Over two centuries after his reign, Napoléon Bonaparte remains an inescapable presence throughout Paris. As you explore the French capital, stunning monuments and places intricately intertwined with his legend await around every corner. From his dizzying heights of power to his devastating fall, these landmarks stand witnesses to one of history’s most epic tales and […]
Vienna’s Magical Christmas Markets
The holiday season has officially begun in Vienna! From mid-November through December, Vienna transforms into a magical winter wonderland with twinkling lights, festive decorations, and the enticing smells of mulled wine and gingerbread filling the air. It’s the most wonderful time of the year in this charming city. Vienna has a long, treasured tradition […]
Paris Part I – Notre Dame, Louvre and Tuileries Gardens
Paris is an amazing city. Full to the brim with interesting places and things to do. The city’s offer of world-famous monuments, museums, restaurants, and cafes is almost endless. In fact it is said to have the largest number of tourist attractions in France. My mother loves France and so I have been visiting since […]
Spending a day in Warsaw
Warsaw is a great city that I always enjoy visiting. Due to the almost complete destruction of Warsaw by the Nazi Wehrmacht, not much of old Warsaw remains. However, It has a lot to offer and visitors are often surprised at how much they like spending time here. For some, standing on top of the […]
Enjoying the delights of Christmas Markets
Every country and every family have their own Christmas traditions. For me, Christmas would not be the same if I did not visit a Christmas market or two. I cannot remember when I first visited a Christmas market, but I have memories that go back to my earliest childhood. In particular, of my Irish grandmother’s […]
Enjoying Vienna’s Ringstrasse.
I am often asked what my favorite place, city, town, or vacation spot is, and I have to admit, I find this this type of question very difficult to answer. Perhaps it is in my gypsy-like nature that I love to visit and revisit places time and time again. At the same time, I can […]
A day trip to sip chocolate in Bratislava
About an hour’s drive from Vienna you come to Bratislava the capital of Slovakia. Although one of the smallest capitals of Europe, this town has a lot to offer. From a very pretty Old Town full of little shops and market stalls, to a city that played a central part in the history of Hungary. […]
Take a break in Innsbruck
Innsbruck is located at a crossing point of the river Inn on the route to or from the Brenner pass into Italy. For a time, this location made Innsbruck the center of Europe. Today, this city of 132,000 inhabitants, is little different. If you are driving to or from Italy, you are very likely to […]
Hungarian History Takes Focus in Buda’s Castle District.
Budapest is an amazing city that I love returning to time and time again. When in Budapest, I cannot visit without spending some time in Buda. Although there are many historic places in Hungary, for me, Buda is one of those places where much of Hungarian history takes focus. In many ways, the story of […]
Climbing the Matterhorn.
“Scrambles Amongst the Alps,” by Edward Whymper, was a worldwide bestseller in 1871. It changed the way the world looked at mountains and gave birth to a fascination with the Alps that was then passed on to other mountain regions around the world. Interest driven by the book was the beginning of tourism to the […]
