Travel
The final resting place of writers, artists and musicians at Prague’s Vyšehrad Cemetery
This famous cemetery was built in 1869, at the edge of the site of the Vyšehrad castle – where legend has it the first settlement was created that would later become Prague. The first Czech kings ruled from this spot, before the more well-known Prague Castle was constructed. Legend has it that Princess Libuše founded…
Read MoreIn need of a little holiday cheer … in Rome
2020 is winding down. and while I’m old enough not to generally wish for the rapid passage of time – this year has broken all the rules. It can’t wrap up fast enough for me. So as 2020 comes to an end, I’m grateful the city didn’t skimp on the Christmas lights this year. I…
Read MoreA weekend in Italy’s center – Rieti
I’ve already written about this medieval town north of Rome, at the upper edges of the Lazio region. I got to know Rieti quite well when my younger son began running for the town’s competitive track and field team. Although his daily practice is (thankfully) in Rome, we get here fairly often for track meets.…
Read MoreA taste of the Old World in Columbus, Ohio’s German Village
My older son and I were in Columbus, Ohio this past summer, and we decided to walk down to the German Village area, on the southern edge of the city. Originally settled by Geman immigrants in the early 1800s, Columbus’ German Village still has a distinct character today. It sits adjacent to the Brewery District…
Read MoreThe odd nighttime silence of the Eternal City
It’s déjà vu, all over again…. But so it goes in 2020. Here in Rome, we have a lockdown lite. Perhaps not that ‘lite’, however, to businesses trying to get back on their feet after our long lockdown. Currently in Rome, restaurants and bars must shutter up at 6 pm. Supemarkets, pharmacies and some shops…
Read MoreA needed breath of fresh (mountain) air in Abruzzo
In the familiar tradition of all things related with 2020, autumn sucked… Usually, I make efforts to get out to our mountain escape in Abruzzo, enjoying the autumn foliage, hiking and mountain biking with my family. But 2020 has ruined all our beloved traditions, so it’s no surprise it also hampered my mountain getaways. Nevertheless,…
Read MoreExploring Morgantown, West Virginia – home of the Mountaineers
This past summer in the US, I had a long, solo drve back from Ann Arbor, Michigan to Washington, DC, and wanted to break up the drive and explore someplace new to me. Am I glad I selected Morgantown, West Virginia. Morgantown was previously unknown to me. Clearly, I don’t follow Big 12 college football.…
Read MoreWest Virginia’s stunning Cooper’s Rock State Forest
There’s a great expression in Italian: La fame viene mangiando. It literally means Hunger arrives as you’re eating, and it perfectly sums up the attitude of that food-obsessed country. I always thought a similar expression for travel would work well in the same vein: Wanderlust viene viaggiando (Wanderlust arrives as you’re traveling). That certainly sums…
Read MoreAlong the shores of Lake Erie at Ohio’s Maumee Bay State Park
I was in Ohio this past summer with plans to drive up to Ann Arbor, Michigan when I saw a documentary about America’s Great Lakes. One of the amazing facts I learned way back in school (and the promptly forgot) was repeated on this show – how the Great Lakes comprise almost 20% of the…
Read MoreOf gods and athletes : Rome’s Stadio dei marmi
I spend an inordinate amount of time hanging out at tracks. My younger son is a track and field junkie athlete, and I would suspect there are few tracks in central Italy in which I have not spent a fair amount of time. So, as a track mum with years of experience, you can trust…
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