Cooking in Tuscany in a one day class at a traditional farmhouse was a long-held dream of mine. Sure, there are scads of cooking classes in Tuscany, in or near Florence, but I wanted to feel a part of a place. To live like a local for a day with my hands deep in flour […]
Destinations
Visiting Chartres Cathedral
Visiting Chartres Cathedral was a priority en route to Normandy from Paris. My first glimpse of it, also known as Cathedral of Our Lady of Chartres, as I hiked up the steep spine of tiny Chartres, was thrilling. When it comes to medieval cathedrals, visiting this one “lit up”—en lumière—is an epic experience. And that […]
19 Free or Cheap Things to Do in Portland: An Insider’s Guide
There are so many cheap things to do in Portland—many of them are even free! And that’s just one thing that makes Portland one of the top points of interest in the USA. Portland, Oregon is a jewel of the Pacific Northwest. Wrap a thriving local foodie scene in misty, mossy woods and a view […]
Fox Glacier Heli Hike: A Bucket List Experience
“About once every year or two, we have a group that ends up overnighting up here,” our glacier guide confessed as six of us huddled together under ragged wind and slushy rain high up on Fox Glacier. “A storm just blows in too fast to get everyone out in safe conditions.” That was our introduction […]
Island Vibes: 17 EPIC Things to Do in Moorea
The island of Moorea is a tropical paradise. (Even more so than Maui, which is one of my favorite islands.) And it looks just as amazing in real life as it does in those famous photos you’ve seen. So if your next destination is French Polynesia, here are my top 15 things to do in […]