At the beginning of our trip to Boston, we had a difficult time keeping city limits straight. Fantastic public transportation that seamlessly covers the entire area had us asking ourselves: is this a Boston neighborhood or is it a separate city? I think we have it figured out now 😉
Let’s continue the visit by city…
Read More »road trip: beyond boston
Is it still a road trip if you don’t use a car? In this case, I’ll say yes because Boston’s fantastic public transportation made car rental 100% unnecessary. And honestly, I don’t know how we could have seen more. This two-week trip was our first visit to New England, & what an introduction! We had a major mishap at the last minute, but the travel gods worked their magic & off we went. I’ve grouped our sightseeing below into neighborhoods for easy reference. We’ll get on the road after a bumpy start…
Read More »road trip: boston
Don’t be confused. I’ve not written about the Midwest before… but our previous adventures will appear soon! For now, just know this was my fifth trip to the US with Rafa & his third time in Iowa. Our first international travel since COVID, we had to use flight vouchers that would expire soon to see my 84-year old aunt. Mission accomplished. But we drove a bit north for some sightseeing instead of going straight across Illinois. As always, Rafa & I discovered some fascinating sights along the way…
Read More »road trip: more midwest
The ongoing book research saga continues, but this time with an all-new destination: Italia! That’s right… a country where I don’t speak much of the language & to places I’d never visited before. Uh-oh. My mood often ran between excited & apprehensive, so to laugh about the day’s events I tweeted once daily as I tend to do. Really anything to maintain a bit of connection with the real world. Come along as I relive those crazy two & a half weeks.
Read More »italy: guidebook research 2019
Some of you might remember I have a Master’s degree in China Studies, but I’ve never been to China! I assure you that’s a long story no one wants to hear. My first Asian trip was to Japan instead… & it couldn’t have been better.
Read More »japan: friends & fun
Some photos from a week in France with friends while I was between tours. Our collective western France knowledge was nil, so we met in Nantes then drove south… stopping in La Rochelle, Île de Ré, Blaye, & Saint-Émilion before ending in Bordeaux. Great fun, relaxing & just what I needed before seeing the Running of the Bulls in Pamplona. Bisous!
Read More »photo essay: nantes to bordeaux
Pretty much everything about this year has been unexpected, including major health problems for both my aunt & uncle… at the same time. We’re a family of three people only, so I went in February to Cedar Rapids to help however I could. Almost 25 years had passed since I’d last visited! Normally I would have looked forward to the trip, but I was in crisis mode with very few days available. Plus a wind chill of -25°F prevented me from exploring more. About the only memories that come to mind are yummy smells from the Quaker Oats factory plus a couple of beautiful, cold weather sunsets.
Read More »usa: cedar rapids
I know… it’s taken forever to write this. Almost as long as it took me to get to Romania! 🙂 The country had long been on my radar, especially after watching the 1989 Revolution unfold on tv. Images of the Ceauşescus’ execution were shockingly graphic in those pre-internet days. I may have been only 19, but I wanted to know more & knew that I’d be in Romania one day.
Read More »romania: bucureşti
