FOSTERING CROSS CULTURAL DIVERSITY, TOLERANCE, INCLUSION, AND UNDERSTANDING AROUND THE WORLD WITH AN EMPHASIS ON JEWISH HISTORY.
Are you going to Iceland on vacation or business? Take a look at this Insight Guides Iceland. This book is a great trip companion. Invaluable for trip planning and once you arrived, for exploring. Lots of historical and current information and photos. Articles are well written and maps are some of the best.
Continue reading “Going to Iceland? We recommend this book”
We went to Iceland in November seeking the land of fire and ice, volcanoes and glaciers. We imagined endless days of complete darkness and the magic of dancing lights in the Arctic sky. We expected the sub-zero temperatures and winter storms.
Continue reading “Hotel Borg of Reykjavik Exemplifies the Very Best of Iceland”
New book of stories from Irene Shaland is now available in paperback. In The Dao of Being Jewish and Other Stories Irene Shaland presents a collective Jewish narrative from various parts of the globe. She takes the reader on a fascinating journey, both familiar and unknown, from Europe to Asia and Africa, from Vienna to Delhi and Nairobi. The fate of the brilliant Jewish community of Vienna annihilated during the Holocaust shines a disturbing light on the stories of the current rise of Antisemitism in Scandinavia and throughout Europe.
Continue reading “The Dao of Being Jewish and Other Stories Released”
All visitors to Iceland fall into two distinctive categories: those who saw the northern lights and those who did not. When Irene set her trip target on Iceland, she was determined to place herself, our daughter, and I squarely in the first category. The problem was that unlike the predictable crowds at JFK on the way to Iceland, the famous northern lights of Iceland are highly unpredictable. However, the best time to see them is from November through December. So mid-November looked pretty good. Oh, and it also happens to be one of the coldest months of the year.
Continue reading “Chasing the Elusive Northern Lights in Iceland”
“Architecture embraces the whole form-world of man’s physical accommodations, from the intimacy of his room to the comprehensive labyrinth of the large metropolis.” Eliel Saarinen.
We found out about the Cranbrook Art Academy and the Saarinen House by pure chance: our architecture-buff friend mentioned it when we talked about my upcoming presentation at the Detroit Public Library. We immediately decided to schedule a private tour of the House. And what a great discovery it was!
Continue reading “Saarinen House – a Hidden Gem in the Midwest”
This year once again, we went on our annual “pilgrimage” to Stratford, Ontario. We firmly believe that Stratford offers the best English-language theater outside London, U.K. Over our four-night stay we saw seven outstanding shows:
Continue reading “Our Annual Theater Trip: Stratford August 27 – August 30”
Please continue reading to find the link to this story about the Holocaust.
It was great news when our Swiss Alps article appeared in Europe. The UK/French travel magazine Holiday Magazine published Irene Shaland’s latest travel article “The Non-Skier’s Guide to Enjoying the Swiss Alps.” This used to be a legendary travel US magazine that was reborn in its new home, Paris, recently.
The majestic Alps were often on my mind as an ultimate travel destination. However, unlike our many friends, my husband Alex and I never took up skiing or hiking. So, when considering an Alpine resort for our Spring 2015 trip to Switzerland, we first thought: Oh, my, all this money for just staying in an expensive hotel, drinking overpriced hot chocolate, and watching young people skiing…Then we thought: “Heck, why not? I am glad we did. The two days and two nights we spent in the Swiss Alps was a time of absolute enjoyment… Continue reading the article and enjoy the photos at http://www.holidaymag.co.uk/murren.html
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Irene Shaland is an internationally-published art and travel writer, educator, and lecturer. Irene has a life-long passion for travel with a higher purpose. Together with her husband-photographer Alex, Irene has visited over 70 countries. Her research trips result in numerous publications and series of educational lectures and slide-shows. Learn more about Irene Shaland
In addition to the hard-bound and paperback formats, Irene Shaland’s book “Tennessee Williams on the Soviet Stage” is now available on Kindle.
Continue reading “Irene Shaland’s book “Tennessee Williams on the Soviet Stage” is on Kindle”
Back in 1969, James Bond, also known to millions as 007, was doing what he is always doing – saving the world. But this time, it was different. In addition to saving an imaginary world from imaginary villains, Bond managed to save a real-life Swiss company from all-too-real financial ruin.
Continue reading “James Bond Saves a Swiss Cable Car Company”