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London, England
Charles and I just returned from a quick jaunt to London. Oh, how I love that city, and for so many reasons. It’s urban, yet genteel. The streets are clean and the buildings are mostly low-rise, which provides a democratization of sky – whether blue or gray – for all to see and experience throughout the day. London is a true city, so there exists a hustle-and-bustle energy, but it’s a calmer, more courteous flurry, made even more civilized by…
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Lisbon, Portugal
Even before arriving, I knew I would love Lisbon. From what I’d read and the pictures I’d seen, it seemed like such a colorful and vibrant place. Plus, there have been many parallels drawn between Lisbon and San Francisco – my favorite U.S. city – like the undulating hills with beautiful views, the distinctive neighborhoods, each with its own unique character, and, of course, the big red suspension bridge crossing the bay (or the river, in Lisbon). So, after spending…
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Turin & the Langhe, Italy
On your first visit to Italy, it’s customary to start off with the “Grand Tour” – Venice, Florence, and Rome. For return visitors, you may want to see Milan and the lakes or Naples and Amalfi. If you should find yourself back in Italy for a third or fourth time, I highly recommend Turin, or Torino. I visited this vibrant city and the neighboring Langhe region in the fall of 2023 and was blown away by their beauty and authenticity…
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Amsterdam, Netherlands
Amsterdam had been on my travel shortlist for quite some time. In October of 2022, Charles and I were in London and tagged on a long weekend to visit the “Venice of the North,” as Amserdam is affectionately called due to its numerous scenic canals. I was hoping for a love affair, but the charm and allure receded after the first day – due in part to ADE, an annual electronic music festival that commandeered the city and had the…
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Madrid, Spain
Madrid is the first city in a long while that swept me off my feet. My inaugural visit was in May of 2022, and it was love at first sight. I wasn’t expecting to be so easily charmed, but the affable Madrileños, the beautiful buildings and squeaky clean streets, the abundance of green space, the distinctive cuisine – they all made it nearly impossible not to fall for Marid. This love story began – believe it or not – with…
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Varese, Italy
I had planned a day trip to Varese the last time I visited Lake Como in 2018, but with so much to see and do around the lake — not to mention the 90-minute drive it would take to get there — Charles and I never got around to it. Fast forward a year later, I made Varese a top priority on my solo trip to Northern Italy. Varese is a genteel city of 80,000 in a province that shares…
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Villa Carlotta & Chiesa di San Martino, Lake Como, Italy
In October of 2019 I did something a little different—I took a solo trip to Italy. By choice, I was between jobs and had some extra money stashed away, and decided to take advantage of this rare moment in my life by doing what I love most—traveling. I was away for 10 nights, during which I spent time on Lake Como with a day trip to Varese, then moved on to Bergamo with visits to Lake d’Iseo and Lake Garda,…
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Parliament & Great Market Hall, Budapest, Hungary
Here are some scenes from our last day in Budapest. In the morning we visited the Shoes on the Danube Bank memorial, a tribute to the 20,000 Jews who were dragged to the river edge by the pro-Nazi fascists in WWII, forced to take their shoes off, and then shot into the Danube. It’s gut-wrenching to think about—and quite disconcerting that the present-day Hungarian Prime Minister, Viktor Orbán, downplays these gruesome acts of hatred and terror. Next we made our…
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Jewish Quarter, Budapest, Hungary
I learned so much from Andrea Medgyesi, our guide from the Jewish Visitors’ Service of Budapest. She conducted an incredibly informative, contemplative, and thoughtful tour of the Jewish Quarter. A descendant of Holocaust survivors, Andrea provides a unique point of view as a local woman carrying the torch of Jewish history, culture, and religion from post-World War II through Hungary’s age of Communism and to the present day. Any Jewish person visiting Budapest should be required to take Andrea’s tour.…
