Category: Travelogues
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The Last Days of Summer – Oberammergau, Germany
“Summer afternoon, summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language.” Henry James As we welcome autumn to Oberammergau – with its bounty of festivals and harvests – here’s a peek at the scenes we glimpsed during our end-of-summer strolls. Here’s to beautiful fall foliage, and Bavaria’s winter…
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A Day at the Virginia City Camel & Ostrich Races
Every September, camels, ostriches, and jockeys from around the world converge on Virginia City, Nevada for the former mining town’s International Camel & Ostrich Races. We attended the quirky event last year, and it’s taking place again this weekend for the 54th time.
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An Afternoon at Claude Monet’s Garden in Giverny, France
Artist Claude Monet‘s name is synonymous with his dreamlike paintings which were inspired by his graceful gardens in Giverny, France, where he lived for 43 years. In 1980, Monet’s home and garden were opened to the public allowing Monet’s canvases to come to life. Today, visitors to Giverny can see the Japanese-style footbridge that spans the…
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Celebrating Mariä Himmelfahrt Day in Oberammergau, Germany
As the clock edged toward nine thirty in the morning, the stream of villagers dressed in traditional German folk costume passing by our window in Oberammergau, Germany grew. Ladies in elaborate Dirndls and men in Lederhosen pedaled by on their bikes. Some navigated their bikes’ handlebars with one hand, with elaborate wildflower bouquets in the…
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Scenes from Santorini
Often touted as the most picturesque village on the Greek island of Santorini, Oia looks like a terraced wedding cake perched upon the island’s craggy northwestern edges. With its stunning views of the caldera and surrounding islands, blue and white church domes, and lack of power lines to clutter its panoramas, Oia is a shutterbug’s…
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A Mask-Maker in Ohrid, North Macedonia
In Ohrid, North Macedonia, the Marinov family has been crafting utilitarian and decorative objects from copper and brass for over a hundred years. Shawn and I stumbled upon the small studio of third- and fourth-generation artists one afternoon while exploring Ohrid’s UNESCO-registered Old Town, which is replete with hundreds of Eastern Orthodox churches. The Marinov…
