Hello to Prill and Louisa. Thank you for the welcome. I'm enjoying this forum so much -- meeting women with interesting lives and backgrounds and great stories to share.

As I reread some of our posts last night, I found some fascinating tidbits that I'd love to hear more about. One that jumped out at me was Eagle Heart's having spent a month in a monastery in Pecos. Was this a spiritual retreat, Eagle Heart? Did you go as an individual or with a group of some kind? I'd love to hear more about your experience. I've read articles about people who've taken weeks, months or even a year to live in monasteries or other havens, and it's an intriguing notion. What prompted you to go, and what did you gain from it?

The premise of smilinize's novel sounds wonderful -- a long-distance Jaguar driving lesson as a platform for a story about freedom and love. Was the novel published? What is the title?

I, too, loved Japan and would like to return. We spent most of our time in the ancient city of Kyoto, which, nearly a thousand years ago, was the country's capital. The city is filled with Buddhist temples, and the serene, winding Pathway of Philosophy makes its way past many of them. You walk through the woods (we went in autumn, when Kyoto's trees bore leaves of crimson, gold and orange), alongside a stream, stopping at the temples and teahouses along the way. A long, peaceful meander.

Prill's been all over the world. I'd love to hear about more of your favorite places. I admire you for having taken students on trips abroad. You remind me of the teacher who led my son's recent trip to Greece. This was the 13th time she'd taken a large group of high schoolers to Europe. She does it, as I gather you did, Prill, because of how it enriches the kids. I interviewed her for a story, and like you, she talked about the metarphosis that takes place as the kids develop their "travel legs," becoming more comfortable with the foreign culture and easing into a self-confidence that lets them explore a place fully. I can imagine Homer smiling as he listened to you read the Iliad while crusing the Aegean. Heavenly, indeed. You'd probably get a kick out of the 10 Greece posts I wrote for my travel blog before the kids left for Athens. Using literature and history and lots of good links, I tried to "teach" a little something in a way they could relate to. "Of Myceane and men," "Let them eat octopus," "What's up, Acropolis?" and "Can you hear me now?" (about the theater at Epidauros.) Fun stuff like that. You'll find the posts in the March archives at http://RibbonsofHighway.blogspot.com .

Greece was one of the most physically beautiful places I've been. (The Mediterranean -- any and all parts, nooks and crannies of it, including its arms and bays and smaller seas like the Adriatic, Ionion and Aegean -- is my favorite area on earth. Eric Newby, a British travel writer, wrote a book called "On The Shores of the Mediterranean." He circumnavigated the Med's entire coastline in one long, continuous journey. I've always dreamed of one day doing the same.)

I took Adam to Turkey with me when he was six. I bought him a "Tintin in Istanbul" t-shirt, and he wore it in the Grand Bazaar. Every shopkeeper and stall owner came out to shake his hand and pinch his cheeks and give him sweets and little gifts. Istanbul was a dazzling delight, the Turkish people gracious and welcoming. When we toured Topkapi Palace, two teenage boys invited Adam to play soccer with them. While the other tourists visited the harems, I stayed outside and watched the game, and it touched me deeply.

And hello to Louisa. Congratulations on your publishing success. It sounds like you gained some early credits and experience by writing for a local newspaper. That is a wonderful way for writers to get started. I did the same and eventually became the primary features correspondent for three papers owned by the Boston Herald. I've taken a little break from that gig to focus on the book and on travel writing for magazines, but it's a nice way to gather clips and stay in touch with your community. Do you still write the Day Tripper column? I see you're from Massachusetts. You're smart to look at destinations like Castle in the Clouds, the White Mountains and the Maine coast as subjects for travel pieces. Often, the greatest destinations are those close to home -- the ones that other writers overlook -- and the ones that folks want to read about, because they're accessible and interesting. Good luck with your writing. It will be nice to chat with you more about it.

Sun's coming out, so I'm off for a quick run.

Lori