Chesapeake Bay Bridge We started our long travel day(s) with an Uber from Ashburn, Virginia, to Dulles. I was lucky enough to have TSA precheck and sailed through. Laura and I, Laura being one of my high school friends and a many-times-over travel companion (Ireland, South America, Bahamas…), had a nice meal on the B Concourse. We left IAD on time, on Lufthansa. Such a … Continue reading To Frankfurt and Beyond
I’m fortunate; this wasn’t my first trip to France. In fact, it was my third. Each trip was very different: the first in 1993 when I was visiting a friend in Germany and I took a 2-day bus tour from Germany to France. The second in 1999 with two friends when we did the “if this is Paris, it must be Tuesday” type of tour. … Continue reading The Gardens and the Gold
We checked into the Hotel Johannes Vermeer, which is right in the middle of Delft on the Molslaan Canal, and the perfect location for us. We didn’t get into the car again until Sunday, which was also a nice break! Had dinner at Le Mariage, which, as is usual in Europe, was an unrushed, leisurely (and delicious) affair. The next day, Saturday,our first stop was … Continue reading A Perfect Day in Delft
Traveled up to Delft, the Netherlands, today. On the way, we stopped at the Kinderdijk windmills, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which is also the largest grouping of working mills in the world. It is incredibly picturesque! The Netherlands is, in general, about 20 feet below sea level; the windmills are an ingenious — and intricate — method of controlling water levels. It’s important to … Continue reading Kinderdijk
After spending such a wonderful and moving day tracing our grandfather’s steps, we had the great joy of staying at Le Chateau des Ormes, just outside of Lille. Our hostess, Isabelle, was welcoming and full of life. We had the great good fortune of sitting out on the “front porch” — that is, a lovely stone terrace that overlooks the park — with Isabelle, who … Continue reading Le Chateau des Ormes
Le Chateau des Ormes To finish off our first day, we had a luscious dinner at Le 109, the chateau’s restaurant, located in the wine cellar (this same cellar had a bunker built in it during German occupation). I had a wonderful entree: sprouted quinoa with an avocado purée and slightly tomato-y sauce, served chilled. My main course was superb lamb. Others had foie gras, … Continue reading Cambrai, France (cont.)
Hello from the southern Pacific ocean! We entered the open ocean last night and we could feel it right away. Lots of swells and people swaying to and fro, but otherwise nice. A bit overcast with some sprinkles, but the cloud ceiling is still high, so we can see lots. The day before yesterday, we were in Punta Arenas, which seems to be mostly a … Continue reading Puntas Arenas
Rhodio 