Ponza, Italy. October, 2012

We sailed into this colorful port on an off-season Sunday because the seas were too rough for us to navigate the waters of our original destination, Capri. It was a sleepy, restful place. Hardly anyone on the streets. Remarkably silent except for a dog’s barking from time to time. I look at this pastel waterfront vista and wonder what it must be like in high season, filled with vacationers, these buildings bathed in full sun.

Paris. December, 2005

There’s no denying that this emblematic tower can be beautiful, hypnotic or corny, depending upon how you look at it. When I returned to Paris after the passage of more than 30 years, I was amazed at the light show of up-and-down twinklers that had been added to M. Eiffel’s structure since the time of my last visit. You could actually hear the crowds gasp as the thing started to glitter for about 30 seconds. I loved it. As I write this, my friend Donna is in Paris, visiting her daughter who’s part of a six-month fellowship there. I know they’re both charmed by the city, the tower, the lights. I can hear them gasp. [As it happens, they came home complaining the city was dirty, only the old people dress well, etc. Oh, well.]

Ávila, Spain. October, 2009

One thing I observed early on during my first visits to Spain was the Spaniards’ love of design. Almost an excess of design. If something can be made, make it. Then push it a bit further. Take, for example, a simple stone and mortar wall like this one at the Convento de Santa Teresa in Ávila, the lady’s hometown. Embellish that mortar just a little bit by pushing small stones into it at regular intervals. Something so basic nudged into something remarkable and beautiful.

Palermo, Sicily. May, 1988

What are these? Three guesses. If you guessed that they were plaster molds used to make marzipan fruit in a town known for that ubiquitous almondy confection, you’re correct. Just before we left Palermo, Nick and I visited a man whose occupation was making just such plaster items. (He also made some decorative flourishes like tiny plaster shelves with Corinthian-column-like supports, of which I brought home two.) But these are his specialties. Look at the variety: corn, eggplants, lemons, tomatoes, even a pig’s face. Once the almond paste is forced into the molds and retrieved, the shapes are painted with food colorings and sold at what seems like every other storefront in town.

Pinar del Río, Cuba. February, 2012

Part of the joy of travel for me is the planning, the preparation, the research. Sometimes it’s so thorough that I feel as if I’m returning to a place even when it’s my first visit. (I remember arriving in Istanbul for the first time and experiencing a wonderful déjà vu sense of a possible past life in the City of the World’s Desire.) As I write this, we’re aiming toward a visit to Santa Cruz de Tenerife in the Canary Islands. I’ve read that the town’s central market has a Central American feel to it. If it’s even the slightest bit reminiscent of my trip to Cuba, what could be better?

Madrid. October, 2009

Well, yes, I suppose Dr. Blake could be called “El Brillante.” Sometimes. But this photo is an homage to the wonderful bar/cafe of the same name near Atocha station in Madrid. Home, they claim, to el mejor bocadillo de calamares de Madrid. And who are we to argue. It looks as if our travel plans this coming fall will bring us to Madrid again. And I admit that one of the first things I thought of was the home of Madrid’s best calamari sandwiches. And how many times we’d be able to enjoy them in our two-day stay.

Stoughton, MA. January, 2013

Who goes to IKEA to eat? We do. Or we did this night. Marin and James both were jonesin’ for the fabled ribs at the Swedish shopping emporium. And I was jonesin’ for the pleasure of their company. I had the Swedish meatballs, mashed potatoes and lingonberry jam for the low, low price of $3.99. The boys each had ribs ($6.99) with cornbread and french fries (for Marin) and broccoli/potato “medallion” (for James, seen here.) And then, as is always the case, we walked through the store and picked up a number of items we had no idea we’d needed.