a stay at the Peabody, and a chance to see the Duck…
Read MoreA year later – and still thinking about the brisket at Black’s BBQ, Austin, Texas
I still have to write more about my trip to Austin, Texas, but as mentioned in my overview: this city as it is currently run seems to be a mecca for addicts, not tourists. But the one amazing discovery that still finds us thinking about Austin, even a year after our visit, was our stop…
Read MoreIn love with Galveston Island’s historic Hotel Galvez Resort and Spa, Texas
This was truly a highlight of our 2021 American road trip. After a week of training near Dallas, my son and I were looking for a good coastal spot to relax and uncharge – and we settled on Galveston Island, Texas. Neither of us had been here before, but we both left Galveston as concerted…
Read MoreYay! Outdoor cinema 2022 kicks off again on Rome’s Piazza Vittorio
Summers in Rome are hot. VERY hot. But we are fortunate to have mostly comfortable, and sometimes downright breezy evenings. Cue in the Roman tradition of outdoor cinema. There are various venues around Rome, but one of the ones I enjoy most is the annual Notti di cinema a Piazza Vittorio – at Rome’s Piazza…
Read MoreStretching my legs in Modena, Italy
I was driving from northern Italy down to my home in Rome. Anyone who knows Italian highways know they are replete with Autogrill reststops, which offer clean bathrooms and ridiculously overpriced, tasteless food. So when lunch time rolled around, I was more than happy to escape rest stop food in order to stop in one…
Read MoreOn The Road Again…
For my travel-loving family and me, these past years have been depressing. Last summer, my youngest son and I went to see my mom in the US. My son needed to go to sprints training in Texas, and instead of flying, he asked if we could road trip from Washington, DC to Texas, making plenty…
Read MoreDazzled by the stars in the Galla Placidia Mausoleum, Ravenna
I‘ve already written about the amazing San Vitale Basilica in Ravenna, Italy. But another UNESCO Heritage site lies just across the lawn from that basilica – the Mausoleum of Galla Placida. This mausoleum was commissioned in 426 AD, by Empress Galla Placidia. Galla Placidia was the daughter of Emperor Theodosius I (379-395) and sister to…
Read MoreLiving like a noblewoman in Ravenna
I usually do all our holiday planning, so I was pleased recently when my husband took over and planned a weekend escape to beautiful Ravenna, Italy, in the Emilia Romagna region. He discovered a hotel I loved in the center of Ravenna: The Palazzo Galletti Abbiosi. This was a noble palace built in the 1700s…
Read MoreEnjoying a piadina on Ravenna’s picturesque Piazza del popolo
Okay, so not only do you live and learn, but you travel and learn. I’ve eaten the Italian piadina many times, but I never realized it was a specialty of Emilia Romagna, and particularly the Romagna region – from the area of Ravenna, Rimini, Forlì. But now I know. A piadina is a type of…
Read MoreFinally made it to Rome’s Botanical Gardens
I have been living in Rome for – ahem!- over two decades. Yet it is only recently that I crossed the city to visit Rome’s Botanical Gardens (L’Orto botanico di Roma). Am I glad I did! I can’t believe it took me so long to get there, especially since it’s an easy location to reach,…
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