Travel Adventures
✈️ Welcome to My Travel Blog
Explore the places I’ve visited — from culinary gems to historic sites — with interactive maps, stories, and photos.
Language & Travel Stories
One of my favorite travel-related memories is how languages unexpectedly became part of my journey.
🌍 Interactive Travel Map
🌷 Netherlands
Amsterdam
Beautiful view of the city can be enjoyed from the canals.
The Hague
Tip: Visit the Mauritshuis Museum —
home of Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring.
🇮🇹 Italy
Venice
Milan
Florence
🇪🇸 Spain
Madrid
Paella in Madrid — although my critics say I
make it better. Sorry, Madrid…
Don Quixote
Couldn’t miss one of my favorite characters.
Travel Tip
A hot day in Madrid goes better with sangria!
El Retiro Park
Tip: Great spot for rest and restoration during your
visit.
Toledo
Culinary Inspiration: Oxtail Stew
Seville
🇫🇷 France
Versailles
Tip: The fountains operate only a couple of hours on
select days—plan ahead!
Eiffel Tower
Looks beautiful at any time of day.
Cold Day in Paris
Travel inspires my cooking, especially on cold days.
Spiced Hot Red Wine
Also known as Mulled Wine, Glühwein, or Glintwein.
French Onion Soup
Perfect for chilly evenings.
Strasbourg
One of the great discoveries of our Christmas trip.
Strasbourg was magical during the holidays — a city where French and German traditions seem to meet, especially at Christmas.
Because It Is France… Cheese
Some things require no further explanation.
And Because It Is France… Sweets
Apparently cheese alone is not sufficient.
Coffee for Two
Two cups of coffee waiting for us at an outdoor table.
Even in December, there is something wonderfully European about sitting outside with a cup of coffee and watching the city go by.
Christmas in Strasbourg
And then there is Christmas.
A Christmas market beside Strasbourg’s enormous Gothic cathedral is difficult to beat. The old streets, lights, decorations, food, and Glühwein made the entire center of Strasbourg feel like one enormous Christmas market.
Strasbourg calls itself the Capital of Christmas.
After visiting, I am not inclined to argue.
Travel tip: If you like Christmas markets, Strasbourg deserves more than a quick stop.
🇨🇭 Switzerland
Zurich
Zurich was our Swiss stop on the same Christmas trip.
After Strasbourg, we rented a Citroën and drove into Switzerland, buying the Swiss motorway vignette at the border — one of those little details that makes a European road trip feel like a road trip.
Zurich’s Christmas markets felt different from Strasbourg. Instead of one overwhelming Christmas wonderland, they were elegant and scattered around the city, which made exploring them part of exploring Zurich itself.
And, naturally, Switzerland required fondue.
Some Swiss traditions really shouldn’t be skipped.
Three nights in an aparthotel gave us enough time to wander around without trying to turn Zurich into a checklist of attractions.
Culinary requirement: Fondue. This is not optional.
🇬🇧 England
London
House of Parliament
Phone Booth
Agatha Christie Memorial
Bath
🇩🇪 Germany
We finally made it back!
After our planned Germany trip was canceled in 2020, Munich had been waiting for us for several years. This time we came at Christmas — which may be one of the best times to see the city.
Christmas markets, lights, Glühwein, German food… Munich makes winter feel like a feature rather than a problem.
Nuremberg
Nuremberg was another stop on our Christmas-market tour.
The old city provides a perfect setting for a Christmas market: medieval streets, historic buildings, holiday lights, and plenty of opportunities to warm up with food and Glühwein.
A very different atmosphere from Munich — smaller, older, and wonderfully walkable.
🇧🇪 Belgium
Brussels
Ghent
Culinary inspiration: Belgian waffles!
🇱🇺 Luxembourg
🇮🇱 Israel
Tel Aviv
Busted in Tel Aviv:
View of Jaffa
Mediterranean coast from Tel Aviv.
🇦🇹 Austria
Christmas in Vienna
Mulled Wine at the Market
Innsbruck
Absolutely surreal.
🇺🇸 Local Travel
Monterey Bay
