October snow terrorized New England. Geese by the thousands are honking as they fly south, past my windows that face Lake Erie, which is turning a steely gray (see picture below). Lake Erie near Huron, Ohio Early November may be a little early for human flight, but this snow bird from Ohio, having turned the…
When choosing a hotel room for a short stay in one of Europe’s major travel destinations, location is always the key for me. Yes, I want a clean room in a friendly place. But I start with location, which, for a budget room, usually is near a train station or a subway stop. Some of the…
Among the occasional advantages of advancing age are the opportunities to return to special places, destinations with meanings from the past. I suspect that I look to see what has changed, and usually I have changed the most. In my first visit to Athens and the Acropolis, images from books, study, and expectations came alive for my…
Never give up the opportunity for a extra day in Paris. My work/play tour schedule ended on a Saturday afternoon, with no need to be in Frankfurt, Germany, before Monday. So, I grabbed an October Sunday in Paris for myself. No plans, no schedule. Rain would mean museums. Sun would dictate a long walk. On…
When I was growing up in Ohio, everyone in my family agreed that when our current life was over we all wanted to come back as dogs, but not just any dog, one of my aunt Marcia’s dogs. They lived that well – loved, cared for, and cuddled on the couch. Now I’ve found a new…
If you are vacationing on a Mediterranean cruise during the next few years, chances are your voyage will begin in Barcelona, Spain. Lucky you. Starting in summer 2011, Barcelona will be home to three of the half dozen largest cruise ships in the world, Norwegian’s new Epic, Carnival’s new Magic and Royal Caribbean’s Liberty of the…
I began my week with halibut and cod, but now I am on a salmon run. Salmon for dinner three nights in a row is reason enough to travel to the Northwest. My first salmon meal was a filet pan fried, fresh and juicy with veggies and rice, and a glass of local pinot gris, at…
Hood River, Oregon When you look over the wide Columbia River from Oregon toward Washington on the other side, you might conclude that the white caps on the waves that seem to be traveling west to east — left to right — are the result of a very heavy current. Well, there’s a heavy current,…
It seems I was the only person in the world who had never been to Powell’s City of Books in Portland, Oregon. Fixed that. Rummaged around Powell’s downtown store – as big as a city block — for more than hour. Got a bit lost in the maze of sections and floors that once held a parking garage.…