Europe Travel
The Long Way to Sarajevo
She pretended to shoot me, the woman in the front seat of the car. She turned, eyes blue and hair white, cupping her arms with an imaginary machine gun. Pfoo, she said, jerking her arms in recoil. Pfoo, pfoo. I had told her I was born in 1992, when the siege of Sarajevo began. She […]
Top 11 Things to Do In Istanbul
Finding the top things to do in Istanbul isn’t all that difficult since this is one of the great cities to visit in the world. If anything, the challenge is narrowing down which of the top things to do in Istanbul you can fit in depending on how much time you have there. With thousands […]
In Search of the Origin of “Silent Night”
Silent nights are an uncommon occurrence in The Big Apple, but on a frosty evening in late November, a group of people are gathered at a Colonial-Era churchyard cemetery on the grounds of New York City’s Trinity Church. There’s a nip in the air, but it has zero effect on the feeling of warmth and […]
10 Things to Do in Barcelona in the Winter
Are you looking for things to do in Barcelona this winter? You may think of Barcelona as a summer destination, but except for the beach, the city doesn’t change much between seasons. In fact, the offseason in the Catalan capital has its own unique appeal. In the winter months, the tourist hordes go home and […]
In the Car with Kinga
The Transfăgărășan Road is the most famous road in Romania. Its twists and turns over the Carpathian Mountains are legendary and it is often dubbed the greatest road to drive on in the world. Tons of car commercials have been shot on it. I was standing somewhere near the bottom, staring at a closed sign. […]
Lost in Bosnia
A friend once said to me, “You’ve traveled so much, I bet you don’t even know how many countries you’ve visited.” I shrugged and pretended she was right. But I knew. I knew exactly. As I suspect is the case with many other compulsive tourists, I keep a list of the countries I’ve entered. I […]
Sailing the Greek Islands (Yoga, Hiking and Wine Included)
As our boat sailed out of the ancient Greek island harbor of Kos, our group of 10, mostly strangers, sat in a circle around a long, wooden table, studying a map spread out before us depicting the Dodecanese, the group of islands clustered together in the southeastern Aegean Sea. Our tour guide for the trip, […]
Iceland’s Everyday Magic Realism
Craggy black stone towers loomed over the black sand and stone beach. A silky mist floated between the structures silhouetted ethereally from the sun. They seemed close, but with each step, our feet sunk uncomfortably into the smooth stones. My muscles clenched as I released my foot from the stony grip. It’s as if someone, […]
Lessons Learned Having Lunch With The World’s Most Famous Butcher
As I parked my car, my belly began to rumble. I hadn’t eaten anything since Friday afternoon, almost 24 hours before. No need to waste stomach space when you’re going to visit the world’s most famous butcher, after all. I was in the small, hilltop village of Panzano in Chianti, in the scenic countryside between […]
Naked On The Loveliest Beach In The World
Steep, narrow and lacking guardrails, the crumbling cement road to Myrtiotissa Beach, Greece, appears to be headed over a cliff, and my husband, two young daughters and I along with it. Leaving the car parked slantwise along the shoulder, we continue on foot, the trill of cicadas rising and falling in the dusty summer heat. […]