Posts Tagged ‘Europe’
Bad propaganda and Trabis at Berlin’s DDR Museum
I was in Berlin last month with my family. My son had prepared his Middle School exam on Berlin after World War II: the end of the war, the four Allied zones,the rise of the Soviet zone, the Berlin airdrops, the building of the Wall, the DDR, the fall of the Wall and reunification, and…
Read MoreMore than steel in Piombino, Tuscany
When my husband and I went to the Tuscan island of Elba a couple of years ago for a wedding (see my earlier post about Napoleon’s former Empire), we took the ferry over from the town of Piombino, a small town on the Tyrrhenian Sea of the Mediterranean. This area has been inhabited ever since…
Read MoreSprinting around the aqueducts of Rome’s Tor Fiscale Park
It’s great raising your kids in another culture and enjoying the differences in their upbringing. I reflect on this a lot as I take my younger son, a track and field and cross-country athlete, to his competitions. For his weekly workouts, he trains, arguably (for others, clearly not for me), at the most beautiful stadium…
Read MoreViews from the top of Berlin’s Television Tower
I love to travel, and whenever I go to a city it’s only a matter of time until I find its highest point. I generally try to make this visit early on so I can see the layout of a city clearly. It helps me when I’m exploring by foot later on. So on a…
Read MoreGetting into the holiday spirit in Berlin
Those who know me or who follow my blog know what a hopeless Italophile I am, with a ridiculous soft spot for my ‘hometown’: Rome. BUT, there’s one time of year when Rome disappoints me, and that’s the Christmas season. It’s not that there aren’t beautiful Nativity scenes in the churches – the traditional Christmas…
Read MoreEnjoying the season at the Weihnachtstmarkt in Berlin
Earlier this month I was in Berlin for a weekend with my family. Berlin has become somewhat a city of family lore because some years ago, we missed a flight to Berlin for a similar weekend, albeit in springtime. When I booked those tickets, the airline was scheduled to fly from one Roman airport, and…
Read MoreCoffee and people-watching in Prague’s Obecní dům cafe
I moved to Prague right after graduating from university – ions ago. I used to work as a journalist and between interviews and my shifts at the radio and television stations where I worked, I used to come to this fabulous cafe and write up my stories, slowly nursing a coffee and admiring the faded splendor…
Read MoreArt deco (Jugendstil) architecture in Bad Gastein, Austria
I used to live in Vienna and neighboring Prague, and this is an architectural style I adore. Jugenstil, art deco, art nouveau, Secessionsstil — it goes by many names. The Alpine spa town and watering hole of Bad Gastein, in Austria’s Salzburg province has some fine examples. I’ve already written about the historic Hotel de…
Read MoreMountain biking & fall foliage in Abruzzo
I often find myself missing home when the autumn months roll around. As much as I love Rome, there is no transition between the seasons in the Eternal City, no colorful fall foliage. This is why I enjoy visiting nearby Abruzzo during these months, to enjoy the sights, smells and climate of the autumns I miss.…
Read MoreThe historic Hotel De l’Europe Gastein, Bad Gastein, Austria
The art nouveau architecture of the former Grand Hotel de l’Europe in Bad Gastein, an Alpine town in Salzburg province of Austria, hints at its former glory. The grand hotel was built between 1906 and 1909 and once hosted kings, kaisers, heads of state and celebrities who came to this Alpine town for its gorgeous…
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