The Greek Islands and the Dalmatian Coast
Before I get to the topic of this blog, I have to write a short discourse on ‘cruising.’ My sister had wanted to go to the Greek Islands forever and the only logical way seemed to be on a cruise. Read More …
Attitude is Everything
I’ve been threatening to write this article ever since I started my blog but it seems especially relevant now (September 2017). As I mentioned in my most recent post, Flying Solo, I’m leaving for Italy September 21st and will Read More …
Flying solo
My love for travel I’m not sure what genetic mutation made me yearn to travel from the time I was in high school but I certainly didn’t pass it on to my daughter although it may have skipped a generation Read More …
Ostuni and the Puglia
This post will overlap somewhat with my Flying Solo post since my experience in this area came through a volunteer trip helping teach English in Ostuni. According to the travel guides, summer in the Puglia region of southern Italy is Read More …
Places to Eat
Restaurants, wine bars and other fun places Before I write about some of my favorite restaurants (plus a few places to avoid or that were disappointing) I want to talk about why I generally love the dining experience in France Read More …
Rome
This will be a fairly short article, at least for me. In 2016 my sister and I took a walking tour of Tuscany (see Thoughts on choosing a tour group, airline or place to stay, Montecatini Terme and Siena to St. Gimignano posts,) that Read More …
The Towns of Chianti
Bella Toscana The region of Tuscany (Toscana) has an amazing degree of diversity in terms of the landscapes and towns. From Lucca and Pisa in the northwest (see Lucca and the Garfagnana post) to Montalcino in the south (see Five Days in Read More …
Siena to St. Gimignano
The cities in this post—Siena, San Gimignano, Monteriggioni and Colle di Val d’Elsa—are within a relatively short distance of each other; e. g. 47 km from Siena to San Gimignano. If you’re staying in the Tuscan countryside, as we usually Read More …
Florence and Fiesole
It’s difficult to know where to start when writing about Florence (Firenze) and Fiesole. I fell in love with the city the first time I came, following a bike trip, and have returned 10 times since then. One of my Read More …
Cathedrals and Abbeys
Prologue I dedicate this article to my mother, Shirley Marguerite McNeil Wright, 1920 to 2009, who lived by the principle of leaving the world a better place. She was a staunch Methodist but loved going to the St. Cecilia Cathedral Read More …