St. Francis and I are kindred spirits. I was traveling through Europe with my dog Maya, her kennel, and an old-fashioned trunk. Visiting Assisi was a must. It was a chilly November evening. A lone …
December 29, 2012
Europe
A Visit to Assisi
Swank in Switzerland
Built in 1913, Switzerland’s Gstaad Palace is an icon of Old World charm. By the ‘50s the posh hotel was attracting an international jet set, playing host to singers like Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald. …
December 18, 2012
Helsingborg, Sweden
The city of Helsingborg, Sweden, is a lot more charming and laid back than you would imagine Sweden’s busiest fruit port, the place where Nicorette was invented and still made, and the headquarters for Ikea. …
December 17, 2012
Bulgaria in Translation
“Wind of Change” by the Scorpions was on Bulgarian radio again. I listened while staring out the window at Sofia’s graffiti-speckled buildings on the taxi ride back to my downtown apartment. The next song sounded …
December 14, 2012
Prague: A Vampire, a Sunset and an Electrocution
It was our second night in Prague, and the Old City shops were closing early and making me angry. Mark, my husband, and I were delayed by my dives into shops whose proprietors had not …
December 11, 2012
Stalled in Gan, Norway
I visited Norway for the first time this summer with my girlfriend Kat. The story starts in Gardermoen, Norway, with a man named Werner Hålien. We’d met Werner in San Diego through the hospitality exchange …
December 6, 2012
Why My Daughter's Middle Name is Vienna
When people find out that my daughter’s middle name is Vienna, the first question is inevitably some variation of, “Oooh, you didn’t name her after that mean chick from the Bachelor, did you??” So, no. …
November 30, 2012
Madrid: The City that Always Sleeps
For a city known for nightlife, Madrid's residents sure like to sleep. Don’t expect to accomplish much in the land in la mañana. I remember hearing stories during a city tour: it took city workers …
November 27, 2012
Gothenburg, Sweden
Gothenburg, Sweden, is the country’s second-largest city, and yet it’s not on most Americans' radar. It should be! It’s an important commercial port, Volvo’s headquarters, a college town, a gourmet food destination and a fashion …
November 16, 2012
Demre, Turkey: The Sea is Free
Before my sister, Stormy, began college at UCSD, I thought it imperative that she have an adventure. So for the summer, I flew her to Antalya, Turkey, where I had been living. For her 18th …
November 5, 2012
Shoestring Travel: Barcelona
After traveling all around southern Spain this past year, we figured it was finally time to give some love to northern Spain. We started with 3 days in Spain's Catelonian capital, Barcelona. The minute we …
November 3, 2012
Transylvania: A Dracula Tour
Transylvania, land of Dracula and part of the Austro-Hungarian empire for more than 1,000 years, is today in the isolated region of north-central Romania. It's been said that Transylvania sits on one of Earth's strongest …
Midnight at Greyfriars
For as long as I can remember, I have had a fascination with cemeteries – be it their peaceful, yet morbid exteriors or the fact that I'll probably wind up in one someday. I never …
October 30, 2012
Shoestring Travel: Milan, Italy
After traveling via train from Florence for two hours, we arrived safely in Milan. We were grateful that the city seemed much cooler than Italy's more southern cities we had recently visited. While Milan is …
October 26, 2012