The Lavender fields in Provence, France reach their peak between mid-July and the beginning of August each year. For more than a month, the air of Provence is saturated with the sweet musky scent of lavender as the blooms are harvested. They are sent to local distilleries, where their fragrance is used in soap, lotions, … Read more
When I first visited France some years ago, I noticed that every town had a building named Hôtel de Ville. Without any French language skills, I just assumed they were hotels. I remember thinking that it must be a huge chain, as I saw their properties were in almost every town. When I finally figured … Read more
On the surface, Hiroshima, Japan, was like any other large metropolitan city. Traffic streamed down the broad boulevards. Trams trundled noisily past on tracks set in the middle of the street. People hurried along sidewalks under a searing sun. Yet from the moment I set foot in Hiroshima, I felt wrapped in a cloak of … Read more
I’d been walking half a day in scorching heat when I arrived at the gorgeous entrance to Kiyomizu-dera Temple in Kyoto, Japan. I looked up the steep steps and questioned whether I really wanted to tackle yet another temple complex. Perhaps the entrance was all I needed to see. In the end, I wiped the … Read more
Many Japanese still wear the traditional Yukata, a casual cotton version of the more formal silk Kimono, as everyday attire. I found this to be so in Kyoto more than in any other place I visited in Japan. The streets were full of Yukata-wearing men and women. And while those in the city center were … Read more
