Posts Tagged ‘Europe’
When in Paris … Shakespeare and Company
When a writer and avid reader finds herself in Paris, it is almost sacrilege not to pay a visit to Shakespeare and Company. It was also close to my hotel, so made for an easy trip. The original bookstore opened in Paris in 1919 (in a different location in the Left Bank) by Sylvia Beach.…
Read MoreGorgeous views from Bern’s Minster tower – Switzerland’s tallest cathedral spire
Last month, my husband and I were on a trip to Zurich. The weather was perfect, and we decided to take a daytrip by train to Switzerland’s capital – Bern. I’ve already written about our visit to the interesting Paul Klee Museum, built by Italian starchitect, Renzo Piano. We enjoyed the whole city, but one…
Read More110 years ago today – the devastating Pescina, Abruzzo earthquake
Today marks a very sad anniversary – the commemoration of the Pescina Earthquake that struck the region 110 years ago – in the early morning hours of 13 January 1915. Pescina is a small town in Abruzzo, and it was close to the epicenter. The little town of 6000 people lost an unbelieveable 5000 residents.…
Read MoreA night at the opera at Prague’s Narodni divadlo
I was back in Prague, Czch Republic, last year. I lived for almost three years in Prague many, many years ago, so it’s always a pleasure to get back. When I lived there, I often liked to visit Prague’s three opera houses to enjoy the performances. One of Prague’s opera houses, the Narodni divadlo (National…
Read MoreThirteen hours in Dublin
Earlier this month, I was traveling to Exeter, and my flight had a stop-over in Dublin. Since I always enjoy returning to Ireland’s capital, I was happy to have one night in Dublin, before returning to the airport for an early morning flight. Since I had so little time, I decided to stay centrally, and…
Read MoreEscaping the heat in the mountains of Abruzzo
After a fairly mild spring and summer, the heat has set in in Rome. So I was happy my younger son suggested a weekend escape to our favorite mountain hideaway, and we left for a weeekend in Ovindoli in Italy’s Abruzzo region. It’s an easy hour and a half trip from Rome, but its slower…
Read MoreWroclaw, Poland from up on high
The first thing I do whenever I visit any city new to me is discover the highest point so that I can ascend it and see the views from on high. In a modern Americam city, that will be a skyscraper. In European centers, that will generally be a medieval belltower. So when my husband…
Read MoreBack to those Prague cafés and restaurants
I was recently back in Prague for a couple of days, and took the opportunity to return to a few of my favorite cafés – and discovered some new restaurants serving Czech favorites. Obecni dum café in Starometska (Old Town) was one of my old hangouts, back when it was all dark, with red velvet…
Read MoreMozart in Venice…
I was in Venice this past February, during Carnival. As always when in Venice, the best part of the visit is to wander the winding streets around La Serenissima and to climb the countless bridges over picturesque canals. It was on one of these mapless wanderings on this last visit that we bumped into this…
Read MorePrague’s Clam-Gallas Palace
When I was last in Prague last spring, I was surprised to see that Prague’s Clam-Gallas Palace was open to the public for visits. Sadly, in the days I was there, it was undergoing some renovations and was not open to visitors. So when I returned this year, I made a point of going to…
Read More