Where in the world is it legitimate to kiss a stranger, drink wine at lunch and ride on the water even during a lightning storm? If you guessed Italy, you’re right. If you have spent any time in Italy at all, you will know why […]
Image via Wikipedia Benjamin Franklin meant well. He advised his tradesmen audience in the aptly worded „Advice to a Young Tradesman” that time is money. In his day a person of trade, well, traded his time for the money he earned. In many cases today […]
Air travel leaves me with a blend of thrill and fear. There’s something remarkably impossible about lifting people into the sky for a few hours, only to land safely on the other side of the world. When packing, I usually reach a point where I […]
According to the annual Expedia.com Vacation Deprivation survey, we’re in trouble. We don’t have much time off, and we don’t even take the time off we have. Studying the vacation habits of employed workers from the US, Canada, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Austria, Australia, New […]
Sunday is a day of rest like no other in Germany. A fairly traditional society, Germany observes more religious holidays than any other European country I know (with, perhaps, the exception of Spain). I live in Bavaria, which is the most conservative state in the […]
“Oh no!” my friend’s email cyber-wailed. “I forgot your birthday…” Actually, she had not. She had remembered right on time. I spent seven glorious days on a Spanish island with two of my favorite people in the world: my best friend and my husband (my […]
Yesterday was the pinnacle. We traversed the Greater Munich area, enjoying the scenery and commenting on how beautiful Germany is. But last evening, soaking our sore hams in the bleeding sunlight, we agreed we would make today a ‘transition day’, a day in which we […]
In a special Work-Life Balance section, CNN reported yesterday about vacation time in the United States. Are you fearful to take time off because you think you might get axed? Think again. It has been proven that rested workers are more productive than those who […]
Ask any kid who’s run out of ideas the second week into vacation, and you’ll see boredom written all over his face. My son took on the typical “I’m-not-leaving-your-office-until-I-am-no-longer-bored’ stance, thrusting his entire frame onto an empty office chair and wheeling around in circles. “I’m […]
Mini-vacations are the best. You unplug for a few days and race back to your everyday life with a sense of renewal. You’re gone long enough to appreciate your work without being overwhelmed by it. This past Easter weekend was one such weekend. The weather […]