Visiting the Azores

An 8 day visit to the main island in the Azores over Christmas time, detailing the pros and cons of visiting here. It’s beautiful and green but frequently rains, much like Ireland.

How Do I Love Thee, Vienna

Belvedere Palace Two years ago we first visited Vienna for five days and were so delighted by it that we returned again to this extraordinary Austrian city for the entire month of August. I love Vienna now even more than before. Here are fourteen reasons why. There are almost 1,000 municipal parks in Vienna, including … Continue reading How Do I Love Thee, Vienna →

Walking Vienna’s Ring Road

One recommended activity to get a good sense of some of Vienna’s architectural and cultural delights is to walk the Ring Road (Ringstrasse) around the inner city. It takes about 1.5 hours to complete if you’re not stopping. I decided to give this a try the other day. I started my walk beside the neoclassical … Continue reading Walking Vienna’s Ring Road →

Discovering Pieter Bruegel

Art History Museum We recently went to Vienna’s Art History Museum, an impressive structure built “under Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph to accommodate the collections acquired by the emperors and archdukes of the House of Habsburg over the centuries,” according to its brochure. The museum is known by locals as KHM, short for the Kunsthistorisches (Art … Continue reading Discovering Pieter Bruegel →

US Political Crisis Unfolding

Here’s some helpful information for Americans planning to leave the US because of the current political situation. Put a frog in boiling water and it will jump out immediately. Put a frog in a pot of cold water, then slowly turn up the heat. The frog will sit … Unfolding

English Expressions Explained

I never realized moving to Spain would be such an education in learning English expressions. Although Americans and Brits share a common language, they use so many terms I never heard before. Spain is like Florida, sunny and filled with beaches, but for Europeans, especially English people. Almost 300,000 Brits live here to get away … Continue reading English Expressions Explained →

Vienna, My Love

This Austrian city has got it all: rich in culture and history, it is bursting at the seams with art, music and many kinds of architectural delights. Within the city itself, it has not one, but two, major palaces: Belvedere and Schönbrunn, along with half a dozen smaller ones. How many other cities can top … Continue reading Vienna, My Love →

Two Days in Frankfurt

I need to start out by saying that I have been spending time on the free language-learning app Duolingo in preparation for this trip to Germany. I had wanted to be able to at least understand some of the signs when we went to Germany. I have to say it actually worked too! Not only … Continue reading Two Days in Frankfurt →

Visiting Xanten, a Roman Archeological Park in Germany

Hubby Rick and I recently visited an archeological park in Germany that we think is well worth a visit. It’s in a small German town called Xanten, pronounced Santen, but spelled with an X. It is about 50 minutes drive north of Dusseldorf, not far from Germany’s border with the Netherlands. This park is billed … Continue reading Visiting Xanten, a Roman Archeological Park in Germany →

First review of What’s So Special about Spain

Since the paperback version of my book came out last week I have received my first review from children's book author Darlene Foster. Here's what she had to say about it in her Amazon and Goodreads reviews. "A wonderful book describing some of the many wonders of Spain with amazing pictures and interesting details. Children … Continue reading First review of What’s So Special about Spain →