T̶w̶o̶ One p̶e̶r̶p̶e̶t̶u̶a̶l̶ ̶e̶x̶p̶a̶t̶s̶ immigrant settling into home country number five.
So I’ve decided to give up my professional blogs Europe String and Veggie Chic at the end of May. I’ve enjoyed writing for them, but I feel it’s time for me to move on. Thought I’d mention it here in case any readers are interested in taking over… b5media is looking for replacement bloggers for … Read more
After Rome, we rented a car and headed north to Niki de Saint Phalle’s Tarot Garden (a definite highlight) and then continued on to Tuscany. While I’d been to Siena and Florence before, this was actually my first time out into the small hill towns of Tuscany. Now that I’ve had a taste, I can’t … Read more
We had no specific goals for our 1.5 days in Rome, except to eat well and relax. My last several trips to Rome were on business, so it was nice to reestablish this city as a place of leisure. There wasn’t any advanced planning involved beyond the hotel. It was nice. Especially the food. All … Read more
I better get blogging about the details of our Italy trip before I start to forget them… Let me preface this post by saying that I know Italy well. I’ve spent approximately two and a half years in the country. Since moving away in 2005, I’ve gone back many times. But still, my perspective is … Read more
A couple days ago we discovered three burnt-out cars in our neighborhood. Other passersby were taking pictures, too (usually in these situations, I’m the only one with a camera out). Perhaps they were set on fire as part of the May 1st demonstrations? I wasn’t here that day, and I can’t seem to find any … Read more
After suffering through the ridiculously smoky bars and restaurants of Zurich for two years, we were delighted to learn that Bavaria was planning to go smoke-free a few days before our arrival in January. Hooray for going out without coming home smelling like an ashtray! Our initial excitement is wearing thin, though, given the number … Read more
Who knew Munich had so many festivals without ‘Oktober’ in the name? Today we hit the modestly-sized Auer Dult, a festival and market which takes place three times per year at Mariahilfplatz, a big square in the neighborhood of Au. There were a couple of carnival rides and a whole lot of carnival food, and … Read more
Just got back from a quick trip to Amsterdam to celebrate Queen’s Day, an annual day of revelry, commerce, and orange-wearing all over the Netherlands. On the evening before Queen’s Day, DJs and bands play on stages set up all over the city until late in the night. Then the next morning, folks get up … Read more
Whee, what a fabulous week in Italy we had. Where to begin with the stories? Every meal could be the subject of its own post. We squeezed a ridiculous amount into our 8 days, from Rome to Tuscany to Venice, with a few other stops in between. Normally I wouldn’t advocate such a ridiculously quick … Read more
Yes, we’re in Tuscany. It sounds so trite – don’t a gazillion American tourists come here every second? But damn, this area is worth every dollar and drop of ink spent on it. My eyes and my taste buds are having the times of their lives. My little camera is way out of its league. … Read more