Prisoner of Hopes

Tag: Nature

  • Travel Goals: All Aboard to Bergen

    After my breakfast of brown cheese (I am developing a taste for the stuff) and whole grain bread washed down with dark coffee, we pack up and head downstairs to the train station. As it turned out, the Comfort Hotel Grand Central was an excellent location to spend a few days while we transitioned to…

  • “Ice”olated

    I am in the post- Christmas doldrums. It happens every year. I get all excited in the build up to the holidays. Family fun and endless games, fill the house with laughter. Trees and decorations light up the rooms with colorful sparkle. And then, everyone goes home and the decorations come down. The January sky…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • Rainy Days Are Still Beautiful: Travel Goals

    Sunny, magical days have to be interrupted occasionally. And so the rain set in for a multi-day period of grey clouds and damp pavement. Since we were in Italy to experience Italy, we set off for a wet drive around the lake to Cannobio on Lake Maggiore (….not to be confused with Cannobio on Lake…

  • A Walk On the Wild Side: Travel Goals

    After several weeks of touring historic sites and churches, we decided to broaden our Italian experience. Our destination for a local weekend experience was the Pombia Safari park. It is essentially a drive through zoo. You could drive your own car or ride in their safari wagon. We opted to drive. We arrived early, parked,…

  • The End of the Road: Travel Goals

    Wanderlust…our internal yearning of wanting to see new things, hear new sounds, smell new smells….means that every day we venture out to parts unknown. We try to keep the destination within two hours drive to ensure we have enough time to enjoy each new spot without tiring or feeling rushed. We never know what we…

  • Stranded: Travel Goals

    Sometimes things are not as you want them to be. You just have to take a deep breath and deal with them as they are. We wanted to take the ferry to Intra and then on Isola Madre, the last Borromean island we hadn’t visited. It was market day in Intra…and I love market day.…

  • Gardens and Galleries in Verbania: Travel Goals

    Some days just exceed expectations. I woke up to a beautiful pink sunrise. The rain had washed the earth clean and the birds were singing their thanks. We had no where to be and took our time, lingering over coffee. We drove around the lake to Verbania and the Villa Taranto. I wasn’t expecting much.…

  • Mottarone, the tiniest Alp: Travel Goals

    The morning broke cool and cloudy. Because the forecast for the rest of the week included rain, we decided to drive up to the top of Mottarone. The smallest mountain in the Alps. The tiniest Alp. The road was surprisingly busy, and unsurprisingly winding and narrow. Gangs of cyclists clogged the road. Once we got…