“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.” That? That tiny little table? That is where she penned those most famous of novelic opening lines? A true writer, I suppose, just needs three things – pen and paper and a flat surface… Read More Jane Austen had a sister – Jane Austen’s House Museum, Chawton, England
I have distinct memories of my dad chuckling while silently reading weathered copies of James Herriot’s writings. As an adult, on a one years stint back in Mozambique, I picked up those same copies of Herriot’s All Creatures Great and Small series and I read, for the first time, literature I could truly call exquisitely written and heartwarming. Literally.… Read More The World of James Herriot – Thirsk, Yorkshire, England
It was a dinosaur. There’s no other way to describe the gnashing, crushing jaws, and the swaying neck that toppled the wall into rubble and sent the roof collapsing. In minutes, smiling faces were buried under piles of Lisbon ceramic roof tiles, twisted rebar and mangled air conditioners. We were fascinated, pausing longer than intended… Read More A Demolition, and other forms of unplanned entertainment in Europe
In a place where grocery stores carry no less than five varieties of British cheddar and every village has at least one Indian restaurant, the Brits are no strangers to the Algarve, Portugal’s beach paradise. So it’s no surprise that when we stepped out the door this morning we couldn’t help overhearing conversations taking place… Read More BREXIT in the Algarve, Portugal
In Europe, bridges don’t look like they used to. Over the course of years, many famous bridges have become weighed down with excess metal in the form of padlocks. Tradition, hearsay and plain nonsense suggests that two lovers who fix a padlock to a bridge and throw the key in the river will seal their… Read More Commitment, Europe’s Bridges and How to Finally Free Your Toddler from the Curse of the Pacifier/Binkie/Dummy
This week finds us traversing Eastern Europe in our silver station wagon, keeping our eyes peeled for scenic potty stops, street food and playgrounds. On Monday we drove through southern Romania and crossed over the Danube River into Serbia. On the Michelin map, this route is highlighted in green, which signifies a scenic route. The… Read More The Danube River and Serbian playgrounds
Nestled in a wide valley in south, central Romania, Craiova surprises. One of the pleasures of settling in one place for a year is being able to observe change. One of those changes in Oltenia is the effort to develop Craiova’s downtown pedestrian district. Last year we strolled the downtown and saw ramshackle, historic facades… Read More Elevating the Arts – Craiova, Romania
