Proud wyoming woman retreat

CHERNIVTSI, Ukraine — Tucked in the southwest corner of Ukraine, Chernivtsi is a cheerful city that graciously marries the glories and sorrows of centuries past with vibrant Eastern European urban life today. It's at the heart of a geographical and historical region with a name that almost sounds whimsical: Bukovina. Fiercely proud Bukovina, whose name means beechwood in Romanian, spans Romania and Ukraine and straddles the Carpathian Mountains. Bukovina has witnessed a long succession of rulers and influences, including Huns, Ottomans sultans and Austro-Hungarian emperors. A flourishing Jewish population in Bukovina was uprooted and largely exterminated during World War II, but there are traces of it if you look. Early this summer, joined by my daughter, I spent 10 days in Chernivtsi. Every day I grew more charmed by the city. One of the oldest towns in Ukraine, Chernivtsi brims with young people, drawn by a renowned university with such impressive, 19th-century architecture … [Read more...] about Ukraine’s Chernivtsi a charming city of architectural gems

We flew into Delhi on the last day of June with our son, his wife and their three children.  For me a most wonderful opportunity to show them all India, the India that I know and love. The timing is not what I would choose ordinarily but, considering the children’s long holiday starts end of June, and such a visit requires three weeks to enjoy a comprehensive experience of India as an introduction, we had to go then and brave the heat and the monsoon.  It worked out well. Normally we prefer the months of November to end of March. We stayed for three nights at The Imperial Hotel New Delhi; this fine heritage five-star luxury hotel has been in my conscious for sixty years and is a most wonderful welcome to the capital of India.  The three generations of family were warmly welcomed into gracious suites and the pool enticed the children immediately – well like walking into a lukewarm bath but so welcome! The cuisines are glorious and varied and we were given a … [Read more...] about Lapping up Luxury in India

A gorgeous gem of a place located on the Californian coast midway between San Francisco and Los Angeles, which makes an idyllic stop for lovers of natural beauty. It’s a wealthy community with a slightly bohemian air, nestled near the famous attraction of Hearst Castle and has a proud nickname of ‘Pines by the Sea.’ Here you can expect boutiques, art galleries, fine dining, and spectacular coastal scenery. It makes a fantastic destination to visit if you don’t want to leave your furry friend behind on your vacation. Although dogs aren’t allowed oh the main Moonstone Beach, they’re allowed on the boardwalk that follows this ruggedly beautiful coastline. You can, of course, go hiking along many of the wonderful nearby hiking trails, visit one of the numerous dog parks and nearby Cayucos beach allows pooches. There are also no less than 17 pooch welcoming restaurants including Cambria Pine’s lodge restaurant and Las Cambritas. Looking for a … [Read more...] about Top 15 dog-friendly hotels in Cambria, California

By Samantha Feuss | October 6, 2019 at 12:32 am I’ve been obsessed with Barbados since I was a kid, when I read the Newbery Medal-winning book “The Witch of Blackbird Pond” by Elizabeth George Speare. For anyone who somehow managed to escape their summer reading, the book is about a fictional 17th century young woman who, orphaned, must leave her home in Barbados and travel to New England. Now in Puritan Connecticut, she often reminisces about her home and her childhood growing up in beautiful Barbados. Yes, as an adult, I now realize the colonizer themes that ran rampant in the book. However, the images left in my mind’s eye of the lush and balmy Barbados had impressed on me the desire to make my way over to the tiny island as soon as I was able. No better time then the present, so we headed over to finally see the nation well known as the birthplace of rum. Located in the lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the Caribbean region of North America, just 166 … [Read more...] about Lots to see and do in beautiful Barbados

We explored the Austrian hills with Komperdell’s famed mountaineer Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner to get the inside scoop. I was told that we—the famous high-altitude Austrian mountaineer Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner and myself—would be hiking through a hillside filmed in The Sound of Music. Julie Andrews made it look like a pleasant frolic, though, not the warm-up to a steep four-mile ascent. I’d met Gerlinde midmorning, on the southwestern shore of Mondsee, a clear green lake known for waterskiing (Austrians have to do something with their skis, even in summer). We began the 4,000-vertical-foot hike up the adjacent towering “Schafberg,” German for “Sheep Mountain.” Gerlinde, a sweet soul with a fondness for both high-risk ice climbing and yoga, is the first woman to summit the world’s 14 tallest 8,000-meter peaks (over 26,000 feet) without supplemental oxygen. She is also vegan. And takes a daily goose-bumping jump in the lake each morning … [Read more...] about How To Maximize the Benefits of Trekking Poles