The historical center of Agopoli has no parking and limited access for cars. The town parking is close by and our hotel a five minute stroll away. The streets of Agropoli are clean and well lit. Seafood pasta ice creamSunset over Italia and the Mediterranean SeaRistorante Zio Tata Walking is easy, lots of restaurants and neighborhood bars. Tuna tartarePeace Spade i patate fritte simple fresh and deliciousAgropoli’s Castello The ancient gate all that remains of the walls of the town Waking in the morning to sit on our terrace and enjoy the view of the Mediterranean and the warmth of the sun ..read more

The Cathedral at night in the town square. A visit to Santander, Colombia is not complete without a stay in Barichara. This Spanish colonial village is preserved as it has been for centuries. Breakfast Colombian StyleFlowers of all kinds are everywhereNice Ride!The Cathedral is centralCoffee with a ViewCountry RoadsWalking PathsBlossomsMore BlossomsLuz shops for hand made lampsVistas are everywhere ..read more

Corsican coast near Ajaccio The red and white ship sails by headed for a port to the south Propriano  Dawn splashes white on the cloud tops Pink shimmers on the tips of the waves that roll without end To the sand and rock shore The heat has cooled now Weeks of intense heat Sun bearing down, dust coating the cacti And the car  In the distance another ferry heads north    The other ferry is headed for Bastia Yesterday, discovery mixed with frustration Electric cars but no working charge points A strange policy Tomorrow Ajaccio Today the endless sea and the endless summer ..read more

Coming to Venice Breakfast Palace Grand CanalRialto BridgeWalking in VeniceBridge of Sighs ..read more

The view of Cassis below from our room in the Chateau de Cassis. Cassis is the quintessential French fishing village. Overrun with holidaying visitors but still fun to be in and never losing its own unique quality. The Chateau de Cassis is the original fortified village of Cassis sitting atop the hill overlooking the port. During more violent times the port would have been overrun frequently by pirates and marauding bands. The walled town provided shelter and most made their permanent homes there. Now it is owned by one man who is developing this Bed and Breakfast in the ruins. After a hard d ..read more

Sardinia is visible in the distance as we clear the harbor leaving Corsica on our visit in 2019. The beautiful sunny day means hot deck and warm winds and post pandemic, we have been back to Sardinia and Corsica twice since this, our first visit. The ferry ride is 50 minutes and Luz catches a few winks in the shade surrounded by a group on holidayThe Hotel Corallaro our first in Sardinia, has a commanding view of the ocean and a welcoming sign.A ferry heads for CorsicaSoon we were seated comfortably in the hotel restaurant, welcomed by a big friendly smile and a nice bottle of wine. The staff ..read more

Luz and the key to our room at the sweet classical stone front door of the Chateau de Monrecour in St Vincent de Cosse, France. The Chateau de Monrecour is a large house built between 1846 and 1914. It looks formal from the exterior but inside it is a warm and inviting house. We felt as though we had been invited by friends to spend a few days. We might have gone out searching for a place to have lunch but the Table de Monrecour was right there and we were staying a few days so one thing led to another and lunch. Blessedly there is no “background” music. The sommelier is stern and appears uni ..read more

Checking out the Tanning Beds at the Hotel Pineto on the beach in Biguglia. Relaxing in the evening sunA two hour drive from Porto Vecchio dinner on the beach at the beautiful Hotel PinetoThe View from NonzaExploring the alleys of NonzaBougainvillea lines the stepsA look down to the town of Nonza belowBeer and Lunch at La SassaThe story of St Julia in FrancaisAltar Painting shows Julia crucified because she would not worship Pagan GodsBack at the Hotel Pineto for a Romantic dinner next to the beach as the sun sets ..read more

Brantome is short for the best of southern France. It’s simply the most beautiful little river town imaginable. Riverboats cruise lazily up the Dronne River bringing the most extraordinarily clear water all the way from the Massif Central! It’s one of the cleanest rivers in France. The river flows past the Abbey of Brantome founded in 769 by Charlemagne and the ancient church with its treasures to be discovered. Such a beautiful spot naturally attracts a large tourist crowd (of which we were unabashedly a part) and there are attractions like the limestone caves lining the road that have been ..read more

We arrived in Paris on Air France on June 27; overnight flight direct from Boston. We wanted to try Marseille, the city that has had a bad reputation, to see for ourselves. This was a good idea because we found a treasure of sights and sounds, food, sun, ocean and coast that is lovely. The sightseeing around the old harbor was adequate for the time we had. We visited the Basilica on the harbor, the Abbey and the Cathedral on the hill. The Basilica in Marseille. The ferry headed to Tangier, Morocco. The Basilica is a Byzantine Romanesque design from the mid nineteenth century that has exquisit ..read more