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Porquerolles, part of the Iles d’Hyere in Provence is about the same size as Nantucket, but that’s where the similarity ends. In fact, while we were mountain biking all around the trails and roads here, there were a lot of things that I wish someone could do to make our […]

The morning began with a ride in a public bus full of children on their way to school and a great way to mix with the locals.  We were headed for Olbia, a Greek and then a Roman settlement ruins, built next to the sea where thermal baths once cooled off […]

I arrived in Le Pradet, about 20 minutes past Toulon,  in Provence France a day ago, and spent today walking up a mountain and learning much about this fantastically beautiful place with guides who are working with the MEET Program. Meet stands for Mediterranean Eco-tourism Experience of Travel, and aims […]

Saying goodbye to Sardinia tonight, as I anxiously await a 5 am wake-up and a day of travel to my next trip in France, I’m thinking about what it’s like here, and what memories I”ll take back with me.  I’m always fascinated by the elevator speech–what will you tell people […]

I’ve spent this week in the town of Cabras, Sardinia, moving between our city center hotel and various attractions relating to the Marine Protected Area that encompasses the sea all around the island’s west coast.  We’ve gotten a rare opportunity for a trip like this…to spend time in one town […]

In our earthy crunchy Pioneer Valley, we like to talk about eating local. We talk about 12-mile meals, and eating farm-to-table, but tonight, I have them all beat.  Once again, on a visit to Italy’s magic island, Sardinia, I’ve eaten a 100 foot meal, and boy was it good! We […]

Seven years ago I first came to this second-largest island in the Mediterranean that the Romans and Phoenicians called Ichnusa.Sardinia today is an autonomous region of Italy, but as my guide Davide told me, it’s not Italy–the natives even speak a unique language on this island, though most people here also […]

I have always been a noisy sleeper–snoring like a banchee and known for falling asleep while sitting in my favorite chair.  To many people, this might indicate that I have sleep apnea, and with this in mind I met today with a friendly nurse practitioner named Cathy Burbank at Sleep […]

My journey to the Mediterranean is looming on Monday. I’m happy to say that I’m NOT flying to Rome via Moscow, nor am I returning from Provence via Turkey. I have adjusted my flight plans and all seems pretty good right now. I’m going to take two separate eco-tours, both […]

I have nailed down a fantastic  trip–in fact, back to back trips–that I am very excited about.  On September 27, I’ll fly to Rome and then to Sardinia, the big island over Corsica that’s famous for being the home to some of the longest-living people on Earth.  I visited the […]