Picturesque Les Eyzies-de-Tayac-Sireuil, which calls itself the Center of Prehistory in Dordogne, France is surrounded by cliffs and rock formations, and is home to caves, shelters, and remains from tens of thousands of years and more in the past. It’s situated in the Vézère Valley, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979. Up aboveContinue reading “Les Eyzies, Font-de-Gaume cave”
Category Archives: art
Saintes, Saint-Césaire
The themes for this week-long tour across the south of France were Neanderthals, early humans, and prehistoric painted caves. As someone who has a degree in fine art and has studied art history, I signed up for the cave art. But we had one more day to go before we found those places. I wouldContinue reading “Saintes, Saint-Césaire”
Bordeaux
The heart of this September 2025 Europe trip was a tour across the south of France to visit prehistoric cave paintings (links below). We were to meet early in the morning at the Bordeaux airport and travel from there. So I booked a stay at a hotel near the airport and planned a day beforeContinue reading “Bordeaux”
Setúbal
An hour and a half bus ride, about 30 miles (40km) southeast from Lisbon, lies the much smaller city of Setúbal. An artist friend from Colorado moved there recently to join an expat artist community. I was pleased to see she seems to be settling in nicely, has made friends, and is awaiting her containerContinue reading “Setúbal “
Barcelona
Some artists take generations to have their works completed. Antonin Gaudi, whose art and architecture grace Barcelona, was one of them. I hadn’t been to Barcelona for twenty-four years. But after spending a week in Spain (Madrid, Alhama), it beckoned. I had heard that there were recent protests against tourists, because it was overrun withContinue reading “Barcelona”
Madrid
Every few years, I’ve done an English immersion week in Spain or elsewhere in Europe. This June I returned (next post). I’ve taken some time off from blogging this summer and will again soon, as I leave for another trip. I hope to catch up during the winter months. Thanks for coming back to visit!Continue reading “Madrid”
Crossing Oaxaca
Driving across the state of Oaxaca, there were some interesting stops. The Arbol del Tule, a Montezuma cypress, or ahuehuete, has the largest trunk diameter in the world, and is over 130 feet tall. It’s on the grounds of a church at the town center of Santa María del Tule. The magnificent tree is twoContinue reading “Crossing Oaxaca”
Oaxaca
Ancestors have populated the region now called the state of Oaxaca for thousands of years. It was named Oaxaca, similar to the original Nahuatl name Huaxyacac meaning “place of the guaje trees,” by the Mexicas (Aztecs), and then inhabited by Zapotec and Mixtec who warred with each other. When the Spanish came, they imposed order andContinue reading “Oaxaca”
Puebla
The fourth largest city in Mexico, Puebla is a pleasant place to stroll. The city was founded by the Spanish in 1531; before then, the Mexicas (Aztecs) lived in the area now known as the state of Puebla. The historic center with its classic colonial architecture is an UNESCO World Heritage Site. The main streetContinue reading “Puebla”
Mexico City
Riding from the airport, so many colorful murals along the highway caught my eye. My hotel was near the city center. As I walked the city streets, I felt like I was back in Guatemala, where I had lived for three years a couple of decades ago. The street scenes were so similar, framed byContinue reading “Mexico City”
Ruth Rosenfeld 