“Don’t it always seem to go That you don’t know what you’ve got ’til it’s gone.” Joni Mitchell, Big Yellow Taxi A few days ago, my yet-to-meet travel friend Bob wrote a beautiful piece of advice from his recent travels for a cruisecritic.com trip report. Bob and his wife Jeannie were nearing the end of … Read More
“The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience.” ~Eleanor Roosevelt Bucket lists are a curious thing. There are the splashy, someday places we dream about that often take a lifetime to reach. And then there are the little aspirations, … Read More
“For last year’s words belong to last year’s language And next year’s words await another voice.” ~T.S. Eliot, Little Gidding I’m not exactly certain how it all began, but one New Year’s Day in the early 2000s, our family decided to head out on a walk along the La Jolla coast. As we welcomed a … Read More
It has been six weeks since returning from France, and I’m still looking back with a bit of wonder at how well everything worked out. With parts of the world slowly beginning to open up and the plethora of ever-changing Covid protocols, it was a precarious time to venture beyond the borders of our home … Read More
“Little darling, the smiles returning to the faces Little darling, it seems like years since it’s been here Here comes the sun, doo-doo-doo-doo, here comes the sun And I say it’s all right.” ~George Harrison, Here Comes the Sun I left Paris wanting to write a thank-you note. A curious idea, perhaps. But after being … Read More
“Critic asks: ‘And what, sir, is the subject matter of that painting?’ The subject matter, my dear good fellow, is the light.” ~Claude Monet It’s a funny thing when you visit a place that has lived for so long in your imagination. The experience expands your mind and spirit, filling you with new insights, inspiration … Read More
Les Andelys (pronounced An-de-lee) is a place that had never made itself known on my travel radar. But after spending some time here, I’m very happy to have made its acquaintance. The French commune of two parts – Grand-Andely and Petit-Andely – sits along a sweeping curve in the Seine River in a scenic part … Read More
Rain was falling in a steady rhythm as we settled into our seats for the two-hour bus ride. It was the first stormy weather Herb and I had encountered since traveling in France, and in a way, it was a fitting backdrop for our somber destination. We were headed from the port of Caudebec-en-Caux to … Read More
“It was now autumn, and I made up my mind to make, before winter set in, an excursion across Normandy, a country with which I was not acquainted. It must be borne in mind that I began with Rouen, and for a week I wandered about enthusiastic with admiration, in that picturesque town of the … Read More
“Said the river: imagine everything you can imagine, then keep on going.” ~Mary Oliver, At The River Clarion After our tour of Versailles, we were back on the riverboat, on our way to Rouen. The ms Sapphire would be cruising during daylight hours, and Herb and I were looking forward to spending the afternoon on … Read More