One of the images most people associate with Provence is endless fields of brilliant purple lavender stretching toward the horizon beneath impossibly blue skies. Those photographs are beautiful, but they also create the impression that you simply drive into Provence and lavender magically appears around every bend. The reality is a little more complicated—and, in many ways, much more rewarding. As I have written in several of my other travel blogs, one of my favorite ways to

In an earlier blog, I wrote at length about my favorite things to see and do in Avignon, one of my favorite cities in France. On a recent return visit, however, I happened to arrive during the famous Festival d’Avignon and discovered an entirely different side of the city, along with several wonderful places I had somehow missed before. While I had certainly heard of the Festival d’Avignon, nothing prepared me for the sheer scale of it. Every July, this already beautiful medi

One of the greatest pleasures of travel, at least for me, is making connections. Not simply between places, but between people, ideas, and moments in history that at first seem entirely unrelated. A small museum visited one year suddenly explains a painting encountered in another city. A forgotten collector helps me understand an artist I have admired for decades. A chance exhibition ties everything together. Avignon has become one of those places for me. Most visitors come f

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

One of the many remarkable things about Provence—the magical, sun-drenched corner of southern France—is its markets. While many places have farmers markets, Provence has something closer to a way of life. Nearly every town has its own market day, often following traditions that stretch back hundreds of years. The result is that, if you are so inclined, you can visit a different market every day of the week. That is exactly what we have done during our extended stays just outs

One of the great joys of spending extended time in Provence is discovering places that somehow exceed all expectations. For us, Uzès has been exactly that sort of discovery. A friend recommended it to us and, while it appears in every guidebook to southern France, we were wildly surprised by just how lovely it is. Charming, manageable in size, easy to navigate, and full of character, it feels like the sort of place that deserves far more attention than it receives. Then again

One of the joys of slow travel is the freedom to take a last-minute detour. During our two-week stay in Heidelberg, we decided almost on a whim to spend a day in Baden-Baden. Thank goodness we did, because it turned out to be one of the highlights of our time in Germany. Our only regret? Not staying longer. At a minimum, we should have spent a night. In hindsight, Baden-Baden is the sort of place that deserves a week—a place to settle into rather than simply visit. For us, Ba

Somewhere in the fog of memory lies the story of how we first discovered HomeExchange. I cannot recall whether it was a recommendation from a friend, an article we stumbled across, or simply one of those internet rabbit holes that occasionally leads to something wonderful. What I do know is that for the past three years it has become the cornerstone of our retirement travels around the world. One of the great gifts of retirement is flexibility. We have the freedom to stay pla

I love lap swimming and so the challenge in our many travels throughout Europe is navigating finding and using lap pools. But the reward, beyond working off all the calories from the bakeries we find irresistible, is to enter into an entirely local activity where each country, and sometimes each city, has its own customs and rules. Some general observations and corresponding tips after swimming laps in various towns in the UK, France, Greece and Germany: Expect to be flexibl

One of the questions we are most frequently asked, given how much time we spend in London, is where we like to eat. Narrowing the list down is no easy feat in a city with literally tens of thousands of restaurants representing nearly every cuisine on earth. Before even getting to proper restaurants, however, I should note the two places we consistently recommend for quick breakfasts, takeaway lunches, or an easy bite between museums and theater performances: Pret A Manger and

There is something endlessly fascinating about historic houses. Beyond the architecture and collections, they offer an intimate window into the ambitions, tastes, insecurities, and aspirations of the people who built them. Whenever we travel through Europe, we inevitably find ourselves drawn toward country estates and palaces — not only for the beauty, but for the stories hidden inside their walls. On a recent trip to Heidelberg, we visited Schwetzingen Palace and were struck

Serendipity brought us to Heidelberg. Friends we met through the HomeExchange program casually suggested we consider an exchange there, and we eagerly accepted despite knowing almost nothing about the city. In retrospect, that lack of expectations may have made the experience all the sweeter. Heidelberg turned out to be one of those rare places that quietly captures your heart — romantic without trying too hard, youthful yet historic, cultured but entirely approachable. Germa

Many travelers visiting London treat Bath as a quick day trip—an easy box to tick before rushing back to the capital. But that approach misses the point entirely. To truly experience this remarkable double UNESCO World Heritage city (recognized both for its Roman remains and its Georgian urban landscape), you need at least 3–5 days. We spent four full days here in late March and left already planning a return for a full week in the fall. Getting there is part of the pleasure

More ink has been spilled by travel writers gushing about the beauty of San Francisco than almost any other place on earth. The fog. The bridge. The Victorians. I won’t repeat the basics. Instead, let me tell you about my San Francisco — the one I’ve known over 35 years living in the city and nearby Tiburon. These are not necessarily the most famous places. But they are among my favorites — the quirky, soulful, slightly off-center spots that keep this city endlessly intrigui

There are few greater seasonal pleasures than stepping off a plane in mid-winter and into the open-air concourse of Palm Springs International Airport . No jet bridge. No gray tunnel. Just blue skies, soft desert air, and the San Jacinto Mountains rising dramatically beyond the tarmac. It feels like someone has adjusted the lighting and warmth settings on your life. From November through May, Palm Springs delivers what much of the northern world craves. Expect daytime highs i

Americans tend to think of Queenstown, on New Zealand’s South Island, as simply the gateway to the world-famous Milford Sound and the Milford Track. And yes, it is that. But it is also far more. Before experiencing the South Island, I had long believed that Norway offered the most awe-inspiring natural beauty I had ever encountered. The mountains and fjords surrounding Queenstown — and throughout the greater Otago region — give Norway a very real run for its money. Queenstown

We spent a week in Christchurch in late October, just as the Southern Hemisphere was turning green for spring, and the city delighted us at every turn. For most Americans who think of Christchurch at all, it’s only vaguely tied to the earthquake of 2011—but this week-long visit revealed so much more: a cool vibe, exciting modern architecture rising amid the rebuild, pockets of surviving heritage, and lush parks everywhere. It’s no exaggeration that Christchurch earns its nick

If you’re lucky enough to have friends who live in Sydney, chances are they’ll tell you that one of their favorite beach getaways is Byron Bay — a short flight north to the Gold Coast Airport followed by a 40-minute drive south through rolling green hills dotted with banana and macadamia plantations. We were there in late September, the start of Australia’s spring, and it was already warm enough for shorts and T-shirts. The days were long and sunny, with that soft, golden lig