A Place Like This

Category: Travel

  • Relic in the Forest

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    by

    Valarie Budayr
    in ,

    The last time "O" and I went to Sweden we happened upon a 12th century gothic cathedral ruin by the side of the road. Surrounded by partial ancient walls, this lovely structure is surrounded by trees and flowering meadows. All the boy could think about were the ruins at Elinghem and how he had to…

  • Caught on a Gray Day

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    by

    Valarie Budayr
    in

    Though most of our days have been sunny in Sweden there were a few gray ones, even pouring with rain sorts of days.  On this particular day,…… I walked across the courtyard of The Royal Palace in Stockholm to take a photo of the clock tower and the sky.  When I turned around I noticed…

  • The Beckoning Field

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    Valarie Budayr
    in ,

    On a day where the sky is blue, the breeze blows gently, and the flowers bloom, the blossoming field beckons. And where fields beckon, boys will ride.

  • Poppies, Poppies, Everywhere

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    Valarie Budayr
    in

    With the Baltic Sea behind me, I faced the most glorious field of red poppies that I had ever seen. I just had to go run through this field. Ever present in the back of mind was that scene from the Wizard of Oz when Dorothy was in a field of poisoned poppies which made…

  • Right Where We Left Her

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    Valarie Budayr
    in ,

    I've had a couple of weeks off and a few more days to go before we come back home to the States. It's been an incredible past year and a half or so, in the very best way possible. Even so, I've missed moments of myself and the life I have created, like leisurely blogging…

  • Land of the Midnight Sun

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    Valarie Budayr
    in

    It's that time of year when we make our annual pilgrimage to the wonderful country of Sweden. Before heading to our magical island of Gotland, we're spending a few days in Stockholm. One can't really understand the concept of "The Midnight Sun" unless you have experienced it for oneself. This is 10'oclock at night. The…

  • Meanwhile Back at the Casbah

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    Valarie Budayr
    in ,

    While still in Paris, one day we decided to go for Moroccan food. All of us are huge couscous fans and we had heard that this little place was like stepping back in time. As I was trying to have a conversation with my family, I couldn't help but notice that my children were very…

  • In the Garden of Versailles

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    Valarie Budayr
    in

    On our unexpected, unplanned outing to the Palace of Versailles we were totally mesmerized by the interior. No one mentioned the upcoming picnic lunch on the terrace or that soon we would be enchanted by a magical spring like day in March.  As far as the eye could see the garden went on. The long…

  • To the Palace of Versailles

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    by

    Valarie Budayr
    in

    He had that look in his eye. The one where a bevy of questions are about to be unleashed.   "Mom, is Chateau de Versailles just a metro stop or is there a palace there?"  O asked. " Oh,there's an incredible palace there. Remember the French revolution sites we visited? This is the Palace that…

  • Eiffel’s Tower

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    by

    Valarie Budayr
    in

    Though we are back from Paris, I haven't yet finished sharing the most magical moments of that trip. The initial reason I started blogging was to save moments my family and I shared. It came from a place of longing, wishing I had captured the incredible moments with my family growing up. So that my…