I believe every cultural stereotype the world has about Japan can be found in Kyoto. Once the imperial capital of Japan, this city is presently and understandably a tourism hotspot. Come visit Kyoto in the Spring and be enthralled by the blooming cherry trees that line the magnificent palaces, shrines, and temples. To see these flowers in person is …
Konichiwa Tokyo
 Regardless of your personal position on whether the sun does rise above its empire, Japan is one of those places that you must experience in 3-D to appreciate. From everything I’ve ever read or heard about Japan, their minimalist aesthetics and obligation for order have always resonated with me. Their culture seems to operate on a higher level of civility. I …
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366 steps
 Walking into the city center of Bruges (Brugge) is like being transported into the pages of a Sleeping Beauty story. Disneyworld is not the happiest place on earth.  Bruges is. Its historic center a Unesco designated World Heritage Site (WHS), Bruges is the capital of the province of West Flanders in Belgium. The city center is home to about 20,000 people but …
Yves, thanks for the memories
I read about Yves Saint Laurent’s passing on June 1 of this year when I happened to be in France. It was a sad way to start the day, but I found some wonderful essays and obituaries in the French papers in the hours then days that followed. As many people who knew him indicated, it was time for him …
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On sera en Chine!
Crossing international borders in Europe is about as anticlimactic as crossing statelines in the US. Blink and you’ll miss it. On this very chilly and rainy day we decide to drive to a city (any city) in France just to settle the debate of whether a baguette is tastier in France or in Belgium. I’m anxious to get to Paris …