Category: Places

Not a big Wordsworth or poetry fan? You don’t have to be to visit Dove Cottage. In fact, on its own, Dove Cottage offers huge insights about life in the countryside of England in the Read more…

Grasmere? Buttermere? Do you have time for only one mere this autumn? Then I choose Buttermere! (In case you are wondering, mere is the archaic word for lake.) Grasmere Naturally, first time Lake District goers Read more…

  Longyearbyen is the city, Svalbard the archipelago, Spitsbergen the island, and Norway the country. Yes, it’s a mouthful — of winter style fun. Best time to go? March and April. Plan your late winter Read more…

    And say no to San Sebastian! A mere twenty minutes eastward from San Sebastian is the marvelous medieval walled village of Hondarribia. Siting on the west side of the River Bidasoa, it faces Read more…

Hands down, the best Romanesque fortification — and authentically unique — in Spain is the Castillo de Loarre. And the best time to see it? Autumn, when tourists are few and prices are lower. Very Read more…

In Aragón driving from Pamplona to Jaca in the shadow of the Pyrenees on the N-240 there was a little mystery village on the left as I neared the end of the huge blue Yesa Read more…

  In America, September 11th has a deep and abiding meaning. In Catalonia, September 11th also has deep emotional significance. Called “Diada,” September 11th is the day memorializing the fall of Barcelona to Spain in Read more…

    In Ireland, there are about 174 Neolithic tombs dotting the countryside. One of the best known, and often photographed, is the portal tomb called Poulnabrone Dolmen located in the County Clare Burren National Read more…

Hallgrímskirkja: What’s in a name? With all the wild outdoor beauty, it’s often easy to forget that Iceland has great interior beauties worth the viewing. Hard to miss because of it’s towering height, the Lutheran Read more…