Escapades in Aspen

When my daughter, Emily, announced she had one week off of work this summer when all kid activities are cancelled due to an annual sailing race, my mind immediately started working. “What will you do?” I asked casually. “Annabel and I are thinking of going away...

Savoring the Tastes of Puglia

For much of the past 25 years, when I heard someone mention Puglia, I could only think back to the music-filled and pasta heavy restaurant in Manhattan’s Little Italy, where I once threw my husband a memorable and ruckus birthday party before we were married. All that...

The (Mayan) Doomsday Ride on Two Wheels

According to the Mayan calendar, the world will end on December 21, 2012. To mark the event, the Tour d’Afrique biking company has organized the first (and last?) ever Doomsday Ride on La Ruta Maya. The trip leaves San Jose (Costa Rica) on December 20th and will lead...

On a Gîte in Southwestern France

For as long as I can remember, I’ve wanted to stay on a gîte – the French word for a holiday vacation home, often on a farm or vineyard. When a colleague mentioned she knew someone who’d opened a gîte on a vineyard near France’s southwestern city of Carcassonne, I...