We came to Helsinki early in May to visit our friend and former exchange student, Irena. I didn’t actually know much about Helsinki or...

picture of Helsinki (and Stockholm and Tallin)

A return to Paris after 40 years, and why I wanted to travel full-time

Paris was not our usual slow travel stop. We had family members visiting Paris, and we stopped to visit the city with them on our way to...

Last thoughts before leaving London

In the 1937 movie, "Damsel in Distress", Fred Astaire's character sings, "A Foggy Day (in London Town)" to describe his initial feelings...

When you’re traveling overseas during a time of world crisis, it feels different: You feel the privileges of your life very keenly You...

curry in London

How to figure out transportation options quickly

Kim sings Fado on the ukelele

We arrived in London on March 16, in the rain and fog. "A foggy day, in London town...." Our flat is in Camden Town, about 25 minutes...

Slow travel is not the same as moving to another place, but it’s not quite a vacation either. Sometimes it feels more like the former,...

Family singing and a song written by a gay nightclub singer in the 1930s

We've had a lot of good meals, but the best was at Biarro do Avillez, a pricy (but worth it) restaurant near our apartment. They...

I retired in December, 2021, and a few days ago I had the honor of being asked to present a lecture on what I learned from my career. In...

When I was 10 years old, my Aunt Doll bought me an ukelele. I taught myself some basic chords out of a book and learned some songs, and...

Fado music is like nothing else I've ever heard. Dating back to at least the 1820s in Lisbon, singers are well-known and popular. The...

Joining the Oh My Cod Food Tour hosted by Silvia Olivenca was a terrific way to start our time in Lisbon! We arrived in Lisbon on January...

Our photos from beautiful, sunny, Lisbon! Praca do Comercio Day trip to Castelo de Sao Jorge Churches (and some former churches, like the...

Azulejos - colorful and historic tiles - give Lisbon a signature look