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Photo du Jour: The Garden of Love at France’s Château de Villandry
Just a few days after Shawn and I got engaged, we visited the Château de Villandry and its enchanting garden, Le jardin d’Amour (The Garden of Love), for the first time. Villandry, a magnificent...
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An Afternoon in Cinq-Mars-la-Pile, France: Where Roman Mysteries Meet...
In a region that’s home to world-famous châteaux, other worthwhile destinations can easily be overshadowed. But the French town of Cinq-Mars-la-Pile, with its enigmatic Gallo-Roman tower and its...
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You Say Tomato, They Say Tomate: A French Château Celebrates 785 Varieties
Imagine strolling the grounds of a French château, surrounded by a kaleidoscope of tomatoes in every color, shape, and size imaginable. This isn’t a fairy tale meets cooking show mashup. It’s the...
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Living “La Vie en Rose” in Amboise, France
The coiffeuse in our neighborhood hair salon softly sang “La Vie en Rose” as I darted past her open door. Though the hair stylist did not know it, her singing created the perfect soundtrack as I set...
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Photo du Jour: A Hot Air Balloon Soars Over Leonardo da Vinci’s Resting Place...
A hot air balloon glides by the chapel housing Leonardo da Vinci’s tomb in the French city of Amboise. During the warm-weather months, sightings of colorful balloons (known as Montgolfière in French)...
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Feeling Festive in Amboise, France: Celebrating Noël in the Loire Valley
A rare, late-November snowfall unofficially ushered in the holiday season in Amboise, France this year. This delicate dusting of snow added flair to the town’s slate rooftops and cobblestone lanes for...
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Spilimbergo: Italy’s Enchanting “City of Mosaics”
Spilimbergo, a charming medieval town nestled in the Friuli Venezia Giulia region of Italy, offers a lovely blend of art, history, and natural beauty. With its well-preserved historic center,...
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Photo du Jour: Cat on a Cool Slate Roof in Amboise, France
A ginger and white-colored cat peeks out the window of a top-floor apartment in the Loire Valley town of Amboise. In the background, the spire of the Saint Hubert Chapel (Chapelle-Saint-Hubert)...
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Spring Blooms & Strudel: A Day Trip to Innsbruck, Austria
The mountains were snow-capped, yet flowers were emerging when Shawn and I made an early-spring day trip to Innsbruck, Austria. Shawn and I had been cooped up for much of the winter, so once we got to...
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Castle Strolls & Hot-Air Balloon Flyovers in Saumur, France
Earlier this autumn, a trio of hot-air balloons escorted us home. It was the golden hour, and Shawn and I’d first spotted the balloons drifting over France’s Loire River, near the city of Saumur. A...
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France’s Breathtaking Pont du Gard
The autumn sun illuminated the rocky landscape as two kayakers plied the waters of the Gard River in Southern France. Crimson and yellow trees danced on the gentle breeze, alongside a tree bearing one...
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Autumn in the Ammergau Nature Park, Near Oberammergau, Germany
The autumn leaves near Oberammergau, Germany have reached their peak, so the surrounding hillsides are dressed in shades of copper, saffron, and a bit of green. One of my favorite places to ride my...
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Creating Handmade Italian Marbled Paper in Florence, Italy
The art of paper marbling is mesmerizing. An artisan applies splotches of paint to a small pool of water. The colors appear to gracefully dance upon the surface of the water, but these individual...
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Komiža, Vis: Savoring the Off-Season Charms of One of Croatia’s Most Remote...
The enchanting Croatian island of Vis has had many identities over the last few thousand years. For a time, it was an ancient Greek colony known as Issa. Then, from the 1950s until the 1980s, Vis was...
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The Art of Florentine Marquetry: Watching Italian Masters “Painting with Stones”
The arts have long flourished in Florence — the so-called “cradle of the Renaissance.” Hundreds of years ago, there were tens of thousands of artisans in the city, each dedicated to everything from...
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The Windows of Pordenone, Italy
With its pretty palazzi and mountain vistas, the northeastern Italian city of Pordenone offers a superb blend of beautiful architecture and nature. Home to just over 51,000 people, Pordenone is...
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Watching How to Make Kelaghayi Silk Scarves in Sheki, Azerbaijan
Located among the leafy foothills of the Caucasus Mountains, the Azerbaijani town of Sheki is green, tranquil, and artsy. Low-rise buildings feature eye-catching stone and brickwork. People smile...
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Hiking to Georgia’s Gergeti Trinity Church
One of the most iconic images from the country of Georgia features the Gergeti Trinity Church dwarfed by immense mountains. This 14th-century church is crowned with cone-shaped towers and is located...
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Portugal’s Alluring Azulejos
Portugal is a feast for both the stomach and the eyes. It’s a land of irresistible port wine, trayfuls of crispy and creamy pasteis de nata (custard tarts), and buildings adorned with colorful ceramic...
View ArticleAn Apiary on Malta’s Xemxija Heritage Trail
Since ancient times, the island of Malta has been renowned for its splendid honey. There’s even some speculation that the country’s name has its origins in honey. The ancient Greeks referred to Malta...
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