Hard to capture the difference between Greece and the other European countries I had visited.  It’s like Greece decided to go the way of the US and then got stuck part-way there—and then resents not making it all the way.  Not to say that traditions from Greece’s history and culture haven’t survived, they have—and of course have percolated through the Romans and the entire history of the western world.  But it feels like the people there aren’t that happy with their traditions (given their…

           Imagine arriving at a remote, windy desert airport in Morocco at 10:30 at night with all your luggage & equipment—& the driver you booked online (who texted you up to takeoff) has disappeared, & you have no local currency yet. . . & your destination is an hour & a half away.  At the main airport exit, all the drivers hang out, none of whom speak English—luckily you get some dirham at an ATM there.  You discover a few know some French or Spanish. . .  they rally, conferring rapidly—& then gather,…

     If you’ve followed these blog stories about my big trip, you’ve probably seen that in picking areas to live, to settle for a month or more, I chose towns or cities that are lesser known, not famous or popular for travelers. That was partly to avoid tourists, and to seek more authentic settings where I could connect with the folks who live there. And choices were strongly driven by what was available & affordable to rent.

     & So it was when I left for Italy from France at the beginning of September…

        Writing about France is different from about any other country where I stayed on my big trip.  Back when I was still a teenager, with the Vietnam lottery looming, my dear friend Marina & I—not long after leaving Vassar, & then attending Woodstock (separately)!—boarded a passenger ship on a five-day passage to Le Havre [& have to confess, I took a steamship chest (upright), oof!]. We moved (with All our stuff) to Paris, where we lived for the better part of a year. That is, I did until I got so sick…

That’s one reason I ended up in Wales for 3 months~   The Schengen coalition of European countries protects them from people like me. After living in Europe for 90 days, by law you have to stay out of it for 90 days.  My “hiatus” countries were Wales and (later) Morocco.

Wales is just such beautiful country—pretty much everywhere.  I have strong memories of the paths, so classic. And, I guess also across the UK—but for sure in Wales—walking paths are everywhere, with signs, right across people’s…

Spain (my first time) felt so much like California, it was crazy—& it goes both ways of course (California was Spain!).  Expansive, dry rolling flatlands, small towns spread out & hidden from that central highway straight down the middle.

Cordoba was only like California in CA’s dreams.  Impossible to encompass the finer details of the groundplan in the old city core (& rebuilds) from uncountable pasts—but one catches on. A sophisticated street plan (rarely cars): walkstreets, harmonious historic buildings,…