Europe
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There’s Something about Tallinn
More Details: There’s Something about TallinnOn my way around the Baltic Sea with my family a couple of years ago, we stopped in the capital of Estonia: Tallinn. It was not a picture perfect June day weather-wise but, of course, we wanted to get off the ship and see the town. Tallinn is an old city in that part of…
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Photo of the Week – A Church on Rome’s Tiber Island
More Details: Photo of the Week – A Church on Rome’s Tiber IslandLast year during my one week in Rome, I did the usual when in cities as incredible as eternal Rome: walk, walk, and walk. Sometimes with a clear objective, sometimes just meandering and seeing what the walking will uncover. On this gray day, we found ourselves crossing the Ponte Cestio into Tiber Island as we…
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Photo of the Week – My Dear Paris
More Details: Photo of the Week – My Dear ParisA dozen years or so ago, I got to live in Paris. I did not get to choose where I lived during those six months as my employer took care of that. The place was nothing special EXCEPT for this one thing… The building had a rooftop terrace with a great view. I assume it…
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A Border Town in Moldova: Soroca
More Details: A Border Town in Moldova: SorocaWhen planning my trip to Moldova last year, I really did not have a good idea of what there was to see or do. I went with the recommendations proposed by a person I hired to show me around. I wrote about the very unique wineries I explored, about the churches and monasteries I visited,…
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Photo of the Week – Château of Azay-le-Rideau, Loire Valley
More Details: Photo of the Week – Château of Azay-le-Rideau, Loire ValleyA few years ago, right before spending two weeks in Tours, France for language immersion, I spent a few days exploring the wines and chateaux of the Loire Valley. Chenonceau, Chambord, etc. are all phenomenal castles to explore with their idyllic settings, great architecture, and sense of history. One of my favorite settings and chateaux…
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The Charming Town of Kotor, Montenegro
More Details: The Charming Town of Kotor, MontenegroKotor, Montenegro was an almost accidental destination for me. The anchor destination for the trip was Italy but my wanderlust wanted me to go further to new places (even though Pompeii was new to me). So I added Croatia by visiting the gem of the Adriatic: Dubrovnik. But then I found out about day trips…
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Photo of the Week – ilivetotravel on the French Riviera
More Details: Photo of the Week – ilivetotravel on the French RivieraThis photo of the shoreline of Nice, France is from a LONG time ago – when I was very fortunate to be on 2-week business trips to the French Riviera. It has been on my mind lately that I need to write about my trips there from those times. It all starts with a picture!
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Photo Essay: Bucharest, Romania
More Details: Photo Essay: Bucharest, RomaniaBucharest was my gateway into Romania and I was eager to see this city that has always -for some strange reason- been an object of my curiosity. The capital of Romania has been called the “Paris of the east” due to French architecture influence – but perhaps also because the pre-communist elite had the airs? …
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Photo of the Week – A Night out in Brasov
More Details: Photo of the Week – A Night out in BrasovLast summer, as you may have read (or hopefully will check out!), I did a hike in the Transylvanian Alps in Romania. Home base for the trek was the charming city of Braşov. I still have to write about that beautiful town but this picture really evokes the spirit of old town Braşov for me. …
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The More Obscure and Charming Castles in Transylvania, Romania
More Details: The More Obscure and Charming Castles in Transylvania, RomaniaOn the day we finished the four days of hiking in the Transylvanian Alps, as we made our way back to our base, Braşov, we took a slight detour to visit two of Romania’s castles in Transylvania in the Sinaia area: the Peleş Castle and its sidekick, the Pelişor Castle. While these two castles are not…
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Photo Essay: The Tiled Roofs of Dubrovnik
More Details: Photo Essay: The Tiled Roofs of DubrovnikTiled roofs seldom tell such a vivid story as they do in Dubrovnik, Croatia. Stories of war. Stories of reconstruction. The war of the early 1990s destroyed most of the tiled roofs of this jewel of the Adriatic. Not enigmatic like Venice but inviting, though both are definitely charming in distinct ways. I wrote earlier…
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Photo of the Week – Harbor in Dubrovnik, Croatia
More Details: Photo of the Week – Harbor in Dubrovnik, CroatiaEverything in Dubrovnik is picturesque (check out other sights in this jewel of the Adriatic!), including the view below of a harbor used by smaller craft including local fishermen.