Regular readers of this blog will know that I love a good castle. This fact traces to my childhood, when my favorite movie was Disney’s Robin Hood. I delighted in watching the cartoon animals sing and frolic around ye olde countryside and dreamed of being Maid Marion in a castle of my own. (Dramatic scenes were often […]
Palaces and Castles
Latgale, Latvia: A Unique Road Trip Destination
Latgale, Latvia is a part of the Baltic region that many travelers miss. Well off the beaten path that links Riga with Vilnius and Tallinn, Latvia’s southeastern corner is a mysterious land of lakes, castle ruins, and onion domes. Lithuania, Belarus, and Russia share borders with Latgale, which was first settled by the Latgalians in the 10th […]
Fun and Interesting Things to Do in Stockholm
The city of Stockholm, Sweden is spread across fourteen islands in the Baltic Sea. These islands are connected by a whopping 57 bridges, inspiring Stockholm’s nickname, the “Venice of the North.” Boats, ferries, and trams make Swedish island hopping a breeze. Good thing, too, because there are a ton of cool things to do in […]
Dobele, Latvia and the Largest Lilac Garden in Europe
The Dobele lilac garden is the largest of its kind in Europe. When I mentioned this fact to a Riga taxi driver, he didn’t believe me. But it’s true – the Peteris Upitis Garden in Dobele, Latvia boasts more than 200 lilac trees! The garden was started in 1956 by Peteris Upitis, an avid horticulturist and head […]
Versailles: In the Footsteps of Kings and Tourists
In the 1670s, Louis XIV built the Palace of Versailles on the site of his father’s hunting lodge. Louis was fed up with the scheming nobility and relocated the entire French court from Paris to a remote location where he could monitor them more closely. Versailles was designed to show off Louis’s absolute power as […]