Travel
Brussels’ Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert is a paradise for chocolate lovers (with deep pockets…)
This elegant Brussels shopping arcade was inaugurated in 1847 by Belgium’s first king, Leopold I. It would be established as one of Europe’s first commercial shopping galleries – and certainly one of the most beautiful. If you haven’t noticed from my posts, I have a bit of a weakness for stunning European shopping galleries. See…
Read MoreBruges by bike
My younger son and I enjoyed a long weekend in Brussels earlier this month, and while there we had a great time visiting the medieval city of Bruges. A Belgian colleague had told me about a bike trail leading from Gent/Gand to Bruges – a 45-kilometer bike towpath trail along a canal. With the benefit…
Read MoreEnjoying the ‘Sardine Festival’ in Guethary, France
I’ve already written about Guéthary, the Pays basque coastal town where my family and I vacationed last year. One of the last evenings staying in Guéthary, we stumbled onto a sardine festival being held on a panoramic point along the sea, so we decided to join in. We had a great time sitting on picnic…
Read MoreTurin’s art deco galleries
When you’re in Piedmont’s capital of Turin, you must be sure to visit the city’s wonderful shopping galleries. They are ideal for the less-than-perfect weather in northern Italy, and maintain their original art deco charm. The first gallery constructed in Turin was at the request of the Marquis Natta d’Alfano, and constructed by the architect…
Read MoreMilan’s Duomo
I’ve already written about the spectacular views from the roof of Milan’s Duomo, and why you really want to make time to climb up to the top. However, the cathedral itself is definitely worth a visit during your time in the Lombard capital. The Duomo is the most famous monument of the city, and its…
Read MoreReason #5388 to love Rome: Sant’Agnese church
I recently returned to visit the beautiful early Christian church of Sant’Agnese, a church I hadn’t been back to in years. Since the Roman metro line has been extended, it’s even easier to get here via the B metro line, where it has its own stop: Sant’Agnese. This 7th century church, designed like a basilica,…
Read MoreDiscovering the center of Italy – in Rieti
My twelve-year-old son has been running since he was seven. This year, he decided to change coaches and teams. Although he lives and trains in Rome, his competitive new team is from the northern Lazio town of Rieti. This is the northeastern tip of Lazio, extremely close to the regions of Umbria and Abruzzo. In…
Read MoreEscaping the city on the ski slopes of Abruzzo
My kids had a week of school vacation in February and they wanted to go skiing, and I was happy to exchange the office for the ski slopes for one glorious week. There’s something special about escaping the city to take temporary residence in the mountains. Our mountain escape of Ovindoli, in the region of…
Read MoreThe Eternal City blanketed in white
I first began this blog post in 2012 and one of my first posts was about Roman snow, namely, an unusual snowstorm that hit the Italian capital and shut down the schools for two days. Six years later, white powder has fallen on the Eternal City once again, and these Roman school snow days seem…
Read MoreReason #5387 to love Rome: Il Mercato Centrale
This was a great addition to Rome’s Termini train station, in the center of Rome. Following a similar outlet in Florence, Rome’s Mercato centrale opened less than two years ago, and it is open daily from 8:00 am to midnight. It opened in the spectacular Cappa Mazzoniana within the Termini complex – and impressive space…
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