DC is well known for its marvelous museums, its mix of people from all parts of the world, its wealth of ethnic restaurants, its incredible mass transit system, its Smithsonian festivals and its angry protest marches plus all the other pleasures & treasures of a cosmopolitan national capital. Tourists come from all over the world to DC. Plus the Locals are out there too, mixing in. People-watching rises to a high level of fun in DC. And that is what I most like to do when in DC, get out on the National Mall or walk the downtown streets and catch [View Full Entry]

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I am back in DC for the autumn. Every day I pack my camera, a jug of water, some fruit, a couple of good books and my journal into my daypack and head out either on foot or on my bicycle to explore. DC is NEVER boring. Here's nineteen slices of what's been happening on or near the National Mall in Washington DC. this September. [View Full Entry]

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Let's turn around, face to the East and walk up the other side of the National Mall. [View Full Entry]

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The National Mall in Washington DC divides into two parts. The East Mall runs a mile down a tree-lined esplanade bordered by flowery gardens from Capitol Hill to 15th Street. The East Mall is where the museums are, plus other more subtle pleasures of this large open space in the middle the nation’s capital. The West Mall starts where the East Mall stops at 15th Street and flows down to the Potomac River. The green-covered West Mall holds the best known of our national memorials. The walk I describe in words and photos in this Part I of Walking The National [View Full Entry]

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On the second Saturday of this October, good friends Sean and Judith got married in Our Lady of the Valley Church near the village of Beaufort in County Kerry, Ireland. I was standing up along with Sean’s dad Art (the best man) in this very special happening in the land of Leprechauns and pots of gold at the end of rainbows. My wife Marilyn and I flew Continental to Shannon Airport, where I rented a car. Beaufort, having limited bus services, necessitated the car rental. I truly detest driving in the States, so why take up the challenge of a completely [View Full Entry]

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I spent this past month of July taking beginning level Italian language lessons at Dilit School in Roma. It was a worthwhile experience that provided me with basic skills in Italian. I can now order food and drink, purchase a train or bus ticket, find out how to get to Campo di Fiori or Piazza di Spagna, and best of all make new Italian friends--all in Italian. But the best part of being at Dilit was the camaraderie I shared with other international students at the school, who were also learning to: parlare italiano. [View Full Entry]

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Buon giorno from Roma. My month of Italian language lessons has suddenly turned into two weeks…how fast the time goes when one is having fun. I live in rented apartment on la Via della Luce in Trastevere, one of the most picturesque old quarters of the city. My Italian language school is DILIT International House. Today is Thursday, July 14,and instead of rambling on about how my Italian lessons are going or how fantastic the Italian food is or how gorgeous!! the Italian women are or how gracious and nice all the Romans are or how this ancient city of incredible [View Full Entry]

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There were plenty of things cooking in Washington DC last week including yours truly. Our nation's capital is infamous for its summertime heat and humidity. I, along with the locals and out-of-town tourists, was overcooked, almost burned in the soaring outside temps. Food: That was a big part of what last week (June 23-27) in DC was all about. The 39TH annual Smithsonian Folklife Festival was taking place on the National Mall. Sheltered under giant canvas tents from DC’s sweltering late June heat , Food Culture USA gave center stage to famous chefs, everyday cooks, farmers, and food l [View Full Entry]

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I have been in Amsterdam now for six days. It’s Sunday morning, cool with a hint of dampness in the air, birds were singing earlier around five a.m. when I first opened my eyes. The Dutch weather has been mostly ugly, cool to cold, blustery winds, gray skies for the most part and rain just about every day. But what did I expect weather-wise, this is Northern Europe and it’s only the first week in May. The trees are green and the tulips are up and outside my window right now in the quiet early time at my hotel, through the [View Full Entry]

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It’s written on the Metro car walls; it’s written on the street signs; it’s written on the tombs at Pere Lachaise Cemetery. “L’individu qui pense contre la sociéte qui dort, voilá l’histoire éternelle et le printemps aura toujours le meme hiver à vaincre.” This from a Metro car wall, not signed by the poet, or did he plagiarize it from someone else? I am easily fooled, as I have never seen this thought before. My raw translation: “For he who thinks poorly of a sleeping society—consider the eternal story of spring always having the same w [View Full Entry]

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