International Living Daily Postcards

Castles...There’s just something magical about them—about their beauty, their strength, the ancient history we can all imagine within their walls. For me, they’re one of the big draws of Europe and one of the reasons I keep taking trains to small Swiss towns and cycling along back roads in the French countryside and hiking up Croatian hills to tumbledown ruins...

My husband and I live in Bernay, a tiny town just an hour-and-a-half from Paris by train ($27 round trip). It’s nestled in the Charentonne river valley and has 23 separate waterways running through it. There are old bridges everywhere, gorgeous half-timbered buildings, and historic outbuildings that are protected by the government...

What sets Sifnos apart from the hundreds of other Greek islands is its food innovation, and all over the island, you’ll find original twists and surprising variations on classic Greek dishes.