The Best Laid Plans of Mice and Men

“Please don’t rain yet. Please don’t rain yet. Please don’t rain yet.” My mind looped this mantra, and I plastered an everything’s-alright smile, hoping my face wouldn’t betray my anxiety. Twenty-eight people were following me through the cobblestone streets of Paris, and I didn’t want their only two days with me in my favorite EuropeanContinue reading “The Best Laid Plans of Mice and Men”

Hello, George Clooney!

It’s the start of tour season again, and this time I’m working on a Best of Italy tour.  When I mention to friends that I’m going to Lake Como, they all ask me if I’m going to see George Clooney’s villa.  I wish.  I’m staying in Varenna–a romantic and picture-worthy town on the eastern sideContinue reading “Hello, George Clooney!”