October 3, 2018 Tonle Sap Lake is the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia.  Located not far from Siem Reap it can be easily accessed with a 30 minute tuk-tuk ride.  The ride is a bonus treat if it is rainy season, rained earlier that day, or the roads are flooded….don’t ask me how I… Read More Life on the Tonle Sap, Cambodia

The Ridiculous Tour 2018:  July 5-9 The Forum and Colosseum Fontana del Tritone This 17th century fountain is the work of Gian Lorenzo Bernini. It is located near the entrance of Pallazo Barberini. Basilica de Santa Maria Maggiore One of the great things about Rome is that every time you turn a corner there is… Read More When in Rome….. go see stuff.

The Ridiculous Tour: Rome- July 9, 2018 Sant’ Agnese in Agone Church and the Fountain of the four rivers. This Bernini fountain is considered on of his masterpieces.  It was built between 1647 and 1651.  It represents the Nile, the Ganges, the Danube, and Rio della Plata. In 86 AD this was the site of… Read More Piazza Navona

July 8, 2018 About 150 miles (241 kilometers) south of Rome looms one of the worlds most dangerous volcanoes.  This still-active volcano has erupted several dozen times since it destroyed Pompeii in 79 AD and it is expected to erupt again. In 79 AD there were around 20,000 people living in the area, more than… Read More Gone But Not Forgotten

July 7, 2018  Case Romane del Celio The Romans had a habit of building on top of existing structures.  This practice has resulted in little gems being uncovered over the years that allow a glimpse of life in the past.  One of these gems is Case Romane del Celio.  It is located near the Colosseum… Read More Rome Underground

July 6, 2018 The Colosseum is one of the ridiculous sites that just sneaks up on you.  It is a warm, sunny morning.  You are strolling down the street.  Round a corner.  And stop…dead in your tracks. Once upon a time there was this guy called Nero.  Nobody liked him.  He died in 68 AD… Read More il Colosseo- the Flavian Amphitheatre

The Ridiculous Tour: Italy 2018 The Ridiculous Tour is the name I have given this trip to Italy and I mean it in the best possible way.  For 21 days we saw ridiculously old and interesting architecture, ridiculous amounts of history, ridiculously beautiful art, and ridiculously good food.  Not to mention the ridiculously good weather… Read More In the Beginning….of Rome

July 2-5, 2018 Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands, was absolutely delightful.  We were lucky to have a three night ‘layover’ here on our way to Italy and we loved it. Even though it is a good size city it has a small town feel. The streets can get pretty busy with tourists and bicycles,… Read More AmsterDAMN!

Spring Festival 2018  Yuyuan Gardens, Shanghai After so many gloomy overcast (and cold) days we woke up one morning to sunshine and decided to head downtown.  As we stepped onto the metro we thought we had entered the twilight zone.  Where were the crowds?  Where were the people? Found them. Everyone is at Yu Yaun… Read More Yu Yuan Lantern Fair

Sanya, China February 2018 In Southern China, in the South China Sea, there is a lovely island called Hainan.  At the southern tip of this island is beautiful city called Sanya.  So we went.   It was a bit of a trek for us to reach Sanya.  It certainly did not help that we were… Read More Spring Festival 2018