The Louvre Museum, Paris

I hope readers will recall that several days ago, in a fit of pandemic fatigue and nostalgia, I posted an article in which I reminisced about interesting art I have experienced while traveling, including pictures of the art I had encountered. I also invited readers to send me pictures of their art experiences, with my promise to publish future posts featuring readers’ pictures. In response to my art nostalgia post, I received several notes saying kind things about the article, but so far only one reader has actually submitted pictures. Even though I have received only one reader submission, I am going to post the submitted pictures here, both because I really like the submitted pictures, and because I hope that by publishing these pictures, others might be encouraged to send in pictures as well.
Continue Reading A Reader’s Art, Travel, and Nostalgia Pictures

Winged Victory of Samothrace at the Louvre Museum in Paris.

I miss travel. No, I don’t miss the crowded airports, the delayed departures, the missed connections, or the lost luggage.  I miss the experience of discovering a city for the first time, tasting new and delicious foods, and learning about unfamiliar languages and cultures.

I also miss art. I miss encountering painting, music, architecture, and sculpture, as I do when I am traveling. For me, exploring museums, visiting cultural sites, and attending concerts are all such important parts of travel.

In the day-to-day work-from-home life that we are all now living, I often find myself reminiscing about the many rich cultural experiences I have enjoyed over the years during my travels. Although my cultural travel nostalgia encompasses many pleasurable memories,  for now it has a bittersweet edge. It seems likely that it will be many, many months before we may once again travel freely.
Continue Reading Art, Travel, Nostalgia

A very long time ago, but also for a very long time, there was a third country between what is now France and what is now Germany. Today, this area is divided among a number of countries – Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Eastern France, Western Germany, and Switzerland. Parts of this area were known for a time as “Burgundy.” But originally this area was called “Lotharingia,” in honor of Charlemagne’s grandson, who once ruled the region. Although it not often told or even remembered, this area has a long and interesting history. This unfamiliar history is the subject of the latest book by Simon Winder, a book that is full of wonder and unexpected delight.
Continue Reading Book Review: “Lotharingia”

The D&O Diary is on assignment in Europe this week, with the first stop in Berlin, for a series of business meetings. My schedule while in Berlin was full, but I did have some time both days during my two-day visit to the city for a look around.
Continue Reading A Berlin Diary

I inhabit a world in which hotels loom unfortunately large. During many work weeks, I spend more nights in hotels than at home. Many of these hotel nights involve nondescript rooms in cookie-cutter chain hotels. These chain hotels are neither good nor bad, merely boring. They are so lacking in distinctiveness that often I am

The D&O Diary is on assignment in Europe this week. The first stop on the Continental itinerary was Amsterdam.I had never been to Amsterdam before, but I have traveled to Northern Europe quite a bit, so when I packed I made sure to load up on sweatshirts and a fleece. And an umbrella. As it