Author: klmalcolm2014

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About klmalcolm2014

Retired from work in government and nonprofit organizations, I've been traveling the world nonstop since 2016, writing and supporting humanitarian work. Life is good!

Magical Prague

Czech Republic, Uncategorized, , , , , , , , , , View all 10 comments

The towers of St. Nicholas Church in Old Town Square.

I spent a few days in Prague this week with good friend and refugee family “mom,” Anne-Lene. I don’t think I have ever been to a place that felt so light and uncomplicated. The city lived up to everything I had heard about it — wall-to-wall charm, stunning architecture adorned with elegant detail of all kinds, walkable streets, friendly Czechs and a lot of very happy tourists. It is the kind of place you want to visit when you want to forget about “it.” Continue reading →

The Vatican: More Than Just Holy

2018, art, Italy, Vatican, , , , , , , , , , View all 4 comments

Part of the mosaic wall near the top of St.Peter’s dome.

A trip to Italy would not be complete without a visit to the Vatican, St. Peter’s Basilica, and the Vatican’s amazing museums exhibiting art and artifacts from around the globe.  Avery, Bella and I spent our last day together in this home of the Catholic Church and the smallest country in the world.  Continue reading →

Ciao Bella and Avery — Two Days in Rome

2018, Italy, , , , , , , , , View all 5 comments

We arrived in Rome after a second insanely bureaucratic, chaotic and expensive flight on RyanAir.  But we arrived in Rome! The City of Eternal Love, historic, highly caloric — where Everything is Big. Our apartment is in the charming neighborhood called Monti, within walking distance of everything we want to see, and full of cafes, churches and shops. Continue reading →

Two Muses in Athens

2018, Greece, , , , , , , View all 8 comments

I wasn’t sure how I would feel being back in Athens. It is a place of such emotional contrasts for me — its wonderful history and the warmth of the Greeks alongside the tragedy that comes with a collapsed economy, not to mention the heat and pollution of summer. But arriving in Athens on Wednesday, I felt a sweet familiarity. Athens was a partner during the life-changing time I was here among a community of refugees.  Continue reading →

Two Hot Dogs Walk Into a German Supermarket….

2018, Germany, , , , , , View all 10 comments

In 1963, President John F Kennedy expressed solidarity with the people of Berlin by stating “Ich bin ein Berliner.” Depending on how strictly you apply the rules of German grammar (which Germans apply quite strictly), this means either “I am a Berliner” or “I am a jelly donut.”  In spite of this cute faux pas, no one ever confused JFK or any other American president with pastry. I know what you are thinking but Cheetos are not really pastry.

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OohLaLa, Avery and Bella in Paris

2018, France, , , , , , View all 22 comments

You should plan to get all the way through this posting because the ending  is worth waiting for. But here is the beginning. I am in Paris, which would be heaven all by itself but I am in Paris with Avery and Bella. Who are Bella and Avery? If you don’t actually know them, you just need to know they are 12-year old girls with wildly different personalities who are nevertheless fully sync-ed with each other pretty much all the time. Continue reading →