Europe
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Magical Monti Alburni
One of the many reasons I love travel is the fact that it brings people together with common connections. While I was working in Berlin this year I was introduced to Sascha Mollering and found that we both recently each had wonderful trips to Southern Italy. I invited him to share his experience to Monti Alburni, an Italian mountain range in the province of Salerno, and his “day trip from the wondrous heart of a mountain to its very top”… To be honest, it sounds a lot more laborious than it actually was; most of the time we used a car. The Monti Alburni is a mountain range sometimes referred…
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Snapshot Sunday: Rainy day in Berlin
It was a damp, dreary day here in Berlin, we have been lucky with Mother Nature recently and have had very few days without sunshine. Watching the children having fun on this cloudy afternoon I’m quickly reminded not to let the gray day stop you from looking up and chasing the bubbles.
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Our Colossal Afternoon: One Day in Rome
We stood on the uneven stone, swaying slightly as we squinted at the menu on the wall next to the front door of the sandwich shop. Walking here is an art form, the streets are charming but deadly and even standing evenly seems to be a challenge. You watch beautiful Italian women in heels gracefully saunter past tourists who wobble like newborns wearing some type of hideous walking shoe. As I turned, the looks on our faces were obvious, it wasn’t our first choice but we were hungry and time was not on our side this afternoon. We had a City Wonders tour that was not to miss and the…
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Uncovering Ancient Secrets: An Italian Walking Tour & Visiting Pompeii
An affluent city with interesting smells, erotic art, gossipy bath houses and a fight so raucous the gladiator games were banned for a decade. Where is this scandalous city? It was covered in ash for thousands of years and excavated in the late 1700’s for its secrets to be revealed. Pompeii may be the world’s most preserved ancient city but I’d argue it to be the most interesting. Get all of the dirt we uncovered on our Walks of Italy tour in this Pompeii Exposé. Visiting Pompeii Still quietly watching and waiting in the background of the ancient ruins of Pompeii is Mt. Vesuvius, the only active volcano in mainland…
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Snapshot Sunday: Dubrovnik and the Dalmation Coast
The medieval walled city of Dubrovnik. One of the great old fortifications of it’s day, Dubrovnik has an old world charm that is best experienced walking along the tops of the massive stone walls that protect the smoldering orange tiled roofs and houses within it’s fortress. War in the late 1990’s destroyed this beautiful roof scape so the city along with the help of UNESCO worked tirelessly to restore this view back to it’s original glory. The town is so well preserved it’s as if you are strolling through a movie set.
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Snapshot Sunday: Italian Love Affair
Italy has done it again. I’ve been here several times throughout the past few years and each time I return I fall harder than the last. Charismatic locals, stunning architecture and out of this world cuisine, not to mention the country just oozes romance. It’s that killer combination making it tougher to walk away with every visit.
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Storybook Sintra, a Palace in Portugal
The palace that was a creation of King Ferdinand II is like a fairytale upon a hill which is fitting because Sinta, the small town below, is like that out of a storybook. I decided to walk up through the park but the climb was much steeper than I had anticipated. Note: wearing a dress and sandals may not be appropriate attire for hiking about in the forest. My strenuous work in improper clothing paid off however, because as I ascended, this bright, fanciful building popped through the tree line. I was alone in the wilderness and it was as if I had just stepped into a fable and uncovered…
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The Perfect Paella: A Spanish Cooking Class in Barcelona
The smell of freshly chopped herbs on the cutting board, warm steam billowing from something simmering on the stove top. Like a choreographed dance the hosts move around the kitchen, hands stretching for ingredients, stepping from one task to another while the others mill around the room with wine glasses in hand, chatting, with the sound of music whispering in the background. It’s scenes like this that seem to always make for a perfect evening, an authentic Spanish cooking class. Finding A Spanish Cooking Class It’s one of the things I miss most since being nomadic. You can’t entertain and prepare a phenomenal meal when you don’t have a kitchen,…
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Barcelona: La Diada de Sant Jordi
And here I thought the streets of Barcelona couldn’t get any prettier… then April 23rd comes along. Sant Jordi, or the Day of Saint George is a holiday much like Valentine’s Day in the US. The story is that St. George slayed the dragon to save a princess and after killing the beast he handed the maiden a single rose. The men of Barcelona stop at stalls located all over the city purchasing stems for significant others, family and friends which tallies up to about 6 million roses sold in one day. Women return the favor by giving their sweethearts a book. So, what’s the connection with literature? April 23rd…
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Walk a mile in my shoes: Hiking in Kythira
It’s no secret that Kythira is one of my favorite islands in Greece, I was spoiled by the delicious food and slow paced lifestyle but most of all the gorgeous scenery. Legend goes that Aphrodite was born here and so it’s only natural that the landscape would be matched by her striking beauty. Bipedal is best on this island, it’s as if it was made for a long walk. The size is small compared to the larger, more touristy islands and it’s terrain is far from a boring, narrow dirt path making for a true adventure each time you step outside your door. I had arrived in November, all of…
