Isla Mujeres, Mexico – What a treat to return to Isla Mujeres, a sweet island off the coast of Cancún that we visited 12 years ago. That was an all-out intergenerational family vacation, with toddlers and grandparents. This visit was…
Maya World
Xpujil, Mexico – For anybody passionate or curious about the Maya civilization, a journey along Hwy 186 in Campeche will be a highlight of Mexico. This southern peninsular area was the earliest-established, longest-inhabited and most densely populated region in the…
Hornets
Xpujil, Mexico – I had a run-in with some angry hornets today (reminiscent of our pandemic roadtrip, when V was attacked by hornets during a hike in the Berkshires… good times). I was on my way to wonderfully remote Maya…
Paris vs Lyon
Lyon, France – We came to Lyon because Daddio was attending a conference, but then I noticed that travel writers (ahem) have been touting Lyon as an offbeat, affordable alternative to Paris–and also the culinary capital of France! I asked…
Petroglyph Beach
Wrangell, Alaska – Ancient petroglyphs on a rocky beach amid spectacular surroundings. Petroglyph Beach–pretty cool!
Fort Elizabeth
Waimea, Kaua’i – Fun fact: when the Russian were actively exploring and settling the Pacific Northwest, they made it all the way down to Hawai’i. Starting in 1815, they built three forts on Kauai, skirmished with the natives, and were…
Hacienda Chukum
Yucatán, Mexico – The main attraction for this press trip is Hacienda Chukum. This is the reason Aventuras Mayas brought us here. It is, quite likely, the highlight of the week. Hacienda Chukum is a cenote — completely enclosed and…
World Schooling Research Projects
Somerville, Mass – While we were in Italy, I decided that our international experiment in education would benefit from special world schooling research projects — something more formal than our field trips and fun explorations around Italy, but less formal…
Ruins of Pompeii
Pompeii, Italy – I can’t think about Pompeii without hearing a song that my 7th-grade classmates wrote for Latin class: Once there was a city, a city named Pompeii. It was very pretty, ’til it blew up one day. Pompeii,…
Largo di Torre Argentina
Rome, Italy – We passed by the ruins of the Torre Argentina multiple times during our four days in Rome. (Fun fact: this is supposedly where Caesar was assassinated.) Each time, we stopped to count the kitties who have since taken…