Life is a patchwork of experiences
Sharing my visit to Highclere Castle. This is all about my real Downton Abbey tour.
“What IS a week-end?”
The Dowager Countess of Grantham, as played by Dame Maggie Smith in the Downton Abbey series, delivered many pointed one-liners that defined her indomitable character. This is one of my favourites.
Downton Abbey would not be the same without Maggie Smith, nor without the backdrop of the imposing structure of Highclere Castle, the real-life estate that stands in for the fictional Crowley home.
I loved my 2 days in Bath, England. I discovered a lot of history, connected to Jane Austen, and saw some beautiful quilts
Ahhhh………….
A huge sigh of contentment escaped my lips as I sank into the warm water. After a full day of sightseeing, the enveloping warmth was a soothing balm for tired feet and aching joints.
Like many others had done for thousands of years before me, I was “taking the waters” in Bath (UK). Over 2000 years ago, the Romans built the first thermal baths here. 200 years ago, Jane Austin’s family came here for the health benefits. Today, it was my turn, but my experience was in total modern comfort and luxury at the Gainsborough Bath Spa hotel.
Continue reading “How I Spent 2 Days in Bath, England With Romans, Jane Austin, and Quilts”
With only one day in London, this is how I made it a perfectly English Day!
I enjoy visiting London, and try to schedule a long stopover in between flights to other points in Europe if I can. On a recent visit, I had a perfectly English day in London!
Continue reading “Have Only One Day in London? I Made It a Perfectly English Day!”
I love visiting London and in this month’s podcast I share tips for visiting the UK’s most vibrant city.
Podcast link: Exploring London
London is one of my favorite cities to visit and these are some of my favorite London photos and London photo spots that show off the city’s unique personality.
London is one of my favorite cities to visit. It’s busy and vibrant and easy to get around in. The city also offers great opportunities for fun photography. These are some of my favorite London photos that showcase those experiences that make this great city so special for me. Continue reading “Discovering Photogenic London – Some of My Favorite London Photos”
From spacious cabins to glorious food and attentive service, my cruise with Riverside Luxury Cruises was very memorable. In this Riverside Debussy review I share all the details about my recent Rhine River cruise.
Outside my cabin’s panoramic window, a castle that looked like it came straight out of a fairy tale sat on the crest of a hilltop. Inside my cabin, a steaming cup of tea and a full breakfast had just been delivered by my suite’s butler. That’s right, my cabin on the Riverside Debussy came with my very own butler!
This was my first introduction to river cruises in Europe, and I was getting totally spoiled by the experience.
Let these photos take you along with me on what I think was the best Rhine River Christmas Market cruise with Riverside Cruises.
What was my best Christmas present this year? A Christmas Market cruise on the fabled Rhine river with Riverside Luxury Cruises.
I grew up with a lot of German Christmas holiday traditions and it’s been my long time wish to experience the authentic Christmas Markets in Germany. My wish came true on a seven day Rhine River cruise from Amsterdam to Frankfurt where each day offered a new celebration of the holiday spirit.
Bavaria’s Wieskirche or the Pilgrimage Church of Wies is a UNESCO site in a beautiful stop if visiting nearby Neuschwanstein Castle.
Bavaria’s Wieskirche or the Pilgrimage Church of Wies, is a UNESCO protected church in the bucolic, green foothills of the German alps. Built in the mid 18th century by two brothers, J.B. and Dominikus ZImmermann, the site became a pilgrimage destination to see the Scourged Saviour, a wooden statue that was purported to produce miracles to those who prayed to it.
When the existing chapel that displayed the wooden figure became too small for the pilgrimage rush, the local abbey commissioned the larger church and shrine – which is Wieskirche we have today. Continue reading “Bavaria’s Wieskirche – The Pilgrimage Church of Wies in Photos”
I discovered the unique art of Temari balls in Japan and collected a variety of examples throughout my recent trip.
I am walking uphill in one of Tokyo’s residential suburbs. It’s my last day of a six week sojourn around Japan, and I am as far as I can get from the Tokyo hotspots of Shibuya and Shinjuku and still be within the greater Tokyo Metropolitan area.
I am looking for a very specialized museum, well off the typical tourist beaten path, but despite walking up and down the sidewalk, I don’t see it. My Google maps app has reliably brought me to the appropriate subway station, but now it says that my goal should be right here. Yet it continues to elude me.
Continue reading “Indulging My Obsession With Japanese Temari Balls”
For me, the most moving monument at the HIroshima Peace Park was the Children’s Peace Monument with its statue of Sadako Sasaki holding an origami crane. I am sharing Sadako’s story and how her paper cranes became a symbol for peace.
These were the words that greeted me at the Children’s Peace Monument in the Hiroshima Memorial Peace Park. On August 6, 1945, the world’s first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. Three days later, a second atomic bomb was dropped on the city of Nagasaki. After the second bombing, Japan surrendered and the World War II conflict in the Pacific was over.
