For most of my life I spent Thanksgiving with one family member or another (or all of them), eating a huge turkey dinner, listening to football-related yelling, and navigating the delicate balance between family arguments and peaceful co-existence.  If that sounds familiar, and the thought of spending another holiday like that is truly painful, consider taking a Thanksgiving vacation this year.
And I’m not talking about a vacation to go visit family – I’m talking about a real vacation – for everyone!
I first tried the holiday vacation plan nearly 10 years ago, and while I don’t do it every year, it’s …read more

The imposing cylindrical Castel Sant’Angelo, situated along the Tiber River in Rome, was built between 123 and 129 AD.  It was first known as the Mausoleum of Hadrian, serving as the resting grounds for the ashes of the Roman emperor.  Ashes of Hadrian’s family, as well as subsequent emperors, joined him there.
The tomb was ransacked during one of Rome’s less civilized periods, and the Castel Sant’angelo was later used as a fortress (Popes hid out here), castle (connected to St. Peter’s Basilica by a covered corridor), and prison (executions were held in the interior square). 
Today it is the …read more