Today millions of Americans have traveled near and far to see their families and loved ones to give thanks for what we have. Whether you’ve just gone over the river and through the woods, or flown across the continent, this annual trek isn’t an obligation. It’s a tradition. The question isn’t really how far you’d travel for a home cooked meal, but when can you get there? After jumping the pond to Paris, going the extra mile to Finale for a few days seems like nothing. It is really about 400 miles and I arrive late Thursday evening just before a big storm. The next morning, I make my way to...

October 30 – Paris, France It is an unusually warm fall morning as I walk the quiet streets of Paris on my way to mass at Notre Dame. The streets are damp from rain the night before but this morning the sky is blue and cloudless. Paris mornings are typically slow, but this Sunday is even more tranquil as I navigate metro closures and join the stream of tourists crowding buses towards the cathedral. I worry I have missed the early mass until someone tells me Europe has “fallen back.” Suddenly I have a full hour to grab a coffee and croissant and look at souvenir stands. Soon the bells announce the...

In the spring of 1999 a gal pal called me with the idea to meet her brother in London then go to Paris. It was still off-season, tickets inexpensive and the romance of April in Paris irresistible. In a week I had a flight booked and I had my passport on an express request. Two weeks later, the three of us emerged from the metro on a warm spring night. As we oriented ourselves, a couple ran across the cobblestone street to greet each other with kisses. My more experienced traveling friends were  focused on the map. I was wide-eyed at the scene before me. This was Paris. It was just as it looked in the...

Photo of the Day Another summer is in the books in Arizona and that means two of my favorite things are back on the regular schedule: Scooters and rocks.  But unfortunately, not at the same time. In Finale, my first Italian scooter ride couldn’t have been better as I jumped on the back of my roommate’s moto with a visiting friend and we sped off toward the rocks. The helmet case was converted into a rope box and we had our gear in one pack. We took the back road out of town careful to avoid the carabinieri – my friend did not have a helmet which is now a big no-no in Italy. On a spring afternoon...

A few years ago I noticed a pole in Finale with some padlocks on it. I thought it was strange but was too focused on getting to the rocks to ask anyone about it. Leave it to the cutest couple in Italy to enlighten me on a part of my beloved Italian city I was only barely aware. Apparently posts and fences in some of Europe’s most romantic cities have become new symbols of love. While no one knows exactly where or how it started, most attribute it to an Italian book and movie “I Want You.” But there are also similar rituals in Serbia and Greece. Whatever the source, it is as timeless a tradition...