I just returned from my first trip to Europe in several years. My primary destination was Italy, but given how easy it is to “hop” around Europe fairly cheaply once you’re across the Atlantic, I decided that while I was in “the neighborhood”, I simply had to go to London to see ABBA’s innovative concert/show/spectacle, and so I planned a two night stop-over in London for that purpose.
Continue reading “Taking the Voyage with ABBA”
Thanks to the gigantic monkey wrench that COVID threw into all of our lives, I haven’t traveled abroad since the summer of 2019. To some, this may not seem like such a big deal, but for me, who was once described by Diletta, my former Italian teacher, as someone who “goes to Europe the way some people go to the grocery store,” this hiatus from international travel was a huge change in my life. Ambiguous and ever-changing COVID restrictions that varied from country to country, uncertainty about the economy and my own finances, and the threat of a larger war developing in Europe all made me wonder whether I would ever get back to Europe, and especially to my beloved Italy again.
Continue reading “A Beautiful Reunion with an Old Friend: Italy”
Autumn. It’s that time of year again when New England achieves its highest level of “New Englandness.” The days begin to shorten, the air has a slight, but noticeable chill in the early mornings, the leaves start turning to a palette of all of my favorite shades of red, orange and yellow, and the smell of cider donuts and “pumpkin spice everything” assails the nostrils. I’ve always loved fall, and in my humble, native New Englander opinion, there is no better place to be in late September and early October.
Continue reading “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough: Climbing New Hampshire’s Middle Sugarloaf Peak”
Today is September 11, 2022, 21 years since the horrible day that changed our world forever. Back in October of 2001, I actually made a pilgrimage of sorts to Lower Manhattan, as I simply had to see what had happened to New York after the events of the prior month.
One of my favorite songs has always been Bon Jovi’s Who Says You Can’t Go Home. I can relate to the lyrics, which talk about coming full circle in life: from wanting to break away from your hometown to explore the world, but ultimately realizing that home is where you really want or need to be. As so often happens with music, this song has taken on new significance for me over the last few months.
Continue reading “Who Says You Can’t Go Home?”
Recently, in a desire to find some peace and solitude and to avoid the ever-increasing prices of even a modest hotel room, I spent a week in the mountains of eastern Tennessee and western North Carolina.
Continue reading “A Tale of Two Cabins: Tennessee and North Carolina”
After a few weeks of exploring the panhandle, south Florida, and the Gulf Coast I’m now based on the Atlantic side of the state in Ormond-by-the-Sea, a quiet beach community just north of Daytona.
Continue reading “There’s More to Florida Than the Sand and the Sea”
I’ve stayed at a couple dozen AirBnB properties over the last few years and though some have been simply amazing and others simply average, I really can’t say I’ve had a truly bad experience with finding lodgings using this website. Until now.
Continue reading “The AirBnB from Heck”
Much to the chagrin of most of my friends in New England, I love a good snowstorm. Seeing those first flakes start falling from a steely sky makes me feel like a giddy 5 year old, even at the ripe old age of 63. Granted, I’m staying in a place where there’s a generator to ensure that I still have heat and lights if the power goes out, and my landlord plows out the long driveway on the property.
Continue reading “Embracing the Bomb Cyclone”
As I’m sure is true for many of you, Christmastime has always been my favorite time of year. With my birthday in late November, the entire month between Thanksgiving and Christmas has always been one of celebrations, good food, and the company of friends and family, culminating in Christmas Eve, which to me is the most magical night of the year.
Continue reading “Ghosts of Christmases Past”
MATT: AT HOME IN THE WORLD 