Milan, Italy in 72 Hours

Milan, Italy in 72 Hours

“Milan is one of those cities that you need to know and have rifled your way through, like a good book,” said Kristen Scott Thomas, the prolific British/French actress. I rifle through as much of Milan as I can, trying to pack the long and short of its story and … Read more

Trondheim

Trondheim, Norway’s City of Contrasts

As I walk the streets of Trondheim, Norway’s third largest city, it doesn’t seem so “large.” Like many places in Norway, there’s an intimacy to the city with pockets of small town charm.  And of course, there are those omnipresent tales of Vikings and kings, of battles and bold heroics … Read more

Icy Adventures in Norway

Icy Adventures in Norway

I’m far up in the northern reaches of Norway, where my guide says it is the “last wilderness in Europe,” where the surrounding forests, he says, are filled with moose, lynx, bears and wolverines. Fourteen hundred miles, straight as the crow flies, is the North Pole and Russia is a … Read more

Norway’s Northern Lights Cruise

I’m in Norway, a place that in summer is part of the “land of the midnight sun.” But I’m visiting in the dead of winter, embarking on an 11 day cruise headed toward the Arctic Circle. Is my timing off?  Not at all. I’m on a hunt — a hunt … Read more

Bergen, Norway

Old World Charm – Bergen, Norway

Colorful wooden buildings dot the wharf area of Bergen, scrunched up one against the other like brightly colored Monopoly pieces. Some of the gabled buildings are slightly tilted, but it only adds to the charm of this UNESCO World Heritage city. Centuries ago, this wharf area, called Bryggen – meaning … Read more

Castilla y León

Winetasting in Castilla y León

I’m wandering among castle tunnels in the Castilla y León region of northwestern Spain, wondering what the walls would say if they could speak. But they are silent, buffeted on either side by oak barrels numbering in the thousands. The tunnels weave through the interior of a mountain leading up … Read more

Port Townsend

Port Townsend, Washington: Built on Dreams and Whiskey

When the Puget Sound seaport of Port Townsend was founded in 1851, some considered it a “City of Dreams.” Settled on the heels of the Gold Rush, there were hopes that it would thrive as the largest port on the west coast, a gateway to the Northwest. Others called it … Read more

The Mystical Allure of Cruising Asia

I’m in a “junk” boat navigating mystical waters where thousands of craggy outcrops rise up like humps on an enormous underwater dragon. The mounds are shrouded in mist, making the scene surreal. A floating village suddenly appears as though it rose from the depths. Dogs bark on the docks and … Read more

Barbados, England of the Caribbean

Barbados, situated in the southern Atlantic, is the most easterly of the Caribbean islands, set off on its own as though wanting to be different. It surely is, this “Little England,” as some call it. After more than 300 years of British rule, Barbados, independent since 1966, is a delightful … Read more

Bonaire: A Diver’s Paradise in the Caribbean

Anne Kazel-Wilcox belongs to a large group of divers that swoon over the richness of Bonaire’s reefs, and on a recent visit to the island she decided to broaden her horizons and spend as much time topside as down under.