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During one visit, my uncle and his fiancée surprised everyone with an surprise wedding on his military base, where we were staying. Only their immediate families — and me — knew the secret, thanks to my ability to understand and read more Norwegian than they realized. Guests arrived thinking they were attending a farewell party as my uncle was being transferred, but instead, guests were swept into a joyous and love-filled celebration. Following the ceremony, guests followed the guests to the water where a famous Norwegian painting of a bridal procession was recreated in a row boat. It was a moment of pure delight, brimming with laughter, love and the kind of memories that linger forever.

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Homemade waffles with cheese and freshly picked strawberries.

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Visiting with family and exploring more of my parents' birthplaces. 

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We stayed (with permission) on the property of a local farmer named Jill. We arrived on a rainy evening and received a brief tour, during which she made a few comments on "seeing the waterfall" in the morning. We had originally planned to be up and out early for a day hike, but because of the poor weather our plans (thankfully) changed. Jill came out with a bunch of rain gear, including jackets and boots, and instructed us to hop on the back of her four wheeler. We rode across her farmland with a pack of her dogs (including one particularly troublesome Jack Russell named Jerry) following us to herd the sheep and cattle along the way. She brought us into the woods to show us an amazing waterfall that can only be viewed from the edge of her property. The picture doesn't do it justice. After that she had us into her home where we had cookies, tea and conversation before continuing on our journey. It was completely unplanned and one of the best moments of our honeymoon.

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Pies ... savory, sweet, any and all of them!

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My husband and I, for our honeymoon, rented a campervan in Auckland and drove it to Queenstown. While we had some planned stops, much of it was an adventure with a lot of spontaneity, including picking up a German hitchhiker.

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Skiing with the Mexican Biathlon Team,  my SYA Spanish came in handy!

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Salted ricotta salad and caramelized celeriac soup (and the croissants!)

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We stayed at the inn - in operation since the 1400s! - took advantage of the cozy fireplaces, and ate at their delicious, cozy restaurant. Highly recommend the starters, maybe even several instead of an entree.

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Happened upon a British royal at the Manor - a Cotswolds celebrity sighting!

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The salmon ceviche at the Glasshouse and the venison puff at the Billiard Room

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The thermal journey at the spa and strolling the grounds to see owls and sheep

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Sophomore year in college I was studying in France (again!) and the Student Tourist Office offered a spring vacation trip to the Soviet Union: Moscow, Kiev, Odessa and Kharkov. The Russians were expecting a bunch of ardent young French Communists.  Our group of around thirty people was only half French - and none of whom seemed overly political. The other half were American architecture students (from Illinois, IIRC) who were in Paris to sketch pictures of the buildings and spoke no French. (They each had a card with their name and address on it to give to the cab driver to get them back to their dorm at night.) In Moscow the guides spoke French, so I had to translate what they said for the Americans.  When we got to Odessa the tour operator (Sputnik, of course) got its wires crossed and assigned us English-speaking guides. So I had to translate what they said for the French in our group.  The best parts of the trip were getting lost in the Moscow subway, being offered more than $100 for my Levi's, and almost getting picked up by two girls on Odessa's promenade who wondered if I was off one of the  American grain ships that were bringing wheat in because the Soviet crop had failed. The world is an interesting place! 

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With Ambassador Caroline Kenedy in Honiara, Solomon Islands.  (Note my hat!)

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I had the pleasure of visiting Solomon Islands a few times for my work with the State Department.  My first visit coincided with the 80th anniversary of the WWII battle of Guadalcanal.  It was a huge honor to be part of the official U.S. delegation to those ceremonies.  On a subsequent trip I presided over the opening of the U.S. embassy, and on my last trip I was privileged to accompany Ambassador Caroline Kennedy to Gizo on the 80th anniversary of the rescue of her father, President John F. Kennedy, and the crew of “PT 109.”  Our ties with Solomon Islands run deep, and I hope more Americans will visit this special corner of the Pacific!

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The Kings Head Inn Bledington, The Green, Chipping Norton, UK

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The Kings Head Inn Bledington, The Green, Chipping Norton, UK

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The Kings Head Inn Bledington, The Green, Chipping Norton, UK

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Jota - sauerkraut and bean soup with sausage

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Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo

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Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo

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Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo

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Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of the Congo

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Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of the Congo

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Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of the Congo

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Wandered around the city, visited the thermal pools.

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Everything was good, but we tried Puffin and Shark!

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Falafel wrap from our local falafel shop Dinah

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Traveling with friends and late-night multilingual talks.

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Sakhalin island, Sakhalin Oblast, Russia

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Sakhalin island, Sakhalin Oblast, Russia

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Sakhalin island, Sakhalin Oblast, Russia

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Persian Pilaf - made in a pot the size of a hot tub.