Prisoner of Hopes

Prisoner of Hopes: a blog about Hopeful Living and Finding Adventure in the Everyday Things of Life

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…

November 19, 2024
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…

November 18, 2024
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…

November 17, 2024
Zermatt Alpine Adventure: Travel Goals

I don’t usually think about bucket lists. Anywhere I am, is a worthy travel adventure as long as it is out of my ordinary. However, Zermatt and its wonderful Matterhorn have been on my wish list for decades. It seems unreal that we are on our way this morning. The road over the Simpson pass…

November 16, 2024
Sharing the Love: Travel Goals

Sometimes I just enjoy things so much I want to share them. European traditional market days are some of my favorite travel days. Whether it is a giant flea market or small stalls, I am all in! So it was a delight to take my brother and two of my sister in laws on a…

November 16, 2024
Retracing Our Footsteps: Travel Goals

Sometimes you encounter a place you can’t wait to share. I was captivated by Orta San Guilio and couldn’t wait to share it with my family. After excitedly sharing the virtues of a visit, we drove over on a bright Monday morning. The destination did not disappoint. First we trekked up the mountain to visit…

November 15, 2024
Valley of the Castles: Travel Goals

We are up at dawn. This is the first real adventure with my extended family. My brother drives us over the mountain in his rental car. I am now in the backseat. No longer the driver or the navigator, I am left to look out the side window. I try not to be a backseat…

November 14, 2024
Anticipated Arrivals: Travel Goals

I love hosting company, especially if the company is family. Today my siblings, minus my youngest brother are coming to join us at our Italian retreat. The house has been cleaned. Groceries are bought and now I wait impatiently for their arrival. I take a walk around our quiet neighborhood waiting for their plane to…

November 14, 2024
Between a Rock and a Foggy Place: Travel Goals

It is still raining in Lesa. We head to Varese where there are a few indoor museums. The weather there should be clear and we will be able to visit the Sacred Mountain of Varese. We head out and the rain stops as we get farther down the road. It is looking pretty good, until…

November 13, 2024
Rainy Retail Therapy

It is set to rain all day and all night…..again. I search the map for anyplace within three hours that might be deluge free. I find nothing. My next search is for indoor places. Neither of us want to walk all day in heavy rainfall. My shoes are still wet from yesterday. So we set…

November 12, 2024