Posts Tagged ‘Europe’
Art, architecture and sport in Tuscany’s Grosseto
We had a great weekend at the end of July in the Tuscan town of Grosseto. It was my first time there, but I enjoyed the old town (even because, on a Saturday at around 2 pm, the hottest hour of the day), we had it almost to ourselves… Grosseto is a small city of…
Read MoreSoaking in the atmosphere in Prague’s cafés
Prague, like so many of Central European cities, has a vibrant café culture. If you’re visiting the Czech capital, you definitely need to set aside some time to visit the storied art deco cafés. A café in which I used to spend a lot of time is Prague’s spectacular Obecní dům. Back then, it was…
Read More(More) Real life locations of my stories … in Bosnia
I had fun taking photos of my newest short story collection, Drink Wine and Be Beautiful, in some of the locations I write about in my book. You can find some of those Roman and Abruzzo locations and corresponding passages of my stories here. Because thoughts of travel are never far from my mind when…
Read MoreTraces of the past in the Roman countryside
One of the (many) things I love about Italy are the brushes with the past no matter where you go. We came upon the remnants of this Ancient Roman aqueduct in the fields between Tivoli and Castel Madama. Even though you see these all the time, it never fails to put me in a good…
Read MoreOne night in Tolentino, Marche
It wouldn’t be summer for me without a healthy does of Track Tourism… Yes, it’s true I’m driving my son all over the Italian peninssula for his track races. But it’s Italy, so I’m always discovering new (beautiful) places. The latest discovery for me was the inland town in Italy’s Marche region – Tolentino. Almost…
Read MoreA surprise visit to Avellino
Because of his qualifying time in a track event, my son was asked to compete in an invite-only race in Aventino, in Italy’s Campania region. It’s about a three-hour drive south of Rome, and I decided to take the day off and accompany him there. I was excited to see him run, and to hopefully…
Read MoreA garden of one’s own
With a nod to Virginia Woolf, a woman who writes may need a room of her own … but a lovely English garden will also do quite nicely… I coveted this garden daily during my time in Durham, England. While there for the Historic Novel Society meeting this past September, I was staying in a…
Read MoreViews from Prague’s Charles Bridge
No visit to Prague is complete without crossing the famous Charles Bridge (Karlův most) – as one can see from the (seemingly) Times Square-level of tourists passing by it each day. Nevertheless, it’s a must on any trip, and truly is picturesque in all weather conditions. I still have memories of living here years ago…
Read MoreExploring seaside Salerno
Earlier this spring, my younger son had a track race in seaside Salerno. Salerno is a small city in Italy’s Campania region, south of Naples and directly south of the beautiful Amalfi coast. This was my first visit to Salerno, and I was really pleased to have “discovered” this pretty town. It was pleasant –…
Read MoreFirst beach outing of the season – in Sperlonga
This spring has been odd. As my younger son, whose memory is far better than mine, reminds me, this spring is apparently like the spring of 2019. All rain and grey weather until almost June. This is unusual in Rome, but this was definitely the case this spring. That’s why I was so excited to…
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