Welcome to my travelogue, short uplifting features highlighting wonderful non-touristy, off the beaten track locales I’ve discovered in my quest to hunt down treasures whether culinary, artistic, jeweled, cultural along the way, that are unique to that very place.
Making human connections. Meeting people face to face. In beautiful settings. People are often most memorable of all.
I started a blog about this when we lived in Cambridge in 2017-18. A magical year for me. After living carless for a year, that’s how I like to travel now. Once at my destination I go by public transit, train bus or by bicycle or on foot. You see more that way.
I enjoy travelling solo in the belief that when you’re alone you discover more: going down those streets that intrigue you, walking into shops you would not normally discover online. And really it’s all about being in a physical space observing your surroundings in person listening to sounds whether there are birds singing, or words spoken, observing colours. The best discoveries are those you stumble upon yourself. I hope this segment will encourage you to venture out on your own, or with a friend or on one of my Art & Treasures Tours. Because often my solo journeys so intrigue me that I plan tours about them.
I invite you to comment on these blogs. Tell me what you’ve discovered or observed in your travels, your dream destination, and the very favorite place you ever visited.
Do you know what else I love? Visiting antique or jewelry shows! When I’m on my own, I seek them out, and if there’s one going on during my Art & Treasures tours, it will be on the schedule. Why, it’s a great place to meet experts in their field and to get a sense of the current art and jewelry market.
St. Petersburg, at my first gem and jewelry show in Russia, September 2017; Pan Amsterdam Show, Inez Stodel’s jewels, November 2025
