With one foot in the northern and one in the southern hemisphere, Quito is a great city to visit. Much of the old city is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Tiptoeing through the Tulips: A Little Dutch Lesson
There might not be a better herald of Spring than tulips. Once tulips raise their pointy green hats from the still frozen ground, we know there is hope.
Tulips originally came from Turkey and Persia in the late 1500’s to the Netherlands. When we were in Turkey we visited the palace of the very Sultan who gifted the first tulips ever to arrive in the Netherlands. What started with one bulb is now a major export industry. And the most famous garden to see Dutch tulips in all their glory is called The Keukenhof (the kitchen garden).
Southern California: Whose Fault Is It Anyway?
We were hiking in an oasis near Palm Springs. Having driven here through endless dry, sandy desert, I marvelled out loud about the presence of water in the desert. “Well,” said the volunteer park ranger, “that’s because of the cracks in the earth here. Water comes up from underground and is collected in the canyons along these cracks. You are standing on top of the San Andreas Fault here.” And she pointed to my feet.
Romania: Vampires and Pastries
When I was invited to work with students in an international school in Bucharest, Romania we jumped at the chance to visit a ‘new-to-us’ country. I didn’t know much about Romania and we didn’t have nearly enough time to explore the sights and the history of the country. But what we did see was fascinating. Did you know that the fountain pen was invented in Romania? And it was a book, of course, that made the country famous.
On the Road Again: Driving from Alaska to Yukon
Sights of Siena
After hiking nearly 100 KM on the Via Francigena, and when my toes turned to Fall colours, I stayed in Siena while Kees continued hiking. I had planned a nice little writing retreat in this history city.
Pompeii: City of the Dead
As with so much in our lives, this trip, and our interest in it, started with a book. Pompeii by Robert Harris is a fantastic read that has you walking and living in ancient Pompeii, among rich families who have water front homes, who take hot baths, discuss politics and stroll along shops. In the shadow of Mount Vesuvius, it has you hearing the rumblings of the earth with no prior knowledge of such a thing as volcanic eruptions. I found the book riveting since it made me feel as if I was there. And now now we were going there!
Thailand: among tuk-tuks and golf carts
Airplanes always feel like time machines to me. As soon you walk off the plane you feel the humidity or the heat, or cold of a new place in a different season. We knew we were in a different place when we disembarked in Bangkok - hot and humid. The international school had arranged for us to stay in a service apartment with much needed air condition.
MOLOKAI: Hawaiian By Nature
Walking to Angkor… whát?!
ABC: Islands of the Caribbean
Kenya: mangoes, a black mzungu and a story of hope
Along the main highway I spot women carrying babies, bananas and everything in between. Men hail down matatu’s (busses) and cling to the doors. Goats are narrowly missed by the many cars that swerve to avoid potholes. There is red dust and exhaust fumes in the air. When the traffic slows to a crawl you can buy sugar cane to chew or a newspaper or new sunglasses, from all the vendors who walk past the cars. Well outside the city I spot a forlorn herd of zebra, a sad reminder of days when abundant wildlife still roamed these plains. This is Kenya!
Some Christmas Thoughts and New Year's Wishes!
Granada - Driving Us Nuts
Don’t ever think that you’re a pretty suave traveler, because you’ll immediately be punished. I felt that we were doing pretty good - having driven all over Amsterdam, Paris, Brussels, New York; all over Costa Rica. We’d found our way in old Jerusalem and survived Bangkok and Shanghai.
But then we visited Granada.
Mabuhay, Manila
Mabuhay - welcome, hello, good day in Filipino.
Manila is an amazing jungle of choked roads, high rises and shanty shacks. This is the second time I’m doing author presentations at an international school here. A school driver was waiting for me at the airport and took me straight to the same hotel, Vivére, where I stayed the previous year. On the 31st floor is a restaurant and a roof top pool.
Saint Nicholas of Bari
I was going to Bari, Italy to help launch the Italian version of my book Stepping Stones, A Refugee Family’s Journey. But Bari, as it turned out, held even more meaning. It is the city where the bones of Saint Nicholas rest in the Basilica di San Nicholas - the patron saint of sailors and children whose birth (or death?) date we have been celebrating in The Netherlands and traditions which have morfed into all aspects of Santa Claus in North America. Come along on a journey to Italy and through time.
Xi'an: Terra Cotta Warriors and a Silk Road
While doing author presentations at an international school in Shanghai, China I have a weekend off. Rather than staying in a hotel room in the city - which is already hazy with air pollution at 6 AM - I decide to take a field trip and book a 2 hour domestic flight to Xi’an - the city made famous by the discovery of terracotta warriors.
Switzerland: Fun Facts and Fondue
Tofino on Canada's Wet Coast
Hiking the Via Francigena: Italy’s Camino
We came to Italy to hike a “different camino” - the Via Francigena. Since the 7th century, a passable route across Europe was important to allow for trade, invasions and more. The Italian route crossed the Apennines, followed the Magra Valley and then turned away from the coast towards Lucca - our starting point for this long distance hike across Tuscany.