Travel
Sleep in a cave in Matera, Italy
If you read my blog, you’ll know I’ve raved about the Women’s Fiction Festival held each September in Matera, in Italy’s southern region of Basilicata. But I haven’t actually posted a travel piece about the town, which is well worth a visit. Since I am on my way to the annual conference later this week,…
Read MoreA layover in Belgrade, Serbia
Returning from a trip this past spring to beautiful Sarajevo, Bosnia, I had a ten-hour layover in Serbia’s capital. Having seen it on a short stop-over on the way over, I quickly realized that the Serbian airport really did not merit ten hours of my time on the return, so I was more happy to…
Read MoreThe Outer Banks, North Carolina
On a summer trip back to New York last year, my family and I wanted to get away for a relaxing beach holiday. We decided to go someplace we hadn’t been before and chose the Outer Banks, in northern North Carolina, someplace I’d always ‘meant to’ explore and hadn’t yet gotten around to doing. We…
Read MoreThe Blue Lagoon, Malta
Looking for a great place to while away a lazy afternoon swimming in clear Mediterranean waters? My Europe travel tip this week is to look no further than the stunning Blue Lagoon, just off the island of Malta. This is truly a splendid place to enjoy a day of sea and sun. The transparent turquoise…
Read MoreVienna’s Palmenhaus
Right in Vienna’s Burggarten, just between the Opera house and the Hofburg, is the stunning art deco Palmenhaus, a 19th century imperial greenhouse, which is now an ideal place to sit and relax while sipping a coffee or a glass of wine. Vienna’s Palmenhaus was originally built in 1822 as a greenhouse for the Hofburg…
Read MoreThe Intrepid – Visit New York’s aircraft carrier
New York City is home when we’re back in the States, and there’s certainly never a shortage of things to do. One a recent trip back to New York, we made a visit to the USS Intrepid, an aircraft carrier-museum docked permanently in New York’s Hudson River. The USS Intrepid had a long career spanning…
Read MoreReason #5358 to love Rome: Coffee with a view
What’s better than taking a short break from all your sightseeing on your trip to Rome? How about a little table in the sun where you can rest your legs, sip a cappuccino and enjoy the view. What if the view’s like this? Truthfully, the café is a little farther up the path, but you…
Read MorePlague art in Vienna
The plague devastated Europe between the 14th and early 18th centuries. It’s estimated that anywhere between a third to over half of Europe’s population died from what was called ‘the Black Death’. Despite the shocking death toll, the plague did lead to positive advances in science, health and urban planning and also left behind stunning…
Read MoreExploring Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
There are some destinations that simply strike me for their lovely, exotic names, destinations that roll effortlessly off the tongue: Timbuktu, Kathmandu, Samarkand … and Kuala Lumpur. I love to travel in Asia, but Malaysia was under my radar, until I went for a business trip and decided to tack on a few vacation days…
Read MoreSummer days in Ovindoli, Abruzzo
I’ve already written about one of my favorite winter weekend get-aways from Rome in Skiing in Ovindoli. But for those who love outdoor sports, the town in the Apennine Mountains is also an ideal summer destination. Ovindoli is about a one and a half hour drive east from Rome. It’s located in the region of…
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