Sitting at a café in San Diego, slowly, carefully touching my lips to the rich espresso macchiatto every few minutes, I had no book, magazine or screen to demand my attention. I just sat, sipped, watched and thought ‘this is okay’. Dare I say good? A few hours later as I ate a grilled chicken gruyère panini… Read More Traveling unwired and unfettered – Ohrid, Macedonia
When I first visited Mozambique Island fifteen or so years ago, the colonial Portuguese Saint Sebastian fort contained piles of rusting cannonballs interspersed with patches of weeds. The coffins in the small chapel at the water’s edge still contained bones. The lid of one of the coffins was partially removed and we spotted a femur.… Read More Acoustics can’t be plundered – Mozambique Island, Mozambique
Last week I had the privilege of being interviewed by Elise of Global From Home. I’m continually encouraged by her frequent posts reminding me that I can have an international mindset and be open to other cultures even if I’m unable to travel as often as I’d like. What does being global from home mean?… Read More Philosophy of Travel – an interview
We had the opportunity to visit Scotland one summer while some relatives were working in Inverness. It was June and the weather was as expected – wet and overcast. Scotland is beautifully green thanks to this constant moisture. We went prepared with jackets and jeans and umbrellas. And the Scots were exceedingly gracious. “We’re so… Read More Scotland – apologizing for things as they are
Sebastian Smee recently published an article in the Boston Globe describing a recent 3-week excursion to Greece with three generations of family ranging from 4 to 68-years-old. All I’ve been hearing about Greece lately relates to financial crisis, public demonstrations and even tear gas in Syntagma Square. Although the future is uncertain for Greece, for… Read More Civil unrest, financial crisis and natural disasters all mean one thing – prime time to visit!
As all parents who leave the confines of their home with their toddlers are well aware, adequate facilities are not always available for taking care of necessities. Many a parent can relate an experience where they were forced to change a diaper with the baby squirming on their quads, squat-leaning against a bathroom wall. … Read More Miraculous provision in Pompeii
My husband and I recently had a discussion concerning which places we lived or visited that impacted us the most. How do you know how if a trip has “changed your life” or at least deeply influenced your beliefs, choices or lifestyle? Morocco was at the top of my list for “most influential trip.” After… Read More Highly edible and life-changing
Traveling alone, on a night train, in 2005, from Frankfurt to Copenhagen, tired after a long flight, with the cabin to myself, I sprawled across three seats and slept. In the early morning, somewhere in northern Germany, a man joined me in my cabin. After some small chit chat, I fell back asleep. When I… Read More and some to share.
I have mixed feelings about the side of the road. When I was a kid, road tripping through remote areas of Mozambique, the side of the road was where the land mines were. Sometimes there were signs – “Perigo Minas!” Sometimes there were trenches and yellow tape marking areas where a de-mining operation was… Read More the side of the road
Sometimes we pay a lot of money to fly across the globe and immerse ourselves in the culture of a developing country, and perhaps even invest ourselves in some good cause while visiting. Then, we spend a lot of money – again – to fly back home to our cozy house and romanticize the memories… Read More The Global South at my door
