travel beyond the obvious
Established in 1579, Lithuania’s Vilnius University is among Europe’s oldest universities. It is also one of a very small number where the historic campus remains largely intact. This makes it a wonderful place to explore. Read More …
While Stockholm is the largest and most well-known of the towns linked together by Sweden’s Lake Mälaren, travelers would be wise to journey farther along the lake to discover its smaller and less-famous gems. The Read More …
Like many other European cities, Vilnius offers a pass that covers admission to many of the city’s attractions. Unlike many other European cities, the Vilnius City Card is pretty affordable. (But then, everything in Vilnius Read More …
I love wandering in museums, aimlessly moving from one item to another based more on what intrigues me than on any logical structure. The New Arsenal location of the Lithuanian National Museum was a perfect Read More …
If you are at all like me, you will long for a boat when visiting the coast around Stockholm. The archipelago that sprawls out from the coast here is studded with rocky islands topped by Read More …
Despite its name, Nyköping (which translates to “new market”) was founded in 1187, making it one of Sweden’s oldest towns. It’s a great stop for tourists, as the town has a charming center with a Read More …
Seen from the water, Gripsholm Castle (Gripsholms Slott) looks like a fairytale castle, with huge round towers (complete with onion-dome tops), high brick walls, and lush lawns. But it’s a real castle, one that has Read More …
I love discovering cities on my own, wandering without much of a plan and little knowledge of what I might stumble upon. After all, if you don’t know what is supposed to be “important,” you Read More …
Once upon a time, beginning 500 years ago or so, castles in Sweden were surrounded by farms that produced the food needed for the inhabitants of the castle and for trade with other castles. Throughout Read More …
The countryside beyond Stockholm is home to hundreds of manor homes, the remnants of a time when large landowners controlled agricultural production in this part of Sweden. While many of these elegant manor houses remain, Read More …
The royal palace that serves as the permanent residence of the Swedish Royal Family has been nearly 500 years in the making, as the first true palace was built on the site in 1580. Built Read More …
April 25 marks the day 100 years ago when soldiers from Australia and New Zealand landed on the beaches of Gallipoli in an (ultimately futile) Allied attempt to take control of the Dardanelles and Constantinople.
70 years ago today, Allied forces consisting of American, British, Canadian, and Free French soldiers landed on the beaches of Normandy in northern France. They landed in rough seas under leaden skies with low clouds. Read More …
History is a fickle lover, turning against the great leaders she once adored when the tides of fate bring new leaders and new ideas to power. Evidence of this rests in a nearly hidden patch Read More …
A “stavkirke” or “stave church” is an architectural style used for churches in Scandinavia at the end of the age of the Vikings in the 1100 and 1200s. The technique uses vertical pine posts (staves) Read More …
While it still seems rather far away, summer is coming. I’m sure it is. But, while I wait, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about where I wish I were going this summer. The Read More …
I never finished editing my pictures from my visit to Finland in 2010 and now the cousins I visited then are coming to visit me. Their upcoming visit has served as good motivation to get Read More …
In 1998 I celebrated my birthday by meeting the President of a municipality in Portugal, touring the city library, attending an art opening for a Japanese artist, and dining at a fabulous restaurant.None of this Read More …