by Penny Zibula | Aug 18, 2016 | Europe
Wondrous Surprises Await You at This Medieval Wiltshire Church What do the Magna Carta, the oldest working clock in the world and the tomb of a British prime minister have in common? They all reside in Salisbury Cathedral. And on a rainy morning in the historic... by Penny Zibula | Aug 12, 2016 | Europe
How a First-Rate Walking Tour Gives this Popular Italian Destination Fresh Perspective Our descent from the heat of a late Naples morning brought us cool relief, and the knowledge that with every step, we were moving back in time. Fiorella, our Context Italy tour... by Penny Zibula | Jul 28, 2016 | Accommodation, Europe
Hospitality and Heart Define this Costa Brava Hotel As we drove slowly through the center of Girona in search of our accommodations, what we saw was anything but awe-inspiring. Perhaps it was the long drive from Guadalajara, or the fact that we were just plain tired,... by Penny Zibula | Jul 8, 2016 | Europe, Weekly Wow!
Teachable, Touchable Stones that are Anything But Ordinary. “If you like Stonehenge, Avebury will blow you away.” It was this piece of advice, along with a chance meeting, that led us to a WOW of an experience. Simon, Otto and I had just spent two extraordinary days... by Penny Zibula | Jul 1, 2016 | Europe, Weekly Wow!
Ritual Bath Opens a Window on a Once-Thriving Jewish Community. It was thirty-six stairs down from the square in Besalu’s Jewish Quarter into the 14th century ritual bath, known as a mikvah. With each step I noticed the air gradually cooling, as the daylight receded,... by Penny Zibula | Jun 24, 2016 | Europe, Weekly Wow!
The Grand Dame of Medieval Churches Gets a Facelift. When I first read the book, it was drier than day-old toast, but Henry Adams’s “Mont St. Michel and Chartres” made me want to get close to both these magnificent medieval religious structures. So, in the words of...