Are you wondering how to help the people in the Ukraine? When I travel, I always want local knowledge and fortunately two of the smartest travel people I know shared the following– Cyd Cunniff shared John Boulding‘s post, who I traveled with in Italy when he was CEO for Insight Vacations, about what Tim Pendlebury … Continued
By Hazzan Michael Stein Where to begin? This past Shabbes was a fantastic experience in every way!! Lighting Shabbat candles in the synagogue in Chelm, where there has not been a service for 80 years, was a humbling experience. As I explained the meaning of lighting Shabbat candles, the metaphor of bringing light again into … Continued
By Hazzan Michael Stein The train from Krakow to Gdansk/Sopot/Slupsk was almost six hours, but the most comfortable ride ever. The US Infrastructure bill barely passed, which would provide an opportunity to upgrade our rail system. With food, drinks, internet, and electric outlets, the high-speed train outclasses anything we have in the US. I spent … Continued
Thank you to Thrive Global for publishing my article about Deborah Tannen’s book, Finding My Father. Did you ever wonder about your father’s life before your were born? Deborah Tannen wanted to know more and spent decades interviewing her father and reading his journals after he retired. He was a writer, kept copies of his … Continued
“Tustan!” he yelled out in the melodic tone only locals use. The wind carried the word into the woods and valleys below us. “Tustan!” I echoed him but the sound of my own voice was not as soft and deep as his; he belonged here. Tustan, literally translated, the name of the place means “Stand … Continued
Train ride to Warsaw, long uneventful. We are treated to pretzels and soda water. I listen to Lana del Rey’s existential musings on iTunes, falling asleep. We arrive. Uncle Pavel and Aunt Inga greet us with a miniature garden flower bouquet. Hugs and kisses. Inga’s husband Michael, then chaperones us to the family house — … Continued
Grazie, Villa Lante, Grazie, Bagnaia! Esther Kane Meyers I drove straight from the Rome airport to Bagnaia and the Villa Lante. I had not called ahead, but was confident that the grand Renaissance-era Villa would greet me warmly. I passed through her towering iron gates and immediately found Rosella, the art curator. The Villa, my … Continued
The Magic of Discovering Legacy By Esther K. Meyers My trip grew from a seed planted in the earliest of my days. It gradually took shape inside me and finally demanded to bloom into reality. My parents’ stories about this place populated my youthful dreams. Six decades before I was to walk it, I imagined … Continued