Take A Hike Series: The Hill Walkers

February 25 – March 2 Glen Coe & the Western Highlands, Scotland “Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature’s peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop away from you like the leaves… Continue reading Take A Hike Series: The Hill Walkers

When the Sun Shines In Scotland

February 18 – 25 Isle of Luing, Inner Hebrides, Scotland On a late February day in the northwest of Scotland, we had been given a gift.  It came in the form of a radiantly beautiful day, one in which a low-slung winter sun glazed the pastures and seacoast of the Inner Hebrides with a warm,… Continue reading When the Sun Shines In Scotland

Old Stone Homes and the Art of B&E: Umbria, Italy

November 17 – 18 Renzetti, Umbria Italy Culpability is still an item up for debate.  Who was to blame for closing the front door while forgetting the key inside?  The little stone cottage that sits at a turn in the road eleven kilometers outside of Cittá di Castello, was, in that one instant, completely impermeable. … Continue reading Old Stone Homes and the Art of B&E: Umbria, Italy

Bumps and Breaks: Learning Travel Lessons the Hard Way

A Tough Break

October 21 – 25 Rome, Italy We truly were looking forward to returning to Rome.  After several weeks in the sleepy hills and townships all over Tuscany, we were ready to return to a place that had become something of a home to us.  This would be our third pass through the city, and it… Continue reading Bumps and Breaks: Learning Travel Lessons the Hard Way

She Did NOT Just Do That: Val D’Orcia, Italy

October 15 – 22 Central Tuscany, Italy See this face?  It’s belongs to a young John the Baptist.  It was carved in the 13th century by a member of the  Sienese school, and it is on display in Volterra’s Pinacoteca e Museo Civico. See this face?  It looks familiar, right?  However, it has nothing to do… Continue reading She Did NOT Just Do That: Val D’Orcia, Italy

Molto Piccolo

Rome, Italy August 23 – 29 At 4:45pm, we have exactly fifteen more minutes before we are ejected from the Galleria Borghese.  Fifteen more minutes is all the time my family has to run up the stairs to the second floor, past four or five Carravagios, a couple of Titians, and two of Raphael’s more… Continue reading Molto Piccolo

Beasts of the Bay

Ha Long Bay, Vietnam October 5 – 7 In North Vietnam, legend tells of a family of dragons that, many years ago, descended upon the country to protect her people from the legions of invading Chinese and Mongolians. The dragons spit enormous pearls upon the earth, demolishing the enemy and sparing the peace-loving Vietnamese people.… Continue reading Beasts of the Bay

Tiger Leaping aka ‘Face Plant’ Gorge

    Good evening from Yangshuo, Guangxi Province, China. This is actually Ryan as Emily just went across the street to get some snacks and to check out the activities at the massage parlors that line our street.  Yes, our hotel is situated within the “red light” district, but we are only paying 60 RMB… Continue reading Tiger Leaping aka ‘Face Plant’ Gorge