The Isle of Skye has long held a place in my imagination. Off the west coast, it’s been known as one of the most beautiful places in all of Scotland. It’s home to countless legends. My cousin, who adores Scotland, even dreams of getting married on Skye! So you can understand that I had high
On a Skye High in Scotland Read More »
One thing I need to be better about is photo editing. I’ve been so behind that I’ve only just edited these photos from my trip to Porto and the Douro Valley in September! I love northern Portugal. It’s beautiful, it’s warm year-round, it’s much cheaper than Spain or Italy or France, and because it’s not
Postcards from Northern Portugal Read More »
When I was in high school, I was in a performance of Brigadoon. The show — cheesy, but featuring some very beautiful songs — is set in the Scottish Highlands. Brigadoon couldn’t have painted a prettier, happier picture of life in the Highlands — weekly markets filled with cheerful merchants, beautiful fields of heather, proud Scottish
The Dark Side of the Scottish Highlands Read More »
When I first landed in Paris at age 16, my favorite neighborhood was Montmartre. The artists, the views, the hills — it just captivated me. But as I grew up, I found myself falling for an entirely new neighborhood. Saint-Germain-des-Prés, the sixth arrondissement. Saint-Germain is located on the Left Bank of the Seine, just southwest
Living the Parisian Life in Saint-Germain-des-Pres Read More »
When I was 17, I saw the movie that would become my obsession for the next year — a tale of romance and deception, a light-hearted comedy slowly descending into tragedy, filled with zany music and wild and colorful costumes, bearing one message: The greatest thing you’ll ever learn is just to love and be loved
A Dazzling Night at the Moulin Rouge Read More »
Looking back over the years, my New Year’s celebrations have been mostly low-key, largely unexceptional. Oh, I’ve had some good ones — my Bangkok New Year’s was so much fun, and I’ve had a few memorable nights in Boston — but most of the time the night hasn’t lived up to the hype. It’s hard
Hogmanay: Bringing in the New Year in Edinburgh Read More »
Each time I’ve been to Paris, it’s been during a different time of year. I’ve experienced rainy April days, the tourist swam and local flight of August, chilly October nights, near-perfection in June, and the freezing temperatures and soldes of January. On this trip, my sixth, I visited in December — and got to experience
Christmas in Paris Read More »
With Christmas freshly finished, I’ve got my next trip planned: Blogmanay! I’ll be celebrating New Year’s in Edinburgh, Scotland. Edinburgh, which I’ve long extolled as one of my favorite cities, has one of the world’s best New Year’s celebrations. People come from all over the world to celebrate Hogmanay. I’ve been invited to be part
New Year’s in Scotland — It’s Time for BLOGMANAY! Read More »
This past weekend, I got to experience a delightful festival for the first time: Lyon’s Fête des Lumières, or Festival of Lights. Every year from December 8-11, Lyon’s nights are filled with brilliant light shows that are as technologically savvy as they are artistically scintillating. Despite my lifelong francophilia, I had never heard of this
Lyon’s Festival of Lights Read More »
This past March, I visited Barcelona for the first time. As you may recall, I was massively underwhelmed, finding the city dirty, crowded, and expensive compared to the rest of Spain, and even the lovely architecture couldn’t lift my spirits. This September, I had a day and a half to spend in Barcelona between TBU
Barcelona and Me: The Complicated Relationship Continues Read More »