This year we decided to attend the special Easter celebration in Florence (Who wouldn’t want to see the famous Explosion of the Cart?) But try as we may, we could not find the starting time for the festivities. We stopped by the local tourist office, but it was closed. We called a couple of phone […]
We had a plan. But things in Italy often times don’t go according to plan. The idea was fairly straightforward: Grab a panino, sandwich then catch the 5:30 movie. Then after the movie, we planned to get a primo, first course dish, such as pasta just before making the rounds to all of Florence’s great […]
The Espresso experience is so much more than drinking a cup of coffee. Of course the ultimate espresso can only be found in Italy. Case closed. Nothing can match the total experience of the morning espresso and pasta, pastry at a real Italian neighborhood bar. What makes it unique? Hmm, well . . . we’ll take […]
The magical, mystical allure of Dominoes. In the hills of 12th century China, domino tiles were purportedly invented. That said, there are pesky rumors of earlier Egyptian and Arabian origins that have persisted over the centuries. Everyone wants the prestigious honor of having dreamt-up one of the greatest games ever made. But regardless of the […]
Autumn arrived in Italy. Turning from warm summer breezes in the shade, to cool gray rains, the fall season clearly was approaching. Winter wouldn’t be far behind. We were grateful to be staying in a friend’s small unused apartment in Florence, just across the Arno river, with easy access to the historic center—a delightful 10 […]
Not every bridge is famous. But that doesn’t mean they aren’t all equally important. In fact, the smaller they get, the more “pedestrian” they become, and in some ways, more important. Why? Because they make a real difference for local people in their every-day lives. Neighborhood bridges get built because individuals make it a priority, […]
The last line of the message was left unfinished. Our therapist said that WE would need to complete the sentence later. That evening, after re-reading the notes from the day’s session, we both paused at the unfinished line as if slowly, cautiously walking up to the edge of a cliff. We each knew the answer. […]
It all started with Dr Jaz Roemer and Leonardo da Vinci Jacintha Roemer, better known as Dr. Jaz is a practitioner of Chinese Medicine, Acupuncture, Chi Nei Tsang and Qigong. We were fortunate to have her visit us for a few days in Italy in 2019. We had a delightful time both in the quiet […]
Turning point This song shifted our focus from Spain to Italy. That change was organic and actually happened as we were writing this song. While gazing through the open window into the Tuscan countryside a light rain began to fall. We suddenly felt a connection with Tuscany that seemed to take hold and grow stronger. […]
Inspiration! In a spontaneous and intuitive flash of “Let’s go!” we decided to take the next step in our own unfolding story. A secluded place on Spain’s Costa Brava would be perfect! Cheryl had made her pilgrimage alone to Florence, and Em had concluded his own solo journey to Barcelona, so it seemed that the […]
