Barb’s Train Trip

Those of you on Facebook and some others have heard that I just returned from an “across Canada by train” trip; at least from Toronto to Vancouver. Below are some notes about the trip, warts and all.

Historic San Juan a lasting gem

"One's destination," said the 20th century's most controversial novelist, Henry Miller — who was also a great traveller — "is never a place, but a new way of seeing things." (To read the whole, click on the article's bold title.)

Arizona’s Tucson, its desert and history

There may be bluer skies, but it's hard to imagine them, when you look up from the broad sidewalks of Tucson — the Arizona city, said to have 360 sunny days a year. (To read the whole article, click on the story's bold title.)

Ancient Villages – a Welcome Refuge in the Shadow of Rome

Sometimes, beautiful places are overshadowed by the fame of larger and nearby cities. That's nowhere more evident than in the little publicized towns rising on the hills of the province of Rome. They're a collection of ancient landscape, lush vineyards and terraced trails.(Click on the article's bold title to read the whole.)

In Rome One Lifetime is not Enough

Rome. The very sound of the word lingers in memory, so that just hearing it spoken, evokes my past visits, so many that certain streets and sites seem permanently engraved. (Click on the article's bold title to read the whole.)

Gathering memories in the Sicilian town of Taormina

It's been called the most picturesque place in Italy. Taormina, a Sicilian town of cobblestone streets, set high above the Ionian Sea, from which you see some of Europe's most magnificent views including puffs of smoke from Mount Etna. (Click on the article's bold title to read the whole.)