International Sampler

View three samples of Susan's favorite international pieces.

Fall 2014

Naked, Not Nude

What is it that I most miss about Germany? ... the bads, the thermes, the hot mineral springs, the saunas. The infusions. Picture about 35 naked men and women, all shapes and sizes, from their 30s to their 80s. Everyone is very circumspect, every tushie neatly settled on its own individual towel.

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Spring 2012

Azores Appeal

The bull was about eight feet away, not quite close enough to touch but definitely close enough to smell, to hear the panting exhale of his bull-breath, to have a second, make that 1-2-3 seconds of eye contact. He was black and big, over five feet at the shoulder. His horns extended out to the tips capped with something gold--I assume so he could not rip open a belly with one toss, yet maul whatever humans were in his path. There was a rope around his neck, the other end held two blocks down the village road by six men in flowing white shirts and black hats... as if six men could ever stop a charging bull.

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Fall 2011

'Bula' for Fiji

Exquisite sand beaches, swaying palm trees, turquoise seas, impossibly blue skies, darting fish and pulsating coral reefs. After spending three weeks in Fiji, I found that all these stereotypes were, amazingly, true. But don't go all that way just for scenery. If what you crave is a pool with a swim-up bar and a beach with palm trees, there are picture-perfect places a lot closer. But if you have a sense of adventure and want to experience a culture totally different from home, Fiji is definitely worth the trip. It was the people of Fiji, not the beaches, who made my visit so memorable.

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