Kutná Hora, Czech Republic 2011
It’s either been raining or snowing with nearly no break in the clouds for a week now, so I’m trying to remind myself that at some point, there will be light. No guarantees the view here in Franconia will be quite this dramatic, but not all places can be Kutná Hora.
Tuscany, 2013
Tuscany, 2013
If one is going to visit the La Verna Sanctuary, might I recommend not doing it on a hot summers day? Instead, go in January. But only if it’s misty, mysterious, and if you have proper time to wander through the forest and around the buildings, wondering if the monks get the same eerie feeling that you do.
Ireland, 2016
On this day two years ago we visited the Hill of Tara, once the seat of the High Kings of Ireland. The little hills and ridges are the remains of ancient earthen structures, and it feels like the sort of place where you shouldn’t be allowed to tramp all over it… but you are. The 360 degree views of the surrounding Irish countryside are spectacular, even on a gray and windy late-December day like we had. We don’t often take bus tours (as evidenced by this post), but we did on this occasion and it was worth it for the color commentary of our fellow travelers alone. Maybe that’s a story for another day…
Salzburg, 2014
I don’t know what it is about Christmas that makes people think we need a million more varieties of artisanal soap than we buy at any other time of the year, but here we are. They do add nice pops of color to the stands though.
Franconia, 2017
I could have taken this picture today, as I was in the exact same place, doing the exact same thing. The only difference would be that the tree that stood in this corner of the barn today was a short-needled pine, and only had lights on it… no stars. And we found our own tree much faster today!
Nürnberg, 2017
Seems like it was just yesterday when my sister arrived from her long tenure in South Korea. One of our first orders of business was to take her to the Nürnberg Christkindlesmarkt where we all spent long enough gazing longingly at these sausages and sniffing their sweet smoke to not care that much about spoiling our dinners.
Nürnberg, 2011
I spent most of the weekend sick in bed so no Christmas markets for me. However, I am confident that the opening of the Nürnberg Christkindlesmarkt was as full of bustle as ever. It’s not a total loss though, we have three more weeks and at some point, it should stop raining… right?
Krakow, Poland 2009
The art on offer in a Krakow market was… religiously varied. One man’s Pope is another man’s Marilyn.
Franconia, 2017
Every wellness weekend must end with a brisk hike through the countryside; it’s a fact. Your choice on if dots or lines are more your speed.
Brussels, Belgium 2013
Stained glass, vaulted ceilings, that’s all well and good… but why aren’t there more statues of angels stepping on heads? Good thing there’s at least one.*
*Feel free to leave all the biblical stories involving angels trampling heads in the comments. Religious stories are not my forte.
