Ercolano, Italy – After an amazing day exploring the ruins of Pompeii, the obvious next stop was the fiery mountain itself. And so we ascended the infamous Mount Vesuvius (mostly by bus, but also on foot) to peek into the…
La Pedriza, Sierra de Guadarrama
Madrid, Spain – La Pedriza is part of Sierra de Guadarrama national park, 30 minutes north of Madrid. Spectacular day, spectacular place.
Hiking the Dolomites
Soprabolzano, South Tyrol – After a cloudy day yesterday, on our second day, the sun came out and we trekked all over these mountains. Bolzano is an excellent base for hiking the Dolomites. From the center of town, a cable…
Diving Vis Island
Vis Island, Croatia – Spotted while diving Vis Island at Lighthouse Host: three octopuses (including one who squirted ink at me), dozens of red sea stars, and a couple of fire worms. Not to mention thousands of Ancient amphorae left…
Adventure awaits in Costa Rica national parks
Covering some 10% of Costa Rican territory, the country’s national parks protect a stunning array of landscapes – wetlands and forests, caves and volcanoes, and habitats for creatures galore. This is the country’s greatest natural resources, and it’s all yours…
Sochi: Russia’s Black Sea Playground
Sochi, Russia – Prior to its 2014 debut on the world stage, Sochi was celebrated in Russia for its sunny skies and balmy temperatures, which attracted privileged Party members to seaside sanatoria. Even Comrade Stalin had a vacation home near…
Sammallahdenmäki
Rauma, Finland – Did you get the title of this post? Sammallahdenmäki. Easy, right? It is a Bronze Age burial site in the midst of the Finnish forest. And if you’re not sure when the Bronze Age is… oh, it’s…
Top Picks for Kids: Aruba
Aruba – How sad that I did not take the twins to Aruba (sort of). But I didn’t stop thinking about them the entire time I was away – and especially about how much fun they would have on the Happy Island.…
Minute Man National Historical Park
Lincoln, Mass – For day two of our mini family reunion, we took the troops out to walk along Battle Road, the road from Lexington to Concord that the British regulars followed on the fateful day of April 19, 1775…
Mount Greylock
North Adams, Mass – After an inauspicious start to our Father’s Day weekend extravaganza, we had nowhere to go but up. And I mean that both figuratively and literally. On day two, we got an early start and headed straight for Mount Greylock, the…