updraftplus domain was triggered too early. This is usually an indicator for some code in the plugin or theme running too early. Translations should be loaded at the init action or later. Please see Debugging in WordPress for more information. (This message was added in version 6.7.0.) in /homepages/11/d168042542/htdocs/wp-includes/functions.php on line 6114Sweden at its most beautiful is a land of strong colors – the blue of the sky, the coastal waters, and the thousands of lakes; the many shades of green in the endless forests, meadows, and fields; the traditional red of the cottages with their neat white trim. And then there are the fields of rapeseed that burst into …
I walked the battlefield at Culloden in the golden light of an autumn afternoon. With my love of British history, this was one of the places in Scotland that I had really wanted to see – the place where Bonnie Prince Charlie and his Jacobite supporters made their last stand in April of 1746, the …
Highland Echoes: Walking the Battlefield at Culloden, Scotland Read More »
Several years ago I had the opportunity to visit Naples, Italy, as the tour manager for a Smithsonian Journeys program called “In the Shadow of Vesuvius.” I arrived in Italy a day early and had time to wander around Naples on my own before the group arrived. I found the city to be a lively …
Soaring Glass Ceiling in Naples’ Galleria Umberto I Read More »
I was driving along a country road in central Scotland, approaching Stirling, with the city’s castle looming in the distance on top of a steep cliff. As I admired the dramatic view, a rainbow appeared directly ahead of me, bathing the castle in pastel hues. I immediately found a place to pull over so I …
I decided to visit the hilltop town of Ronda, Spain, because I’d heard it was one of the most beautiful of Andalucía’s pueblos blancos, or white towns, and because it was fairly easy to access en route from Córdoba to Granada. But my choice turned out to be serendipitous in a way I hadn’t anticipated: My …
Bandits, Soldiers, and Señoritas with Flowers: Spain’s Ronda Romantica Festival Read More »
On an October morning in the Scottish highlands, I joined a group of birdwatching enthusiasts for a day out in the forests of Speyside, on the western edge of the Cairngorms Mountains. The group was on a week-long tour with Speyside Wildlife, one of Scotland’s leading wildlife travel companies, and on this particular day they …
When I was growing up, my family spent much of every summer visiting my grandfather in Sweden, and every other year, we would take a two-week trip to Norway, where he was born and raised. Although he had grown up in Drammen, a port city near Oslo, it was the nature of his homeland that …
Last June I had the opportunity to co-manage a tour program for three US universities aboard the beautiful Sea Cloud II, sailing the shores of Spain and Portugal from Málaga to Bilbao. The various places we visited along the way were memorable, but the ship itself was an unforgettable experience. I’ve been on many cruises …