floating relic: venice by gondola
Travel by gondola: a centuries-old tradition that is in no way vital to the city’s operations…but surely vital to its heart. Continue reading floating relic: venice by gondola
Tag: water
the city of islands: death by tourism?
Venezia is a city composed of tiny islands. 120 of them, spanned by 400 bridges. Wooden or stone, humble or showy, everywhere bridges. Every time you cross a bridge you step onto a new island. Long ago, these borders determined micro-communities, islands like tribes. People didn’t know their neighbors across the water. The communities were self-sufficient, each served by its own church. This explains why … Continue reading the city of islands: death by tourism?
first impressions of an upside-down forest: venice by vaporetto
Not the city that never sleeps (it does), maybe it’s the city that’s never still. Built on the water, Venice sloshes, splashes, seems to breathe. Venice is sinking. Venice has always been improbable. Continue reading first impressions of an upside-down forest: venice by vaporetto
shades of blue: falling for gorges du verdon
A stranger in the kitchen. That was my first impression of Rémi. I didn’t know how to politely phrase the question ‘who are you and what are you doing here,’ so I assumed he was related to my AirBnb hosts, a cousin or something. We had a whole conversation before I realized he was just a guest like me. In Cannes for a week from … Continue reading shades of blue: falling for gorges du verdon
bad & bougie: our ill-fated vacation turned writing retreat
According to some estimates, Menton, France experiences merely thirty-four sunless days a year. I have been here for all of them. That’s an exaggeration. I have learned, though, that even the “sunniest place in France” isn’t always the beach oasis you expect. Not in February, when I visited the first time with my mom, and not now. I’m here again, this time with Mary, in our … Continue reading bad & bougie: our ill-fated vacation turned writing retreat
Croissants & Conjugations 