Ten of us sat around a kitchen table in a tidy home in eastern Croatia. Over cake and coffee, our hostess answered questions about life in villages still reeling from the effects of a war that ended on paper more than two decades ago.

And then the rains came down, blessing this magical and sacred city of 21,321,000 million inhabitants and giving them a gentle reprieve from their bustling and productive lives. It has been said that Mexico City has a perfect annual spring temperature, making it an abundant produce belt for Mexico and the rest of the world.

There is very little that can entice me to get up at 4 a.m. but how often do you get a chance to bathe a Buddha? And not just any Buddha but one that the actual real Buddha is said to have embraced himself. The statue at Maha Muni Pagoda in Mandalay, Myanmar is believed to be one of only five likenesses of Buddha created during his lifetime. And the daily cleansing ritual for the hundreds of pilgrims who attend is both literal and spiritual.

If I told you one of the most romantic ways to get to one of Britain’s most spectacular resorts is by cruise ship, you might think I’d gone – as the British might say – a little batty. Then again consider it serves up a typically Upper Crust, very High Society drink called Pimms Number One. Believe me, it’s the most refreshing drink this side of London.

The 22nd annual COLCOA French Film Festival, the largest festival of its kind dedicated to French cinema and television series, recently wrapped up after eight days of screenings at the Directors Guild of America where a smorgasbord of 86 films, television and digital series, and VR programs were offered.

His seven older siblings thought he was crazy. Heirs to one of America’s biggest fortunes in the 19th century, they lived in mansions in Manhattan and on lavish estates in Newport, Rhode Island. But little Georgie Vanderbilt, a bachelor devoted to his mother, spent his money buying up land in the wilds of western North Carolina and set out building a home where he and mama could breathe clean mountain air. Family members scoffed.

Allow me to introduce a friend, Elliott Negin, who writes for the Union of Concerned Scientists. The UCS, marshals volunteers and a network of twenty-thousand scientists for a variety of objectives including fighting misinformation and attacks on science, on matters from global warming to pollution to nuclear weapons.

A question has been on my mind. “Am I actually a minority here in Peru?” Like most questions, I see no clear answer , but the conversation begins with one word: privilege.

The island of Rügen, Germany's largest, just off the Pomeranian coast in the Baltic, was an occasional summer retreat for, among the many, a troika of Teutonic heavy-weights — Albert Einstein, Thomas Mann, and Otto von Bismarck. So, I figured it was good enough for me to take a three-day respite there, after an activity-filled few days in hectic and exciting Berlin.

I don’t want to genuflect to Robert Mueller as if his sainthood is imminent. Plenty of others are already busy at that task. Separating him from his legal environment is a challenge, as it’s difficult to ignore a stench floating above many aspects of the US Dept. of Justice.

Are several lumps of sugar worth putting in an historic museum? That may sound like a funny question, but the fact is that yes they are – especially if they’re part of the Churchill Museum and Cabinet War Rooms (CWR) in London.

Pismo Beach is one of my favorite Central California locations. Set on the ocean, with perfect weather, miles of sandy beaches, an historic pier, unique shops and dining, nearby wineries and tons of classic vibe, the city has everything I look for in a weekend getaway.

The line “Made in China” was synonymous with cheap, poorly made, disposable junk for many years. Today, as the world’s largest economy, the country produces and exports a vast range of goods, from Apple computers to Trump neckties. Follow this journey from a superstore in Beijing to the Terra Cotta Warriors of Xian to the priceless gems of Hong Kong and discover the riches of China along the way.

Berlin has been on my mind. I just finished reading Scottish writer, Philip Kerr’s Berlin Noir Trilogy: an addictive, hard boiled historical fiction series about private eye Bernie Günter, as he descends into the dark underworld of Berlin in the 1920s and ‘30s. The trilogy reminded me about my own past journeys to Berlin.

When the Trump presidency is finally put away, the Trump Presidential Library that will be created to mark the time that Donald J. Trump as the accidental (or misconceived) 45th President of the United States will be chalk-full of volumes.  The many, many volumes (likely more than a few on each subject) will contain detailed documentation on a whole variety …

Out of the historic Kennedy clan has emerged yet another young “prince,” and his name is Patrick Arnold Shriver Schwarzenegger. The eldest son of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver, his family tree reads like the who’s who in American philanthropy and politics, ranging from Robert F. Kennedy, Ted Kennedy, and John F. Kennedy, to his grandmother, Eunice Kennedy Shriver.

When one invokes images of English King Henry VIII they’re generally of a grossly obese and egoistical king, who was no stranger to the royal casting couch, despite his marrying a number of his conquests. But this is not the Henry of early years; an avid hunter and sportsman, a helpless romantic, sublime dancer, and highly educated man who actually composed his own songs and played numerous musical instruments.

A week before Christmas, the school year here ended, along with it some youth volunteers’ hopes of having consistent work for a few months. Thankfully, vacaciones útiles is notorious for keeping both volunteers and students busy.