To Hear the World in a Glass of Champagne

I raise the glass, thinking to drink as a thousand times before. But I hear my grandmother’s glass xylophone.  Tiny, high-pitched dings sound above the almost-monotonic poppings.

I tilt the glass and hear the sound of the sea inside a shell: the ocean twice removed.

Treasures From the Bay

Nothing says, “You are entering the realm of storybook, drama and quirkiness” so much as a sign like this:

San Francisco, if not a treasure island, is a treasure trove.

Holiday Leftovers

This is my second visit to Amsterdam so I was prepared for the beauty. I was not, however, prepared for the volume of rubbish on the streets.

Muscovite Mouths

One final thing about Russia.

Well, two.

Plus some photos.