I’ve been coming to Dresden regularly (at least every other year) since the mid-1990s and it’s been fascinating to observe the city’s transformation following the fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989….
Category: memoir
Walking to Spitzkunnersdorf
Inexplicably reluctant to break my writing procrastination streak, instead of writing my Monday blogpost, a ritual I enjoy, I decided to spend the cool, sunny morning taking a short hike….
Balancing Act
During the past year, the unexpected deaths or devastating traumas experienced by close friends and family have instigated intensified reflections on mortality, materialism, legacies, and the choices we make. I’d prefer to have such thoughts poke me a lot less often…
Hope & Happiness
I thought about my sudden change of humor and how someone else’s success transformed my somber mood of detached concentration into a vibration of joy that lingered as a gentle quivering undercurrent…
Dietary Restrictions
Short stays in Paris are much less fun now that I’m gluten-free due to heart issues. All of the quick noshes—crepes, croissants, pains au chocolate, croissants aux amandes, sandwiches—are off limits, as are small plats at cafes and restaurants. Also forbidden are most soups and anything with a sauce or eaten ideally with a slice of… Continue reading Dietary Restrictions
The Ninth Inning?
Is humanity on the fast track to self-destruction, or on the eve of a new era of enlightenment and sustainability?
The Blessing
There’s a certain pleasant sameness to my beach mornings at Playa Lagartillo but one morning strayed from the routine…
Impulse Control
A few weeks ago, I dined at a Purgatory restaurant known for its creative cocktails with a fellow I’ve known for a few years but have seen only a few times, and not since the COVID-19 pandemic’s denouement. Eighteen hours later, he’d made plans to join me for my first week at a rustic hacienda on a Pacific beach in Costa Rica. It didn’t strike me as an impulsive gesture until I mentioned it to a friend…
A Happy Reunion
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…
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…