During the Cold War era I spent a few years in Germany, first as a twenty-one-year-old graduate student and then with the military. I spent my first Christmas holiday season putting a Eurailpass to good use, randomly hopping on or off … Continue reading
Some of you may recall an earlier travel memoir (How to Risk a Stretch in Soviet Prison under “Travel Memoirs” to the right) detailing the misadventures of leading a group of college students through the ice- and communist-bound Prague of the … Continue reading
Venice, Italy…7 a.m. Children laughing on their way to school, backpacks flapping as they run across the Accademia bridge. A bakery displaying fresh wares, the narrow street still dark, the shop’s windows warmly lit and calling the passer-by in. Street … Continue reading
I awakened to total silence. I had fallen asleep to the raucous laughter, boozing, amorous groping and other fulfilling activities which mark a last night at sea with a shipload of grad students, all off for a year in Europe. … Continue reading
The whole second half of our Spanish journey hadn’t gone exactly as planned, so why was I surprised to wake up to a smiling physician about to inject me in the butt with a huge hypodermic needle? After all, only … Continue reading
Before all you lovers of Italian culture build your own big bonfire and set me alight as a modern-day Savonarola, let me explain. No doubt Florence deserves its reputation as a must-see destination, particularly for travelers discovering the beauties of Italy for the first … Continue reading
Have I ever mentioned flirting with years in a Soviet prison for breaking the law with a baker’s dozen university students behind the Iron Curtain? No? Well, the story goes something like this… Late in the ‘70’s I was teaching German studies … Continue reading
Unless you’re a frequent traveler to Europe, deciding where to go and how long to stay can seem overwhelming. Since now is the time to make plans for this travel season, let me share a few tips on what works … Continue reading
