Not to ruin the suspense or anything, but I made it just fine to Hôtel le Relais de la Reine, a lovely hotel where Brett had scored me room about 30 minutes before. I was pretty frazzled (didja notice?) and I didn’t want to leave my phone in the taxi (I’ve done that twice already …
Getting in my Own Way
It has been mentioned that I have a gift for self-sabotage. See you if you can identify it in the following narrative: Yesterday I flew from Portland to San Francisco. In San Francisco, I bought a huge egg and sausage on a brioche sandwich for $10.50. Then I threw it away because it was making …
Veracity
During our ten day China trip, we had three different guides in three different cities. Olivia was the first. You’ve met Oliva. Of all the guides, Olivia was the most fervent at finding western toilets. “Here!” she would say. “This one!” I didn’t have the heart to tell her the squat toilets are cleaner than …
Notes
A FEW NOTES: Dumplings are delicious for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The older and shorter a Chinese woman is, the harder she will shove you out of her way. This theory includes, but is not limited to, old women in wheelchairs. Every Chinese city is the “Best” at something. As are Chinese museums, roads, trains …
Olivia
Oliva collected us promptly on the morning of our first day. She bustled us down the alley and loaded us into our emperor’s van. This time she wore a long dark wool coat with a felted shapes on the back, mostly a rather menacing and undernourished Santa Claus-like figure holding a scroll that said …
Arrive
We landed in Beijing at 7:00 on Friday night, and even though I had sent the budget tour company the wrong arrival time, our guide met us anyway, a tiny young woman in the shouting airport throng, wearing a bright red hat and scarf and smiling a smile that took up most of her face. She …
St Sofia
Sofia, Bulgaria Monday, June 27, 2016 In Sofia, Bulgaria, the boys and I visited the St Sofia church, a redbrick building dating back to the 6th century. The church honors Sofia the Martyr, who, along with her daughters, was murdered in Rome, around 137 AD. I’m not Catholic, but I can’t resist a good saint’s …
ICEBOX PLUMS: Moments, sweet and cold 