Allies: According to Herodotus “Just how much are you worth?” Xerxes asks Pythius, reputedly the richest man in Lydia, at the entertainment Pythius was holding in his palace for Xerxes and his chiefs of staff. …
Europe
Europe
A poem by C.K. Williams
Lyon, France: a city of sights, not just food
If Paris has its Seine dividing the city into Left and Right Banks, Lyon, France’s third largest city, is wedged in by two great rivers – the Rhône and Saône. From Paris, it’s a short …
June 26, 2022
A Canadian Swede surfs La Jolla Shores
Are you a Local? No, I’m from Sweden but I live in Canada. How long have you been surfing? This is my 4th time surfing. I went to Portugal in 2019 and I did my …
May 3, 2022
Os Almendres: Portugal's Stonehenge
In Portugal’s southern Alentejo province, near the town of Evora, in the incongruous midst of a vast cork plantation, stands Portugal’s Stonehenge. It is called Os Almendres. Around 6,000 years ago, for no obvious reason, …
March 20, 2022
Visit the ancient clifftop hotel named after Queen Calafia
Oh no! “Rosy! Rápido, por favor!” Rosy whips around. She makes a wild grab at the gull as he’s about fly over the cliff with my Bistro Burger. The wooden rail keeps her from launching …
“When the world is full of butterflies and sunshine again”
“I started performing music in public during my high school years and had a successful band in Cleveland, Ohio back in the 1970s called Buckeye Biscuit,” says light classical jazz guitarist Ron Franklin. “We’re mentioned …
Nora Vargas attackers under sex harassment shadows
Hit piece late fees In what appears to be a much-belated post-election payoff, two Los Angeles-area Democrats forced from office amid sexual harassment scandals came up with big money in 2021 for a 2020 campaign …
Victor Baker’s milestone guitar
Victor Baker knows guitars. For one thing, he’s been playing them professionally for years. For another, back in the late ‘90s, he decided to start building them as well. “I was teaching a ton of …
January 20, 2022
The road to Cádiz, Spain
Sometimes an adventure shifts your perspective and uproots your priorities. For me, that adventure was a road trip through Portugal and Spain in September. The story begins in Lisbon, Portugal: My friends picked up me …
February 2, 2020
Portugal’s Atlantic Coast: rich history meets seaside serenity
Portugal has a long, rich history that colors everything from its language, food and architecture. It was settled by homo sapiens 35,000 years ago and retains traces of a non–Indo European language and even DNA. …
October 25, 2019
Ancient Wroclaw, Poland
I visited Wroclaw, Poland, during an interesting time in history: it was the 100th anniversary of Poland’s independence, the 100th anniversary of the Armistice and the 80th anniversary of Kristallnacht. As for Wroclaw itself, it …
May 11, 2019
Reykjavik: less like a tourist, more like a local
Though it was not my first time in Iceland, it was my first time single and, for most of the time, without any travel companion. It turned out to be a fine thing. You can …
February 24, 2019
Paris and back again
After a couple cups of vino and an 11-hour flight, we land just outside Paris. Yael and I head out to catch the RER Train into the city center. It's about 10 euros each, and …
December 30, 2018
Get lost in Marseilles, France's second city
Marseille has never gotten its due as a vacation destination. Most people traveling to southern France pass through Marseille’s airport and move directly on to the more pristine and tony Provencal destinations, such as Aix-en-Provence …
August 5, 2018
Lisbon for foodies and history buffs
Last summer, I visited Portugal to witness one of my closest friends get married. It was a short, whirlwind trip that I will never forget. I promised myself that I would return in 2018; here …
April 29, 2018