2026

As a history buff, and both an Anglophile and a Francophile, World War II has always held a particular fascination for me. At the center of that history—and arguably the turning point of the entire war—stands D-Day. So when a friend asked me where they should spend five days in France, I suggested Normandy without hesitation. Little did I know I would be arriving during one of France’s major heat waves. Fortunately, while Paris and much of southern France were approaching 100

Like most first-time visitors to Normandy, we arrived with D-Day very much on our minds. We spent one full day exploring the beaches, museums, and cemeteries that tell the story of June 6, 1944. We devoted another day to the magical town of Bayeux, which deserves a visit all its own and which I’ve written about in a separate blog. But on our third day, we decided to explore a very different Normandy. Leaving Bayeux behind, we pointed the car toward the countryside of the Pays

I visit Honolulu a couple of times a year, usually for a week or so at a time. The reason is not tourism but friendship. One of my closest friends is 98 years old. Although he grew up in San Francisco, his family roots run deep in Hawaii, and he has lived here since shortly after World War II. Because of him, I experience Honolulu less as a tourist destination and more as a quasi-local visitor. Through his stories, I can almost see Waikiki as it was when there were only two h