Travel
2019 European Culture capitals – Matera and Plovdiv
Two European cities or towns are selected by the European Commission each year to serve as European culture capitals. Two cities I’ve visited and enjoyed have just been named as 2019’s culture capitals. The first is the beautiful Bulgarian city of Plovdiv, the first ever European culture capital in Bulgaria. I already posted about this…
Read MoreHiking and relaxation at Taiwan’s Silk Place Taroko Hotel
I already wrote about the great vacation I had last year in Taiwan. My earlier posts talked about highlights in Taipei, Taipei’s Palace Museum, and visiting Taiwan’s highest skyscraper, Taipei 101. But we also loved our time on Taiwan’s eastern coast, hiking in the beautful Taroko Gorge. And part of the fun of our time…
Read MoreReason #5377 to love Rome: Rome wasn’t (re)built in a day…
I’ve lived in Rome for the past (gulp!) fifteen years. Not surprisingly, as soon as I landed here, I insisted on living near the Colosseum. We Americans are always fascinated by European history. We grew up going on tours where we’re told something is ‘really old’ if it was built 100 years ago, so imagine…
Read MoreSkopje’s old town – Čaršija
Skopje, the capital of Macedonia, is an interesting city to explore. One of the first things you’re bound to notice in this Balkan city is the building spree going on in the New Town. I could be forgiven for having thought I’d been transported to Ancient Rome, pummeled by towering monuments, statues and fountains at…
Read MoreCool down in Central Park’s Lasker pool
For those of you have visited New York in the summer, you’ll know that summer in the city can get awfully hot. The (illegal) way kids used to cool down was to tamper with the fire hydrants. Luckily, that practice is long gone, and children’s playgrounds now offer water park areas. My kids are always…
Read MoreRush hour traffic jam…in Wyoming
This summer I was out in the western United States, enjoying the beauty of Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone National Park. Part of the fun of these vacations is unplugging entirely from the hectic pace of daily life, and-in my case-the chaos of the city in which I live, Rome. Nothing says “Slow down”…
Read MoreLake views, grand hotels, and jazz in Montreux, Switzerland
I’ve already written about how I was able to explore around Lake Geneva this past summer while dropping off and picking up my son from camp in beautiful Leysin, Switzerland . One of the places I visited with my son was beautiful, lakeside Montreux. Montreux is wonderfully picturesque, with its stately grand hotels and idyllic…
Read MoreTake me out to the ball game…in Washington, D.C.
What’s an American mom raising soccer-crazed boys in Italy to do? I grew up loving baseball, always thrilled when my dad took me to see the Red Sox play when I was a kid growing up in Boston. I religiously filled in my scorecard, followed the cheers, thrilled when a home run sailed high over the…
Read MoreReason #5376 to love Rome: Volpetti delicatessen
If you’re visiting Rome and doing it right, there is no reason you should be feeling hungry between meals. Nevertheless, to be fully versed in Rome’s food culture, no visit to the Eternal City is complete without a stop at Volpetti, on Via Marmorata in the Testaccio neighborhood. Be sure to stop in and have…
Read MoreThree A-list towns in Provence: Avignon, Arles, and Aix
Provence’s interior has so many lovely hill towns, and stunning nature, that visitors are forgiven for not wanting to jeopardize a tranquil holiday with the hustle and bustle of larger towns. Yet the following three towns make the A-list of any planned visit to Provence – there’s simply no excuse not to visit Avignon, Arles, and…
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