Cannes, France. November, 2012

Because my good friend Nick is a pastry chef, I feel a certain obligation, when I’m on a trip, to search out and try every new confection that isn’t nailed down. Witness this selection at Ernest, a wonderful patisserie in Cannes that Nick actually told me about before my visit. Faced with all of this temptation, what did I wind up taking? Only this photo. Honest.

Barcelona. November, 2012

What’s wrong with this picture? Here along the fabled Passeig de Gràcia, home to the chicest shops in the Catalan capital, as well as some of Gaudí’s most celebrated architectural wonders, this. The master’s awe-inspiring Casa Batlló just across the street from Mickey D’s. Is nothing sacred?

Giudecca, Venice. October, 2012

Jay likes this photo of himself. Often given to superlatives, in fact he says it is his favorite picture of himself. Of course, it’s hard to beat the setting along the Giudecca canal with Venice spread out across the background. This was taken after an all-night flight from Boston to Zurich, changing planes to Venice, and then an exciting one-and-one-half-hour scenic boat ride from the airport to our lodgings on Giudecca. Usually Jay is making a face in photos, thereby guaranteeing an unsatisfactory result. Maybe just making sure that he is always sleep-deprived is the key to photographic success.

Pinar del Río, Cuba. February, 2012

María. This woman has seen it all. She’s lived here in her reclaimed rainforest community through the extremes of the Batista regime. Seen the “triumph of the Revolution” come with Fidel, embraced it. Then maybe, oh, resigned herself to the changes she’s witnessed over the fifty years of “Socialismo o Muerte.” Now she welcomes busloads of tourists into her small home, chats with those who speak Spanish, sells them coffee, bids them farewell. Does she think about what kind of life her grandson will have, I wonder, as the fabric of Castro’s revolution begins to show some wear? 

Topkapi Palace, Istanbul. June, 2007

When I’m asked what is my favorite place that I’ve visited, I usually say, honestly, that every place has something special about it, that I’ve enjoyed all of my travels. But the other day, I decided to seriously consider the question. And I realized that the two places that I longed to visit for a long, long time before I actually got there -- Istanbul and Cuba -- are right up there. When I arrived in Istanbul for the first time, seeing the mosques and minarets from the plane as we landed, was a very emotional moment for me. And then, when I was walking through the fabled city, I felt as though I’d been there before, maybe in a past life. Havana, still forbidden to so many of us here in the US of A, welcomed me in a way I’d never expected. I felt, finally, so blessed to be there. I want to go back so badly, but it’s even tougher now than it was a year ago. Maybe soon...

Portoferraio, Elba, Italy. October, 2012

After a long day’s exploring the backstreets and non-touristed neighborhoods of this small port city, what a pleasure to intuit my way back to the harbor as dusk approached and to see the Wind Surf, our home for two weeks, resting there, waiting for me. A magnificent ship with five bright white sails that unfurl when wind conditions warrant, it holds only some 300 guests, just enough to feel intimate, no lines, no waiting for anything. And look at that autumn Italian sky. No wonder the skies in all those old Italian paintings look as beautiful as they do.

Watertown, MA. November, 2012

Something to admire. Something to rake up. Wait, you’re both right! And this year, the glorious splendor that is autumn in New England seems to be sticking around a bit longer than usual. Especially these jewels on the corner of my block. A few more cold nights, some stiff breezes and it will all be a memory. But a beautiful one.