Tag: M. Ciavardini

Staying Cool at Hotel Zero Degrees

Hotel Zero Degrees room 420. Photo credit: M. Ciavardini.

A Danbury, Conn. Getaway with Something for Everyone First introduced to Hotel Zero Degrees in Danbury, Conn. courtesy of a wedding, I liked it so much that I returned recently for a stayover. Located just off Interstate 84 in Connecticut,…

What to Do in St. John’s, Antigua

Entering St. John's, Antigua. Photo credit: M. Ciavardini.

Skipping the Excursions on a Southern Caribbean Cruise? Here Is What to Do Instead Although the Brawny Sherpa and I find ourselves on a Southern Caribbean cruise—aboard to celebrate a major birthday of a friend—we are not really beach people.…

Things to Do in Basseterre, St. Kitts

Basseterre is the capital of the Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis. Photo credit: M. Ciavardini.

A Self-Guided Walking Tour Full of History Provides Plenty of Things to Do in Basseterre The ease with which we slip into Caribbean cruising mode—taking it easy and not worrying too much—becomes evident on our very first disembarkation. The first…

Tips for Visiting Saint Mark’s Basilica

The Bashful Adventurer in Venice: The four horses at upstairs at Saint Mark's Basilica. Photo credit: M. Ciavardini.

The Basilica di San Marco Is the Crown Jewel of Venice—and Everyone Knows It   It is possible to travel to Venice without visiting Saint Mark’s Basilica—those crowds! the wait!—but why would you want to skip it (except for those…

That Castle in Naples

The castle in Naples, Italy, pictured here in 1989, seems to be more of a fortress. Photo credit: L. Tripoli.

The Massive Castel Nuovo in Napoli, Italy Endures and Impresses   Heading south from Rome 29 years ago, my first stop is Naples where I cannot help but notice a certain domineering building on the waterfront: the Castel Nuovo, which…

National Martini Day

National Martini Day: The perfect martini at Vox restaurant in North Salem, N.Y. Photo credit: M. Ciavardini.

Because It’s 5 O’Clock Somewhere —Lori Tripoli ~Advertisement~ ~Advertisement~ Appreciate a well-crafted cocktail? You might like these posts: Lemon Drops at the Castle Hill Inn, Newport, R.I. Martinis at Tournedos Restaurant in Rochester, N.Y. Meeting Hemingway at Harry’s Bar in…

Graveyard in Saratoga: Death on a Clam Shell

I have a penchant for dramatic graveyard art, those winged but bent angels, the weeping women clinging to crosses, the monuments that stretch toward the heavens. One stone in the Greenridge Cemetery in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.that has me wondering about…

Russian History: Anastasia for Tweens and Up

The Bashful Adventurer reviews Anastasia and Her Sisters by Carolyn Meyer.

Reading Anastasia and Her Sisters by Carolyn Meyer In some ways, Anastasia Romanova is like any teenager anywhere, replete with crushes, squabbling sisters, working parents, the inability to cook, concerns about her weight. Then, of course, she is actually one…

The Paris Panthéon

Foucault's pendulum at the Paris Pantheon. Photo credit: M. Ciavardini.

Worshipping the Republic at an Almost Church Like the Pantheon in Rome, the Paris Panthéon has a mixed history, although not one that takes it from paganism to Christianity. Rather, the former Ste. Geneviève Church became, not long after the…