A bit about me...

Perhaps one could say I was born to travel. My father was finishing Seminary in Texas when my identical twin sister and I made our debut. We moved to Pennsylvania and then back to Maine where my parents were originally from.

That's where my great love of literature and reading started. I would read anything I could get my hands on. Much to my mother's dismay I would take a flashlight and hide under the covers to read well into the night. Books from far away places always held such fascination for me. I'd pour over these books for hours determined that someday I was going to see the world. Not only see the world but learn and absorb myself into new cultures.

I married Mac, the love of my life and at times bane of my existence (but honestly that would be any marriage over 20 years folks). Mac and I met in England when he was in the United States Air Force and I was staying with my American Field Service foreign exchange family. He was from a career Air Force family so he had travel in his blood as well. Mac pulled up his roots and moved every four years of his life so our relationship has always been about change, moving, travel and my other passion cooking. When we would unpack into a new house and new culture our girls found it reassuring when their familiar possessions were put in place and Mom was in the kitchen cooking. They never seemed to tire of trying my concoctions. Life was good.

We've lived in the US, Germany, England and Scotland and traveled everywhere we could. The years streamed by filled with good friends, love, laughter and fun. Who could want more? It was with grateful hearts we returned to Maine to my grandfather's little cottage near the mid-coast. But life is funny and doesn't always end up like you plan. In these crazy economic times, I find myself back in Germany.

Mac and I decided to check out one of the 3 Italian restaurants in our little German village. We sat there brainstorming about what I could do with this new chapter of our lives.

"What would you like to do?" He asked me.

"Well," I replied. "I want to take those cooking classes in Tuscany, Provence and Morocco. What do you want to do?"

"I want to see as many castles as we can. Lots of the castles here have been turned into romantic hotels. You'd like that wouldn't you?"

I nodded and smiled.

So there was the plan, but it didn't seem complete. What was it missing?

Mac, being the ideas person that he is, pointed out that perhaps our friends might like to join us on our adventures here in Europe.

"You need to blog about this," he said.

"There are a million blogs on travel and food out there. Who'd want to hear anything I had to say?"

Mac shrugged his shoulders and smiled at me, "I think you'd be surprised. Why don't you write for all our friends that never get to leave their countries. Take them on this adventure with us. You are a good writer and have a way with words. I say you start blogging."

So here I am, ready to take my old friends, and hopefully some new ones too, on my adventures through Europe. My goal is to have you pull up a chair everyday and have a cup of tea (or coffee) with me, and I will share recipes and adventures with you. We'll learn together about culture, events and castles and we won't forget to include food. Food is a great way to share life.

So pull up a seat and get comfy. WELCOME! Come and share my adventures.