It’s good to be king. Surely that thought occurred to King Louis XIV of France in 1682 when he moved his family and the seat of the country’s government to the Chateau de Versailles, the extravagant and majestic 2,300-room palaceRead more
“We’ll always have Paris.” That’s my favorite line from my favorite movie – Casablanca. Rick sure knew what he was talking about when he said his final goodbye to Ilsa. You change and your circumstances change, but Paris stays withRead more
The year was 1938. The times in London were tense and uncertain as Adolph Hitler threatened mass war in Europe. As a safeguard against sudden and unexpected air attack, the British government decided to establish a central emergency working refugeRead more
Under the gleam of the full moon, Bill, Ann and I were locked inside the Tower of London. Literally. Locked up in the formidable stone-walled complex on the bank of the Thames River that has served as a fortress, palaceRead more
London and Paris are two of Bill’s and my favorite destinations. How could they not be? Both cities are uniquely beautiful and enchanting, and have much in common: they exude a vibrancy that belies their ages, revere their storied histories,Read more
Beth McHugh believes in miracles, and well she should. Little did she know when she boarded US Airways Flight 1549 on January, 15, 2009, that she would be among the 150 passengers and five crew members who would survive theRead more
“It’s the white elephant in the room.” That’s how Wally Coppinger somewhat facetiously referred to the US Airways plane that was before us during my recent private tour of the Carolinas Aviation Museum in Charlotte, where he’s executive director. It’sRead more
Hank Birnbaum selected a sea otter pelt from a pile of skins displayed on a wooden table and let me caress the soft, luxurious fur. “Sea otters don’t have a layer of blubber to help them keep warm, unlike otherRead more
How wonderful to have friends who place top bids in online charity auctions and then ask you to share their winnings. Our friends, Carole and Keith, did just that when she was the recipient of a four-person food and artRead more
When Bill and I realized our nephew, Ben, a senior basketball player at The College of William and Mary, and his team (Go Tribe!) would play against College of Charleston, we put Charleston on our travel radar. Actually, we didn’tRead more