Fit as a fiddle for autumn
Leaves are turning and beginning to fall, darkness comes early now, and the evenings are getting downright chilly. Despite some warm afternoons, autumn really...
Southern Germany’s pumpkin mania
In the local markets of southern Germany, pumpkins and their squashy cousins come in myriad shapes and sizes. Each autumn, a family-run farm in...
I heart Dijon (Burgundy)
Place François-Rude is at the heart of Dijon’s pedestrian zone. The capital of Burgundy is visitor-friendly, its compact historical center chock-a-block with parks and...
August comes to Switzerland
This drowsy month is one of birthdays (Switzerland’s, mine) and the pinnacle of summer here. It can be cool and rainy, but is generally...
Siena—art on the walls and underfoot
Siena is a city of art and architecture in a country replete with both. Thanks to a multi-site ticket, I spent the better part...
Laid-back Lucca, Italy
The train journey from Florence to Lucca was poky, a signal to ratchet down, way down. The regional train made four stops in factory-intensive...
Fine-tuning Florence
The #12 bus from Santa Maria Novella station rounds the Fortezza da Basso, then turns back and crosses the Arno, before winding its way...
Frazzled in Florence
Firenze, with its trove of Renaissance masterpieces, lies directly on the path from my home in Switzerland to San Quirico d’Orcia, Tuscany, where I’d...
Sampling strawberries
A stroll through Basel’s Marktplatz on Saturday just about turned me into a fruitarian. From leafy greens to apricots piled high and yellow in...
Rhubarb–Red, tart and tasty
As spring launches a wave of color into the markets around Basel, the vibrant hue of rhubarb demands my attention. Rhabarba (rhubarb) is onstage...
