We took a high-speed train from Florence to Venice. I’d been through Venice twice on my trip before this and even wandered around the island once for a few hours in between train rides in August, but this was the…
Cinque Terre, Florence, and My Mom’s First Hostel Stay
When I started planning the itinerary for my mom’s visit to Italy, I thought I would leave Cinque Terre out. She knew she wanted to see a seaside town, and at first I was torn between the Amalfi Coast and…
A Surprise Guest in Rome—My Mom’s First Trip Abroad
Ever since my first visit to Rome over a decade ago, I’d tried to convince my mom to visit Italy with me because I knew how much she’d love it. My mom grew up in rural Mississippi (where she still…
Edinburgh, London, and the Harry Potter Pilgrimage
I started preparing for my Europe trip months in advance. I bought supplies, did several practice packs, spent hours researching, and most importantly, I started re-reading Harry Potter. It sounds dramatic and overly sentimental to say that Harry Potter played…
Rome, Italy, and the Risk of Returning to a Place You Love After a Decade Away
When I was growing up in rural Mississippi, one of my most desperate wishes was to travel. For as long as I can remember, visiting Rome was the ultimate dream. I was obsessed with it. In my previous post about…
A Return to Florence, a Mishap in San Gimignano, and the Magic of Orvieto
I’d been to Florence twice before, but this trip felt like the first time that I really experienced it. My previous visits were both a decade ago when I was chaperoning high school students on weekend trips. I escorted a…
