My Rome neighborhood of Monteverde had a food fair featuring more than two dozen food stands filling my local piazza over the weekend. Hare wraps (meaning WILD hare), pizza in fried bread, tiramisu. It was all there. So good I went twice. Here’s my juicy report.
Tired of sweating our summers? Head north. Go camping and exploring along Canada’s Alaska Highway. Guest blogger Karen Anthony lists places of interest along the way.
I started noticing my right pinkie involuntarily bend about two years ago. Soon it was at a 90-degree angle, making typing difficult. What I have is Dupuytren disease, a condition that shortens and thickens the connective tissue in the palm. I had surgery two weeks ago. It was tremendous insight into the world of private healthcare in the second-ranked healthcare country in the world.
Belgian chocolate is the best in the world and during our recent trip to Ghent I had a two.hour private tasting in which I learned about the history, discovered Belgium’s secret and tasted some of the best chocolate of my life. It’s an interesting story and I may never eat chocolate with palm oil again.
If you’re not from an English-speaking country and want to visit Europe. you’ll likely need a Schengen Visa. Europe’s Schengen region consists of 29 countries, and the type of visa you need depends on what country you come from and your purpose of travel. Guest blogger Laurie Amber breaks it down.
Marina and I love Belgium. It’s maybe the most underrated country in Europe. So we decided to break from our usual anniversary routine and left Italy. We spent three days in Ghent, Belgium’s second-largest city but oft overlooked as it’s in the shadow of the more glamorous Bruges up the road. We found Ghent so charming and life on the canal is a good place to remind us how far we’ve come.
Ever since Marina and I started our TraveLazio blog in January 2023, we have discovered fantastic restaurants in little towns outside. Rome. After traveling to 34 towns in the Lazio region, I came up with my 10 favorite restaurants. They’re in rough order and include contact info, photos and links to the towns we featured in TraveLazio. If you love Italy, this is a must read.
On our way back from Japan recently, China Eastern Airlines stuck us with a 17-hour layover in Shanghai. But with China’s handy 24-hour airport visa, we could get a glimpse of the world’s third-largest city. We had a great authentic Shanghai dumpling dinner then were amazed at the Bund and Lujiazui, the city’s areas with the spectacular trademark skyline. But too much concrete. Too much smog.
Eating healthy while traveling can be challenging. Eating unhealthy in Japan is almost impossible. During our visit three weeks ago, Marina and I ate mostly raw fish, grilled fish, vegetables, rice, noodles and teriyaki. It was not only tasty and healthy but, thanks to the yen tanking, mostly cheap.
Kyoto may be the most beautiful city in Japan and its 2,000 temples and shrines attract millions every year. But the overload has produced two major tourist traps that we fell into. Fortunately, nearby were quiet sanctuaries where we could escape the crowds. This was the worst and best Kyoto has to offer.
I waited 45 years to see cherry blossoms again and when I came to Japan last month I was greeted with the worst spring weather the country’s seen in 10 years. However, I found three places in beautiful Kyoto where cherry blossoms were in full bloom. It was the highlight of Japan’s most star-crossed city, one battling for balance in the world of tourism.
One incentive to spending my birthday last week in Japan was riding its famed bullet train. Called the Shinkansen, it’s the fifth-fastest train in the world at 200 mph. The train stations are confusing but once you settle into your comfy seat, the Japanese countryside goes by in a flash. Don’t blink.,
