Italy: Of escalators and elevators
In my 2018 holiday letter to friends, I described my funniest travel experience for the year as follows: <<I visited Assisi in Italy and its Basilica of St. Francis. A sign at the basilica entry said, “no photos,” so tourists were sneaking shots like crazy. Near the altar, I watched
Washington state: Finding ‘America’s Provence’
It was dumb luck that, this year, my sister and I alighted in Washington state right at peak season for the lavender crop. Lavender? When we started planning our trip, we had no idea lavender was a “thing” in Washington state. But it is, specifically in the Sequim-Dungeness Valley on
Germany: A bird’s-eye view
Hamburg boasts an exotic new concert facility, opened in early 2017. It is a huge modern glass structure that sits atop a former warehouse. It is popularly known as the “wave” because its roofline is indeed wavy. And this wave-sitting-on-a-warehouse is perched right at water’s edge in Hamburg’s harbor, on
England: Seeing America (and a queen) in London
The following is a blog I wrote for another site in 2012. Except for the sighting of the queen, which I could not have planned, everything in the narrative below remains valid for a visitor today. # # # I went to London to visit friends, but I cannot be
Sicily: Taking the wheel
Two friends and I, during a driving trip to Sicily, visited Taormina on the island’s northeastern coast. The severely perched Taormina is approached via roads (good roads, BTW) that swirl and sweep in daring arcs as one climbs into town. Dramatic view from the perched Taormina takes in parts
Sicily: The mosaics of Monreale
One of the top tourist attractions in Palermo, Sicily, isn’t in town. It is the suburban UNESCO-protected Monreale Cathedral, a medieval structure boasting interior walls literally encrusted with mosaics and a lot of gold. I had to see it. On arrival in Palermo, my hotel’s manager, Giuseppe, recommended restaurants (it
Mexico: Ajijic and its paint jobs
When I arrived at the Santiago, Chile, airport nearly a year ago, I was witness to a scam. Men with fake IDs claimed to be cab drivers, led arriving passengers to their cars and charged two to three times the normal fare to downtown Santiago. Officials from TurismoChile and the
Sicily: Medieval Erice
Sicily’s hilltop town of Erice is one of those places that has retained much of its medieval appearance, plus it has great views of Sicilian farmland, hills and the sea off Sicily’s western coast. Besides, it offers charming hotel choices and numerous restaurants with good food. The hilltop Erice
Shanghai: Sky-high views, Art Deco dining
My recent all-too-short (one day) visit to Shanghai focused on the oldest section of the city in the morning, then shifted to the modern in the afternoon. I was traveling with a group of U.S.-based travel sellers who had participated in an industry conference in nearby Suzhou. This was our
Shanghai: Revisiting Old Town
This is about a one-day visit to Shanghai, an ambitious undertaking in a city of 24 million to 25 million. But one can do quite a lot on a well-planned itinerary. I had attended a travel trade conference in nearby Suzhou, after which the Shanghai Tourism Bureau hosted conference delegates
Portsmouth, N.H.: Beyond Strawbery Banke
During a day visit to Portsmouth, N.H., this July, my sister and I spent an enlightening two hours at the Strawbery Banke Museum, an outdoor facility right in the heart of town. But we wanted to see more of the city. One of America’s oldest cities, dating from 1623, Portsmouth
Portsmouth, N.H.: About Strawbery Banke
When we were kids, Mom taught my sister Marilyn and me to sew. But weaving? It wasn’t relevant. Fast forward to 2017 and, this summer, I had my first experience at a loom. In other circumstances, I think I could get good enough to make decent-looking towels, or something, but
Chile: Riding across a high-altitude desert
I remember when I last rode a horse — it was more than 10 years ago. In other words, I am an almost-novice on horseback, but my 2017 trip to the Atacama Desert included a half-day outing sitting a horse. The horse and I were traversing a unique environment. The
At sea: Sailing into the dream
A used sailboat costs about as much as a used car. It won’t be new, and it may be a long-term project, but you can sail into the dream for less than $20,000. Our dream turned out to be a 1982 Catalina, a 27-foot sloop with a cranky inboard Atomic
The Yellowstone ecosystem and grizzly bears
The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem is home to an estimated 700 grizzly bears, according to the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS). The number of bears in this ecosystem (which includes Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks) had fallen to an estimated 136 when, in 1975, grizzlies in the lower
France: Of kings and champagne
Twenty-five French kings were crowned in Reims. These crowned heads included Charles VII with Joan of Arc at his side in 1429. The city’s cathedral, a gothic confection built between the 13th and 15th centuries, was the setting for 19 of those coronations; a stone on its floor identifies its
My 50th state: North Dakota
As of this summer (2016), I have been in all 50 U.S. states. My sister and I treated ourselves to a driving trip to the last two on my list — North and South Dakota. We spent most of our time in South Dakota, with a special interest in the
Croatia: Cilipi revisited — twice
Over a period of decades, I have made three side trips, from Dubrovnik, to the village of Cilipi in Croatia. In 1976, I was one of a handful of press accompanying the American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA) to a meeting held in Dubrovnik. Some of the agents and press
Spain: The annual Manresa fest
This year’s report on the Fira Mediterrània de Manresa finds me once again trying to capture the torrent of events and concerts that make up this citywide festival. I previously focused more on the concerts, but this time around, I decided to cover a bit more of the culinary and
Georgia: Black wine, polyphonic sounds
Some travel experiences leave a warm glow long after the event, and an evening spent in Georgian wine country last fall is in that category. The setting was a cozy restaurant in a hill town named Sighnaghi, and the after-dark hours spent there involved dinner, a wine tasting and an
