Author: hpitts60
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Savoring Southern France, Part II
A steady hum, a certain busyness, yet unhurriedness, pervades the Rue de France as I slip from the apartment out onto the street. Nice is a big city, the fifth largest in France, yet somehow it manages to feel like a small town. I have but one thought on my mind this evening – Food.…
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Savoring Southern France, Part I
A slight nudge on my feet awakened me. The flight attendant motioned – “time to wake up, we’re in the final approach.” I quickly complied, putting on my sneakers and then leaning forward to look out the window. The fresh Mediterranean waters glistened beneath us as the plane slowly descended to the runway. But, it…
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Pitts in Paris, Part IV
It seemed everything was working against me. The Paris Metro, usually a breeze to ride, was acting a lot like the NYC MTA on this Saturday morning. All the trains were skipping the stop I needed. Finally, I gave up, hopped off and caught an Uber. Finally, once I arrived in the Orange store (think…
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Pitts in Paris, Part III
I had planned to come and gaze upon its beauty, to admire its gothic design and ancient walls packed with centuries worth of history. I had thought to quietly enter within, to approach the altar and perhaps, though not of their particular faith and not in their specific format, to whisper a prayer of my…
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Pitts in Paris, Part II
Labour Day I thought I was being slick. My credit card’s chip wasn’t working at the ticket machine and the tram was approaching. Oh well, I thought, it’s like the tram in Belgium, they rarely ever check the tickets. I hopped aboard, leaning back in the corner trying to look cool and normal. I blinked…
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Pitts in Paris, Part I
Set on a quiet side street across from a veterinarian office, enclosed behind a green gate, it is a simple home, with a bright yard, flowers tastefully placed. The apartment sits up a flight of stairs, one room with a kitchen and sitting area, a window overlooking the street. It is my first Airbnb…and it’s…
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Romanian Meditations, Part II
Almost too soon, my time here in Timisoara has come to an end. Visiting Eastern Europe has been a unique and, at times, challenging experience. But it is not the city’s aging infrastructure, unfamiliar brands, or the buildings and neighborhoods (still caught in the shallow of the Stalin era) that I will remember. Rather it…
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Romanian Meditations, Part I
It is faint at first. A mournful, droning song, calling out over the square. As I move closer, I realize the voice is coming from the Cathedral of the Eastern Orthodox Church towering high above the street on the banks of the Bega river in Timisoara, Romania. I climb the steps and push through the…
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Exploring Ghent, Belgium, Part IV
I can hear from the great cathedral – an ancient majestic fortress, whose stone walls have echoed the earnest voices of priests giving mass throughout the middle ages, withstood the German occupation and Nazi theft of the beautiful artistic masterpieces from its hallowed halls – ring out its bells loud and joyous as the sun…
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Exploring Ghent, Belgium, Part III
Tucked away on a corner street, just a block from the Gravensteen Castle, a dark relic of the Middle Ages, Amadeus is at once quaint and eclectic. The walls are crammed full of miscellaneous antiques, the tables draped with checkered cloths that remind you of smoky BBQ joints down south in Charleston or Savannah. We…
The Wandering Foodie 