Istanbul Spice Market Was a Cook’s Dream
Making my way through crowds of people slowly walking, talking on cell phones and holding shopping bags, I found the mounds of spices in the marketplace in Istanbul, Turkey. I’d arrived to buy various spices in this legendary market known as the Egyptian Market, which conjured up stories of ancient spice routes. With centuries of bustling...
Salem, Massachusetts is a City to Visit
One of my favorite shows as a child, Bewitched Statue of Bewitched’s Elizabeth Montgomery The woman bumped into me and the first thing I noticed was the five-pointed pentagram on her necklace. I was in Salem, Massachusetts, home of the famous witch trials, and now I was face to face with an interesting person. The...
Filoli Gardens, Northern California
Tulips in Filoli Gardens The Beauty of Filori Gardens With the fragrance of wisteria in the air, one million daffodils in full bloom show brightly in meadows near the Santa Cruz Mountains. At Filoli Gardens, forty-eight varieties of daffodils – including 65,000 golden dawns grace the low-lying meadow between the mansion estate and the...
Avocados in Kona, Hawaii-Really?
An avocado festival – in Hawaii? I just had to give it a try. While my plane landed on the Big Island, I’d almost finished reading the airline magazine when the headline “5th Annual Avocado Festival” caught my eye. I nudged my husband and told him that Hawaii had avocados and even an avocado...
An Old World City is Budapest, Hungary
I Immediately Felt in the Old World When We Landed Arriving on the tarmac at the Budapest airport, I walk down the steps of the airplane to an awaiting bus. It’s a wintry grey day and people are wearing heavy long coats and big fur hats. They’re speaking with strong Hungarian accents and I don’t...
Near Rome-Visit Zagarolo, Italy
An Italian Village Worth a Visit Zagarolo, Italy, an Italian village nestled in a wine region just above Rome, is yet to be discovered by tourists. Leaving the historic city of Rome was difficult, but once I traveled east by train for 30 minutes to the town of Zagarolo, I felt back in old Roman...
Chilean Seafood in Puerto Montt, Chile
Flapping fish tails, coiled seaweed and octopus from the Chilean coastal town of Puerto Montt will soon become part of our gastronomical lunch. The Pan American Highway At the southern end of the Pan American Highway – with 30,000+ miles from the top of Alaska to this scenic town – we departed the cruise...
Ushuaia, Argentina: Near the Bottom of the World
The Southernmost part of the world Swimming and paddling in the cool waters, the white tuxedoed chests of the Gentoo and Magellan penguins are comfortable near the southernmost part of the world, Ushuaia, Argentina. Near Antarctica Ushuaia, the capital of Argentina’s Tierra del Fuego province, is nestled on a bay between the Andes Mountains and...
Philly’s Murals and Mosaics
Odd shaped blue, red and yellow colored glass cut into different formations and creative painted murals liven up murky walls in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The usually nondescript walls lining Philly’s alleyways reflect years of wear and tear in these desolate-looking narrow spaces. But throughout the city, many such walls have been transformed into bright and lively...
Kebler Pass, Colorado-Fall is Coming
Colorado Color Sunday and full of vibrant gold and amber leaves shimmered in the sunlight as I drove through the Colorado mountains. The Drive up the Mountain I saw working coal mines in Bowie, Colorado, with stacks of black coal piled high as I entered Kebler Pass through the Gunnison National Forest, near Paionia. The...
Tombstone, Arizona
Gunshots rang out on October 26, 1881, and men laid dead at the OK Corral. It was forever known as the famous Old West shootout. Gun slinging characters slowly swagger down the boot-worn wooden sidewalks of Tombstone, Arizona. Tipped cowboy hats and plenty of gun twirling make this old Western town come alive. Women dressed...
Balsamic Vinegar Heaven, Modena, Italy
A food lover learning balsamic’s tasty lineage. I visited one of the many countryside balsamic vinegar producers while in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Modena, Italy. In Sorbara, I tasted lively and 10- to 50-year-old aged balsamic varietals while balsamic producer Guido Paltrinieri and his family of Acetaia Paltrinieri Balsamico exuberantly explained the traditional...
