I arrived at my little paradise of Playa Lagartillo on Costa Rica’s west coast a few days ago, where I resumed my cherished simple routine of rising with the sun and strolling the dusty, 150-meter-long path to the beach…
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Travel Anxiety
Who, me? A seasoned solo traveler? Filled with trepidation? And in anticipation of going to a place I’ve been twice before, loving it sufficiently that I’m returning, rather than exploring the undoubtedly many other magical spots located elsewhere in Costa Rica? Yup…
Mustard Seed
I keep this photo on my laptop desktop. It captures a banal moment in my peripatetic life. Taken on the S-Bahn (commuter train) between Berlin and Potsdam, I love it because of the way its significance has metamorphosed over time….
Letting Go
I briefly thought about sweeping up the pieces and trying to glue them back together but then thought this event was meant to be. While I no longer have a madeleine de Proust that takes me directly back to that wonderful afternoon…
Bus Adventure
Although the Arctic storm that paralyzed much of the U.S. (especially my hometown of Buffalo), put a monkey wrench in the holiday plans of millions, including me, I decided to make the trip to Cleveland and Buffalo anyway. By bus…
Light, Solstice, Tradition
I confess to wanting to live in this idyllic world, one attainable through self-creation. The Larssons do-it-yourself, be yourself ethos guided me once I learned about it…
Indie Author
My journey as an indie author has not unfolded the way I envisioned it. But that is true of my life in general…
A Visit to Chantilly
During the spring and early summer of 2021 in Paris, I made numerous excursions about which I do not write in An American in Pandemic Paris. Chantilly, birthplace of whipped cream, was one of my favorites….
Never Again!
Have you ever had a friend with whom you got along well, well enough to plan a trip together? And then, a few hours into the adventure you realized your misjudgment?…
Last Suppers #1
Twenty years ago, I realized that some of the social moments I recalled with the greatest clarity were the meals I shared with friends or family at our last (unexpectedly last) meeting before they died….