“Marrakech teaches color.” – Yves Saint Laurent Marrakech is a “must” destination in my opinion. Nowhere else on earth really approximates such intense immersion into living culture and history. It can be overwhelming, especially on your first visit. Your senses (not least your sense of direction!) will be bombarded at every turn. So...
“I didn’t know I didn’t know that.” – Jennifer Cline And I burst into tears. Twelve of us were on a van in the Sacred Valley of Peru, eagerly and maybe nervously poised to disembark into the local food market. The plan was to gather supplies which we would later haul on foot and small pack horses to over 12,500 feet elevation for families and elderly residents...
Lima positively sprawls. It’s huge, and as in other gargantuan cities, it’s the eclectic neighborhoods that make the urban scale palatable. If you are headed to Machu Picchu or any other Peruvian destination, chances are you will have to stop through Lima for at least a night if you’re flying from the US. What’s your hurry? Slow down for a couple...
“Oh! Who can ever be tired of Bath!” – Jane Austen Just a short jaunt on the train from London lies the lovely Georgian hamlet of Bath: cream tea heaven, thermal spa extravaganza and Jane Austen/Bridgerton mecca (not equating these media, just their fans). It’s tempting to dip in (so sorry) for a quick visit, but it’s also nice to steep...
“You’re off to Great Places! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting, so… get on your way!” – Dr. Seuss Full disclosure: I am a complete sea-level loving altitude wimp. At about 3,000 feet I start whining about all sorts of imagined ailments, and it goes downhill (actually uphill) from there. I generally shy away from venturing above 5,000 feet, and...
“To be alone with yourself is to be in good company.” – Maya Angelou A friend recently mentioned that she is planning a solo trip to Europe, and while she is excited, she is also feeling a little trepidation about how her experience will be by herself. As much as I love to travel, I can totally relate. I don’t think anyone who knew me as a twenty something would have...
“Scars can come in handy. I have one myself above my left knee that is a perfect map of the London Underground.”― Albus Dumbledore London is so cosmopolitan and filled with fabulous things to observe, eat, climb, read, tour, photograph, float upon, learn about, shop for, and feed to your inner anglophile monster (wait that’s me though). This is my...
“A wise bear always keeps a marmalade sandwich in his hat in case of emergency.” Paddington Bear I compiled this list for my nephew’s debut visit to London later this Spring, and it includes many of our favorite spots across the central part of the city. Am I missing anything? OF COURSE I am!! The London food scene these days is dynamic, diverse and ever...
“Thanks to the Jolabokaflod, books still matter in Iceland. They get read and talked about. Excitement fills the air. Every reading is crowded. Every print run is sold.” Hallgrimur Helgason As I book lover I am completely enchanted by the concept of Jolabokaflod, the Icelandic tradition of exchanging and reading books on Christmas eve. The word translates...
“I have fantasies of going to Iceland, never to return.” – Edward Gorey Majestic volcanoes tower over sheer cliffs and steaming foothills sweep down to the churning frozen sea. Swaths of purple lupine frame impossible waterfalls which resolve into roiling azure rivers of pure glacial melt. Any sense of scale is gleaned intermittently from tiny red...