St. Petersburg is a city of grandeur. It’s center was virtually unharmed in the 1930-50s period of Stalinist reconstruction and impressive palaces line placid canals dotted with beautiful bridges. Recognized as one of the most beautiful cities of the world and a “Venice of the North”, St. Petersburg is evocative of Russia’s imperial past. Though […]
Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale: A Family Affair
Oil and balsamic vinegar have become a staple in our home. Balsamic Vinegar of Modena, that is, which is very, very different from Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena. Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena is known around the world as black gold and I was kindly invited into the home of Marisa Barbieri Giuliani near the […]
Combai Chestnut Festival
Growing up I always remember my dad roasting chestnuts in the fall. I think I even remember that we had a chestnut tree, though it’s far too early in the morning to call up my parents in Pennsylvania and ask to be sure. I never ate chestnuts though; I thought they were weird. After all, […]
Italy’s Wild and Secret Beaches
When we heard about the unspoilt beaches of Maremma National Park, so untouched and wild that red fox roam their shores, we just had to go! Just how exactly is that the Italy has this secret seaside that has escaped the commercialism of just about the rest of the country’s coastline? For centuries, this stretch […]
Car Lover’s Guide to Germany
Germany is famous for its Autobahns being some of the few public roads in the world without speed limits. Mercedes, Porsche, and BMWs zip right down the Autobahn and bring out the race car driver in just about anyone (especially Tim, but Honey, the Honda is NOT going to win). And if racing that Porsche […]
How a Bear Became the Symbol of Yaroslavl
Yaroslavl was honestly the least favorite of the cities and villages we visited during our time in Russia. Perhaps it was because we were there on the day we had the worst weather of our entire trip. Had we had better weather, I would have liked to take a river cruise or wander through the […]
The Stone Carvings of Yuryev-Polsky’s Cathedral
It’s was just absolutely pouring, by far the wettest day yet of our rainy Golden Ring of Russia tour, when we arrived to a tiny town that was barely a blip on the map. Yuryev-Polsky, which literally means Yuryev (the name of its founder) standing in a field, is actually the geographical center of the […]
Carol of the Bells
The Golden Ring of Russia town, Suzdal, is just 15 square kilometers in size but boasts an incredible amount of well preserved monasteries and churches. One of the largest and best preserved in Suzdal is the Monastery of Saint Euthymius (it’s also amongst the five largest in all of Russia!). The white stone walls have […]
The Heart of Suzdal
Outside of Russia, we generally think of kremlin as the most famous one, the Moscow Kremlin. But as we learned on our trip to Russia, a kremlin is a major fortified complex found in the heart of all Russian settlements. So it’s no surprise that the heart of Suzdal is the Suzdal Kremlin. Though the […]
A Picture of Russian Peasant Life
“After lunch, we’ll drive to Suzdal and meet a local guide at the Museum of Wooden Architecture,” Daria was explaining as our mini-bus bounced over the pot-hole filled roads. I groaned and looked at Tim. We are NOT museum people. We’d much rather learn about the culture, and in this case architecture, by being out […]
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