The Literary Globetrotter

Vatican City

Book: Angels & Demons by Dan Brown Food: Meatball Sauce Trapizzino

In an earlier blog post I wrote about using Dan Brown’s book, Angels & Demons, to structure a self-guided tour of Rome. My daughter, Lilly, and I stopped by St. Peter’s Square as part of that tour, but we had tickets to tour Vatican City the next day so we went no further than the square. Now it was time for Vatican City.

Vatican City is a city-state ruled by the pope who is the head of the Catholic Church. It is the smallest country in the world measuring less than 1/4 square mile and is surrounded by Rome. You can walk around it’s entire 2 mile border in less than an hour. St. Peter’s Basilica and the Sistine Chapel are the two main highlights inside Vatican City for many people, but the Vatican Museums are spectacular as well.

We purchased Faster Than Skip-the-Line tickets through TripAdvisor to see all three. We selected a 10:00am tour in English and were booked with City Wonders tour company. On a previous trip to Rome I decided Vatican City is one of those places it is worth purchasing a tour because you choose a time to enter and have a guide to point out highlights, offer insight, give historical context, and provide fun facts. Also, tours go directly into St. Peter’s Basilica and do not go through a second set of security lines.

A less spendy option is to simply purchase a ticket to the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel. This can be done at the door or online. Purchasing tickets at the door usually means a several hour wait and tickets could sell out. If booked online, a booking fee is applied to each ticket, however you get to skip the line and choose the time you enter. Audio guides may also be purchased with the tickets. Tickets may be booked at the Official Vatican Musuem Website.

St. Peter’s Basilica is free to enter but there is a line to get through security which is often an hour or more long.

In Angels & Demons, the main character, Robert Langdon, is rushed to Vatican City to help find a bomb set to destroy the Catholic Church. The Illuminati, a secret society long-thought to be extinct, is thought to be responsible. Langdon races against time to follow clues along the Path of Illumination to save four kidnapped cardinals and find the bomb before it blows up Vatican City.

A couple hours before our Vatican Tour was to begin, Lilly and I checked out of our Airbnb. This gave us time to walk to the Vatican, grab breakfast at one of the many cafes along the way, and store our luggage in a public storage locker, as bags are not allowed in the Vatican. These storage lockers are found throughout Rome and are super handy! We rented a storage locker that fit 2 carry-on suitcases and 2 backpacks for about €10 for four hours.

At 9:45am we walked to Via Tunisi 4 to meet our tour group. Several tour groups meet here so we looked for the City Wonders flag and checked in with our guide.

Faster than Skip-the-Line Vatican Tour with CityWonders meeting point: Via Tunisi, 4, 00192 Roma RM, Italy

In Angels & Demons, Langdon approaches the Vatican from the air, flying in on a helicopter. He sees the massive Vatican Museum and notes that there would be no time for a museum visit this trip. Lilly and I, on the other hand, approaching on foot through the main entrance, were in for a treat.

On a side note, in the museum lobby, while our guide checked-in, Lilly and I spotted a cappuccino vending machine and decided to try it. We had high hopes that Italian vending machine cappuccinos might be good, and decided to test our theory. Result: Exceptional! Not like any vending machine coffee we’d ever had!

Our tour started in the Pinacoteca Courtyard with our guide explaining some of the history and what we would see. Each person on the tour is loaned a set of headphones tuned to your guide’s channel making it easy to hear everything your guide says.

Inside, we walked through the Gallery of the Candelabra, Gallery of Tapestries, and the Map Gallery. The Gallery of the Candelabra gets its name from the candelabras that, together with marble pillars, separate this hall into six sections. Many classical sculptures, works of art, and relics are displayed throughout the gallery.

Vatican Museums Gallery of the Candelabra

The Gallery of Tapestries has two themes displayed. On the right side of the gallery are tapestries commemorating the life of Pope Urban VIII, created in Rome by the Barberini Workshop. On the left are the more spectacular tapestries depicting the life of Christ created by Pieter van Aelst, the best tapestry weaver in Europe during the Renaissance period.

The Map Gallery displays massive fresco maps of the world, created by Ignazio Danti during the sixteenth century. Given the lack of technology at the time they were created, the maps are remarkably accurate. The ceiling in this gallery is a beautiful example of late Renaissance paintings.

As gorgeous as these galleries are, the Raphael Rooms are even more stunning. Raphael Sanzio was an Italian painter and architect of the High Renaissance. In Angels & Demons, he is also a suspected member of the ancient Illuminati who created part of the Path of Illumination which Langdon follows. In reality, back in 1509, Raphael was commissioned by Pope Julius II to redecorate his suite of apartments. The frescos he created are massive and even in a crowded environment you can see them easily given the walls soar approximately 16 feet high with a 25 foot width.

Vatican Museum Raphael’s Disputation of the Holy Sacrament

Vatican Museum Raphael’s The School of Athens

Michelangelo is probably the best known artist from the High Renaissance with the Sistine Chapel ceiling being one of his most famous works. In Angels & Demons he, too, is a suspected member of the ancient Illuminati. It is interesting to note that he appears as one of the philosophers in Raphael’s The School of Athens. His likeness is used for the seated philosopher with his elbow on a stone table at the bottom/middle of the fresco. Raphael and Michelangelo were contemporaries working in the Vatican at the same time.

In Angels & Demons all the cardinals from around the world are locked in the Sistine Chapel holding conclave to elect a new pope. There can be no communication in or out of the chapel until a decision has been reached. This means the whole power structure of the Catholic Church has no idea their lives are in danger should the bomb explode.

The Sistine Chapel, with frescoes by Michelangelo, is simply…beautiful. The most recognizable work is The Creation of Adam, the one where God and Adam touch fingers. It’s in the middle of the ceiling surrounded by other glorious frescoes showing nine scenes from the book of Genesis.

However, it is Michelangelo’s The Last Judgement, a fresco covering the whole alter wall, that captivated me. Soaring 45 feet by 40 feet, it depicts the second coming of Christ and the final judgment. Those who are heaven bound ascend on the left to join the saints, and those who are doomed to hell descend on the right. It created controversy in the early 16th century because of the nude figures. Biagio da Cesena, Papal Master of Ceremonies, commented that it was not fit for a papal chapel but rather for public baths and taverns. In response, Michelangelo painted Cesena’s likeness in with the damned, as Minos, the judge of the underworld, giving him donkey ears, and covering his “objectionable area” with a snake. Legend has it that when Cesena complained to the pope, demanding that his portrait be removed, the pope responded that his jurisdiction did not extend to hell so the painting would have to remain. So…I guess the pope didn’t like Cesena either.

I wish photographs were allowed in the Sistine Chapel but, as they are not, I cannot provide my own images here. However, I’ve included a link to a 3D Virtual Tour of the Sistine Chapel produced by Rome Reports which gives a quick virtual tour.

St. Peter’s Basilica was the final stop on our guided tour. It is named for St. Peter, a disciple of Christ, to whom Jesus said, “You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church,” (Matthew 16:18). Translations of “peter” mean “rock” (Greek and Aramaic). Tradition says Peter was martyred here by Emperor Nero for spreading Christian beliefs. Three centuries later, Emperor Constantine, the first emperor to convert to Christianity, built a basilica over the Necropolis where tradition says Peter was buried, with the high altar directly over his grave. On this rock (peter) the basilica is built – literally.

In the 16th century Pope Julius II commissioned the basilica that stands today, replacing the old basilica but preserving the original altar, and using the talents of Bramante, Michelangelo, Raphael, and Bernini – masters of the Renaissance.

The tour guide takes the group past the line waiting to enter the basilica to some of the major points of interest inside. When the tour ends, after handing back your headphones, you may explore the basilica on your own for as long as you like.

Entrance to St. Peter’s Basilica – St. Peter’s Square to the left and the entry doors to the right

In Angels & Demons there is a scene where the camerlengo, an assistant to the pope, sprints down the main aisle shouting, “Upon this rock I will build my church!” He disappears down the steps of the Confessio, to the Niche of the Palliums, located right in front of the massive Baldachin (or canopy) centered under the dome. He then goes through an entrance to the Necropolis, the graveyard where St. Peter is believed to be buried.

The size of St. Peter’s Basilica is hard to wrap your mind around. The main aisle is about two soccer fields long (720 feet), more than a 200 meter dash. The dome, designed by Michelangelo, soars 394 feet, or about 36 stories.

Looking up 394 feet into the Dome of St. Peter’s Basilica

The Baldachin, the massive bronze canopy supported by marble pillars, climbs 94 feet or about 9 stories. Bernini, another artist Angels & Demons links to the Illuminati, was the creator of the Baldachin and the Altar of the Chair of St. Peter.

Baldachin by Bernini in St. Peter’s Basilica

At the very front of the basilica is the Altar of the Chair of St. Peter. Bernini encased a chair, which tradition held to be St. Peter’s, in bronze and designed an altar around it. The stained glass window above it depicts the Holy Spirit descending as a dove.

Altar of the Chair of St. Peter by Bernini

The art and architecture displayed throughout the basilica, and the experience of standing in the middle of it, is almost beyond description. Stunning, fascinating, and overwhelming come close, but fall short. From the structure itself, to Bernini’s masterpieces, to Michelangelo’s dome and famous Pieta sculpture, to the embalmed body of Pope John XXIII sealed in a crystal coffin at the Alter of St. Jerome, there are seemingly endless things to see.

Altar of St. Jerome with Pope John XXIII’s final resting place (the lighted crystal coffin)

After exploring nooks and crannies, our last stop in the basilica was the grottoes. This is the area underneath the basilica holding the tombs of many popes as well as several columns from the original basilica. No photos are allowed. The entrance to the grottoes is under the Statue of St. Andrew.

Entrance to the Vatican Grottoes near the Statue of St. Andrew

You can look from the grottoes through glass doors to the Confessio and the Niche of the Palliums. This is the same area accessed from the stairs in front of Bernini’s canopy that, in Angels & Demons, the camerlengo used to enter the Necropolis.

Be sure you are ready to leave the basilica before entering the grottoes because they empty out onto the Patio of St. Gregory the Illuminator, which in turn empties out onto St. Peter’s Square.

Patio of St. Gregory the Illuminator emptying out onto St. Peter’s Square

Overlooking St. Peter’s Square from the Basilica

Procession starting in St. Peter’s Square

St. Peter’s Square figures into the final scenes of Angels & Demons as Langdon and the camerlengo, in a climactic scene, battle to save the Catholic Church and everyone in the Square. As Lilly and I walked toward the exit, we took one last look at the magnificence of St. Peter’s Square and Basilica.

Leaving the Vatican, it was mid-afternoon and we were hungry for lunch. Fortunately we found a place nearby called Trapizzino that makes pizza pocket sandwiches by the same name. These sandwiches consist of a pizza crust stuffed with meats, vegetables, and sauces.

Lilly had the Pollo alla Cacciatora (Chicken Cacciatore) at the top of the photo, and I had the Polpetta al Sugo (Meatball with Sauce). They were both delicious, but the meatball was my favorite. The recipe I created to replicate the Meatball Sauce is below.

Meatball Sauce Trapizzino

1 lb ground beef
1 lb ground pork
1/2 cup Italian breadcrumbs
2 eggs
1/2 onion, chopped fine
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tsp Italian seasoning
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 jar marinara sauce
1/2 cup water
Pita or Naan bread

Mix together all ingredients except marinara, water, and bread. Form into balls about 1 inch in diameter and brown in frying pan. When brown on all sides, stir in marinara and water. Bring to a low boil then cover and simmer over low heat for 30 minutes stirring occasionally. Add salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning to taste. Warm pita or naan and serve meatball marinara inside a pita or folded into naan. Serves 4-6.

Mangiamo!

New Years

Place: Home Book: Believing God Day by Day: Growing Your Faith All Year Long by Beth Moore Food: Hot Mexican Dip

One thing remains common to our New Year’s celebration in every place we’ve lived: Hot Mexican Dip. Our family has enjoyed it from Minnesota to Texas. Uffda you Minnesotans may want to leave out the jalapenos. Texans, y’all might want to add candied sweet heat pickled jalapenos.

The recipe was my great-aunt Gloria’s. I smile at what she would think about it going into a blog. I don’t know where she got the recipe, but I do know it was one of her family’s favorites because it appears in the Remembrance Cookbook they put together in her honor. In their words, “May the Lord bless you as you read and cook!”

In the introduction to Believing God Day by Day: Growing Your Faith All Year Long Beth writes, “The book…is my attempt to articulate my own personal journey…while encouraging you to join me in the blessed experience.” I’m a Beth Moore fan. I appreciate Beth’s heart for bringing the love of God to people, her encouragement to be in a relationship with Jesus. I enjoy the way she makes scripture come alive through her ideas and stories. I may not agree with her on absolutely everything, but I’m a fan. One of her best-selling books is Believing God, a book about not only believing IN God, but BELIEVING God. Believing His promises. Believing God Day by Day: Growing Your Faith All Year Long is a spin-off of Believing God, breaking the larger book into daily doses of these ideas – one for every day of the year by date. The scriptural inspiration for these books can be found in Isaiah 43:10, “‘You are my witnesses,’ declares the Lord, ‘and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me.'”

At the time my great-aunt Gloria passed away, Beth Moore was relatively unknown outside of South Texas and wouldn’t publish her first bible study for a couple of years. Gloria never read a Beth Moore book or participated in one of her bible studies, but she did talk openly about her faith. She believed in God and she believed God. I think Gloria would be pleased her dip recipe is paired with Beth Moore’s book. Like Gloria’s dip, Beth can be cheesy, her message can heat things up, her studies are full of meat, and her message fills you up yet leaves you wanting more.

Happy New Year! And be blessed!

Rome, Italy

Book: Angels and Demons by Dan Brown Food: Goat Cheese and Arugula Pizza

I reread Angels and Demons when my daughter, Lilly, and I decided to travel to Italy for her college spring break since Rome was one of our destinations, and the book is set in Rome. It was so much fun picturing the places and events in the book that I shipped a copy off to Lilly. She also loved the book and we determined that the destinations in the book would guide our tour of Rome, though keeping other tourist sites on the itinerary as well.

In the fictional story, Robert Langdon determines that the Illuminati, a secret society long-thought to be extinct, has returned to destroy the Catholic Church. He races against time to save four kidnapped Cardinals as well as the Church. He must solve clues based on the scientific elements earth, air, fire, and water and in the sculptures of Bernini, a prominent 17th century sculptor who also may have been a member of the Illuminati. These clues put Langdon on the Path of Illumination which he must follow to uncover the truth.

We reserved an Airbnb near the Spanish Steps in the middle of Rome so we could walk to most of the sites we wanted to see. It was a tiny studio apartment with just enough room for a double bed, two tiny bedside tables, and a small table with two chairs. The mini-kitchen was in the closet, and the bathroom would fit inside most American sized showers. It was on the top floor and the elevator did not go all the way up so we used steps and a spiral staircase to climb the last two stories. But, it had several things going for it. It was clean, it was on budget ($100/night), it was in the Historic Center of Rome, and (this was the clincher) it had an outdoor rooftop patio with a view of the city.

In the book, Langdon crisscrosses Rome as he follows the Path of Illumination. His order was 1) Pantheon 2) Church of Santa Maria del Popolo 3) St. Peter’s Square and Basilica 4) Church of Santa Maria della Vittoria 5) Piazza Navona 6) Castel Sant’Angelo 7) The Vatican and St. Peter’s Square (again). Following this path would have us going back and forth across the ancient city. We decided we would instead follow a path based on the proximity of one site to another, building in the other sites we wanted to see. I present them in the order Lilly and I toured them so our tour can be replicated if anyone is interested.

But first, breakfast. Rome is full of great food so we set out and kept our eyes open for a place that seemed to have a lot of local patrons. We found a tiny cafe with room for about eight people, and a robust business of locals grabbing food to go. The cappuccinos were delicious and the pastries were as scrumptious as they were beautiful.

After breakfast we started walking toward our first destination enjoying the lovely weather. The thing about Rome you must understand is that everywhere you turn there is some stunning statue or building or bridge that could be a tourist site almost anywhere else, but in Rome it’s just part of the landscape. So as we walked we encountered the Fontana del Palazzo di Giustizia Lungotevere, or the Palace of Justice, which is the home of the Supreme Court and the Judicial Public Library. In a dramatic understatement we decided, “it’s worthy of a photo.”

Following the Tiber River we found our first Angels and Demons destination, the Castel Sant’Angelo, which is actually the last destination in the book and a secret meeting place for the Illuminati.

About a century after the death of Christ, Roman Emperor Hadrian built this impressive structure to be a mausoleum for himself and his family – thus it’s other name: Hadrian’s Tomb. However, over the centuries things happen. It was looted by Visigoths and attacked by the Goths. Eventually, in the 15th century, it became the property of the Catholic Church and a tunnel was added connecting it to the Vatican. Initially it was used as a papal fortress and residence, but over time was also used as a prison and execution site. It is currently the Museo Nationale di Castel Sant’Angelo and tickets are available to tour the site. The line was a couple hours long and we had other things we wanted to see during our two days in Rome so we skipped the tour and just enjoyed it from the outside.

Castel Sant’Angelo and the Bridge of Angels

On the Bridge of Angels in front of Castel Sant’Angelo

We had tickets to tour the Vatican the next day, but, as were were so close, and as St. Peter’s Square and the rest of Vatican City play a prominent role in Angels and Demons, we decided to check out the square which was the site where Langdon found a murdered Cardinal and the clue for the element, air.

Jet-lagged and on vacation, we forgot it was Sunday. When we got there the square was packed and there was someone talking in Italian over a loudspeaker. Everyone was looking in the same direction so Lilly took off to figure out what was going on with me in hot pursuit. She circled around one part of the crowd, dodged through another, wove through some pillars, went through a metal detector and some guards, and popped out on the square not far from where Pope Francis was just finishing delivering a sermon! Though we couldn’t understand the language, and are not Catholic, it was still cool! I like Pope Francis. We only saw him for a moment because the second his sermon ended he gave a blessing and disappeared. I managed a photo of the Papal Cloth, hung from a window while the Pope appears there, before it disappeared an instant later. We also enjoyed people watching in the square and the children dressed as mini popes or mini Swiss Guards.

Papal Cloth hanging at window where Pope Francis delivered a sermon

Next up, the Piazza Navona with the Fountain of the Four Rivers (sculpted by Bernini). This was the site, in Angels in Demons, representing the element water. Langdon rushes to save a Cardinal from being drowned at this site. The dove at the top of the obelisk in the center of the fountain points the way to the next location on the Path of Illumination.

The Piazza Navona was originally built in the 1st century for athletic contests and chariot races. This gives you an idea of it’s size – approximately 4 blocks long by a block wide. A few years earlier, on my first visit to Rome, this Piazza was filled with artist tents and all varieties of art for sale. This trip, it was just a large and lovely square filled with locals and tourists enjoying the day.

The Piazza Navona and the Fountain of the Four Rivers.

It is only a couple blocks between Piazza Navona and The Pantheon, our next destination. The pedestrian only streets between the two are lined with small shops and restaurants. The smell coming from a pizza shop lured us in. The shop was filled by the pizza oven and display counter with just enough room to step up into the shop, view the display, order, pay, and go back out. But, oh, those pizzas on display! You order by the slice and the owner pops the slice back into the pizza oven just long enough for it to be piping hot. With one exception, which I found. I ordered the goat cheese and arugula pizza. While Lilly’s slice came out of the oven steaming, the owner simply handed over my choice – cold. With an internal shrug of “well do as the locals do” I took my pizza with hidden disappointment. Until I bit into it. As we walked away from the shop Lilly, immensely enjoying her slice, hesitantly asked how mine was. “AMAZING!” Studying my face to see if I was joking and sporting a confused look she asked, “Really? Can I try it?” She took a small bite and all confusion disappeared. “Oh! My! Gosh! This IS amazing! Um, Mom, do you think we could share both slices?”

My take on Chilled Goat Cheese and Arugula Pizza

In Angels and Demons, a clue leads Langdon to the tomb of painter Raphael which is inside the Pantheon. However, he figures out this is a mistake, that he is not looking for the actual tomb of Raphael, but instead a chapel designed by Raphael with a tomb in it.

The Pantheon is one of the oldest buildings in Rome, dating back before Christ, and is topped by the world’s largest unreinforced concrete dome. The oculus (hole) at the top was an engineering marvel for the times (actually still is). It fascinated Lilly and me. The hole provides the light for the interior. It also allows rain through onto the floor and has been doing so for 2,000 years. But then what? Where does the water go? A slight slant to the floor guides it to small, almost unnoticeable holes in the marble floor, which lead to drainpipes under the floor. Another engineering feat. Originally commissioned by Emperor Augustus to serve as a temple to all Roman gods, it was later given to Pope Boniface in the 7th century and has served as a Catholic Church ever since.

The Trevi Fountain lies between the Pantheon and our next Angels and Demons stop so we took a break from the story and stopped to enjoy this famous fountain. The fountain is massive standing 85 feet high and 65 feet across. Legend has it that if you throw a coin into the fountain, with your back to the fountain, over your left shoulder using your right hand, it ensures a return to Rome. About 3,000 Euros are tossed into the fountain every day which are collected each night and donated to a charity that supports programs for the needy.

Back to our Angels and Demons tour, next up was the Church of Santa Maria della Vittoria where another Bernini sculpture, The Ecstasy of St. Theresa, is found. The element here is fire. Langdon is, again, too late to save the Cardinal but he does help save the church from burning to the ground.

The Church of Santa Maria della Vittoria is not known for anything other than the Bernini sculpture, but the sculpture and the beauty of the interior make it worth a visit.

Close up of The Ecstasy of St. Theresa by Bernini

The ceiling and back of the Church of Santa Maria della Vittoria

Taking another break from the Angels and Demons tour, we walked to the Roman Forum and the Colosseum. The Forum is an ancient rectangular plaza, originally a marketplace, surrounded by the ruins of ancient government buildings. It was built over three centuries starting in 29 BC under the rule of Emperor Augustus.

The Colosseum was built in AD 72 around the same time as the fall of the Second Temple in Jerusalem (AD 70) when the Romans destroyed the temple and much of the city to put down Jewish rebellion. It is believed 60,000 Jewish slaves were imported and used to build the Colosseum. This was also the same time that Christianity was spreading and gaining a foothold. The Colosseum was built for gladiator contests and public spectacles including mock sea battles, dramas, animal hunts, and executions including executions of Christians who were beginning to be seen as a threat to the Roman Empire.

Tours are available at both the Forum and the Colosseum, but due to our tight schedule we just viewed them from outside.

We caught a subway, directly across the street from the Colosseum, to our final destination for our Angels and Demons tour. We had worked our way across historic Rome from the Castel Sant’Angelo on the northwest side to the Colusseum on the southeast side. Our last Angels and Demons site was the Church of Santa Maria del Popolo back on the north side of the city.

If you recall, Langdon goes to the Pantheon looking for Rafael’s tomb and realizes he made a mistake. He figures out his real destination is the Chigi Chapel inside the Church of Santa Maria del Popolo. This chapel was designed by Raphael to be the tomb for the Chigi Family, thus Raphael’s Tomb. Here, Langdon figures out the element, earth, is represented by the dirt under the chapel in the crypt. He is too late to save the Cardinal but the chapel is full of Illuminati symbols and the Bernini sculpture, Habbakuk and the Angel, which points Langdon to the next destination on the Path of Illumination.

The paintings that cover the ceilings and walls of the Chigi Chapel are considered the best remaining examples of Raphael’s work. In addition to Bernini, there are several other well-known artists who contributed to the interior of this church and whose works are still on display including two exquisite works of Caravaggio: The Conversion of St. Paul and the Crucifixion of St. Peter.

Chigi Chapel with Bernini’s Habakuk and the Angel sculpture and a pyramid decoration thought to be an Illuminati symbol

Our day of exploring Rome wound down as we walked back down the hill to the Spanish Steps which were actually built with funds bequeathed by a French diplomat. However, because the Spanish Embassy was at the bottom they became known as the Spanish Steps. The Piazza de Spagna, at the bottom, is connected to the Piazza Trinità dei Monti, at the top, by 135 steps. They are a popular place for tourists to take a break and sit for a while. Shopping and restaurants surround the area making the steps a lively place at almost any time of day.

Exhausted, we ate a lovely pasta dinner near the Spanish Steps then dragged ourselves up to our little Airbnb. The Vatican Tour awaits us – tomorrow.

Literary Globetrotting

Take a place, mix in a book, add a smattering of food and you have the recipe for a great trip. For years I’ve had different ideas for a blog – books I want to write, books I’m excited about, books who are old friends, books to read while traveling, travel books, travel experiences, traveling with kids, traveling with teenagers, traveling as a couple, best foods, best foods in various places, recipes…but I could never settle on one thing and get excited about it. The Literary Globetrotter was born of all these things because, for me, they often they meld together. I’ve visited 27 countries and 45 US states. I’ve read books to learn, to prepare, to enhance an experience, to relax, to escape, and just for the pure joy of reading. I’ve tried new foods from around the world as well as foods close to home, and recreated recipes of foods I’ve loved. I’ve traveled alone, as a couple, and with children. Welcome to my world! I’m just getting this new blog going, so stay tuned for more. Subscribe on the homepage to get notified when I post new updates.