Walking around in Salzburg, Austria offers a visual feast of bustling streets and five squares, the Salzach River, the Salzburg Cathedral, the cafes and biergartens, and above all, the Hohensalzburg Fortress high atop Festungsberg hill. The core hardscape is essentially the same for us as it was for Mozart 250 years ago. You can feel…
“Take the time to put the camera away and gaze in wonder at what’s there in front of you.” — Erick Widman Somehow, when visiting the one place I’d circled as a must-see on this weekend diversion south from Austria and Bavaria, I’d left both cameras behind. Realizing it halfway up the first cable car…
As an American from the northeast, I know all about traffic, but it was a surprise to encounter so much of it on the stretch from Hohenschwangau, Germany to Castelrotto, Italy. Then again, it was a beautiful Saturday morning and the world seemed to be going on holiday. Chalk it up to poor planning on…
“If you hear a voice within you say ‘you cannot paint,’ then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced.” — Vincent van Gogh When we figure out the truth in van Gogh’s words dictates exactly how creative we’ll be at any given stage of life. He didn’t achieve “success” until he’d left…
“Fear is for people who don’t get out very much.” – Rick Steves Crossing borders is a thrill when we’re prepared for a trip. Landing in places foreign to us is liberating when our mind is open to fully experience it. As with anything fully realized, we get out of it what we put into…
I live my life in widening circlesthat reach out across the world.I may not complete this last onebut I will give myself to it. I circle around God, around the primordial tower.I’ve been circling for thousands of yearsand I still don’t know: am I a falcon,a storm, or a great song?— Rainer Maria Rilke This…
“Travel like Ghandi, with simple clothes, open eyes and an uncluttered mind.” – Rick Steves Packing for a trip, or for a hike, informs. It teaches us what we can do without. And it turns out we can do without a lot of things. Add a few layers, a few event-specific bits of fashion if…
“Call it what you want. Call it belief, faith… stepping out and making a commitment without necessarily knowing what the outcome is going to be. But really leaning into it in good faith. And then you’re along for this beautiful journey of emergent possibilities and learning things and deepening your knowledge of another person and…
“Knowledge does not come to us by details, but in flashes of light from heaven.” — Henry David Thoreau, Life Without Principle Thoreau’s Life Without Principle is a quick read, but well worth the hour or so it takes to digest it. As with anything in life, the question is, what do we want to…
“Men will lie on their backs, talking about the fall of man, and never make an effort to get up.” — Henry David Thoreau, Life Without Principle I’d recently fallen back into a cycle of drinking coffee from a K-cup. There was a lot happening in my life, and it was a fast way to…
