A couple of weeks ago I wrote a post on some of the national parks in Europe. In this post, one of the parks I featured was the Cinque Terre in Italy. This national park and UNESCO World Heritage site has made the news recently, unfortunately for some not so great news. The big news…
4 years ago, I landed in Turkey. Morocco had been the original destination, but with the Arab Spring taking hold in places like Tunisia and Egypt, Turkey felt safer. So, I landed in Istanbul with a friend and nothing planned beyond 4 nights in this city of East meets West. We really didn’t know exactly…
More love of the Val d’Orcia, Italy – this special region of Toscana that is definitely a favorite. Yesterday I drove to Sant’ Antimo, a church and abbey that dates back to the late 1100’s. It began to decay in the 15th century, but restoration began in the 1870’s. It’s a stunning place, simply decorated, yet…
As soon as we crossed the border I could feel it. Even on that speeding train I could tell. We were in Italy. Italia! The vibe was different. I sensed that crazy Italianness (I think I just made up a new word) in my bones. While I really love Switzerland (it’s beautiful), Italy has my…
Geneva is a lovely city perched on the shores of Lake Geneva on the border with France. Its population of just a little under half a million has an international flare to it, with many folks from other parts of the world due to the high concentration of world organizations being head quartered here. The…
Older than the Pyramids in Egypt. More ancient than Stonehenge in England. What am I referring to? The Brú na Bóinne area in County Meath, Ireland where ancient stone and grass covered mounds lead to mystical chambers. Sitting in the Boyne Valley, the sites of Newgrange, Knowth and Dowth are approximately 5000 years…
