Prisoner of Hopes

Category: Uncategorized

  • Educating for Sanity: Empathy

    It has been a hard ten days. The turmoil in this country, the barrage of executive orders, the anger and accusation is exhausting. To be clear, I reject bigotry of all forms. I am saddened by the targeted attacks on public servants and the incivility on display by government officials. Most of all, I am…

  • All Good Things Must Come To An End: Travel Goals

    The end of a trip…sadness of leaving a new favorite corner of the world….happiness to be heading home. Despite the fact that I hate air travel (to be specific, I hate the hoops you have to go through at the airport), travel day is always exciting. We leave Lesa early in the morning and make…

  • Last Day Is Always Bittersweet: Travel Goals

    Our last day in Italy. Where did the time go? We decided to stay fairly close to home as we needed to pack and prepare for a morning flight. Although we had connected trains in the town of Domodossola, we had yet to visit. It seemed like a great destination. The town sits next to…

  • Meandering: Travel Goals

    With just a few days left in Italy, we drove over to Ivrea. We had driven through town earlier in the month and I was charmed by the town. It seemed like a good place to explore. The hardest part of exploring unknown areas in Italy is navigating parking. We tried a parking lot next…

  • Pavia, A Study In Honoring Tradition: Travel Goals

    Today we ventured to the Italian city of Pavia. Home to one of the world’s oldest universities, final resting place of St. Augustine, and the Southern seat of the Dukes of Milan; Pavia has a long and interesting history. The Castello Visconteo di Pavia was our first stop. Built in 1360 by the Lord of…

  • Regroup: Travel Goals

    The only thing stranger than receiving company while traveling abroad is sending them off while you remain. After our whirlwind week together with the extended family, we were exhausted. Everyone (except me) slept late. We starts the day slowly, sharing coffee and pastries. And we reluctantly said our goodbyes. They were headed to Milan to…

  • In search of the Shroud: Travel Goals

    You can’t visit Turin without wondering about the mysterious shroud of Turin. The shroud first appeared in France in the 1300’s and was claimed to be the shroud that wrapped the body of Jesus after his crucifixion. While a bishop in the late 1300’s and dozens of scientists have called it a fake, the faithful…

  • Grand Torino: Travel Goals

    With only one more day to spend with the siblings in Italy, we decided to head to Turin (Torino). This often overlooked town was the capitol of the Northern Roman Empire and the domain of the Savoy dynasty. There are more palaces in and around Turin than you will find in entire countries. The Palazzo…

  • Unsupervised: Travel Goals

    The minute our guide left us, we were u supervised in Milan. Relieved to be on our own, I gladly traded in my earpiece speaker. Maybe we won’t know quite as much as a tour guide but we can enjoy sights at our own pace. Our first order of business was to buy tickets to…

  • Milano At a March: Travel Goals

    It was a priority to see the Last Supper at the Santa Maria Delle Grazie in Milan. To get the tickets into there Last Supper, we had to take a tour. I may have mentioned that I am generally not a tour person.The walking tour of Milan started at 8:15 am. Our house was at…