Articles written by Vivienne Mackie

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About me - Vivienne Mackie

Vivienne Mackie, born in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), trained as a clinical psychologist in South Africa, but switched to counselling foreign students and their families and teaching ESL, when she moved to the USA.
She has been roaming the world since her first

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Food & Drink > Recipes (Other) Recipes: Great seasonal spring recipes: 1 of 28
ARUGULA and FIG SALADMy family loves fresh vegetable salads, but they don't like sour cream or mayonnaise, so I'm always experimenting with different fresh combinations. I saw a recipe in a magazine for a spinach and strawberries salad, so I tried arugula and strawberries, which was pleasant. We usually eat dried fruit and nu... More..
Travel > Australia & South Pacific Travel experiences: Australia: 1 of 24
PARADISE, BRIEFLY Fraser Island, Queensland, Australia Look, Mom! A dolphin, my daughter shouted. And there it was, glistening as the sunlight caught the water droplets on its skin. The excitement on the ferry was palpable at this first hint of the paradise that is Fraser Island. Waves plopped against the side of the ferry ... More..
Travel > Germany Places to visit in Germany: 1 of 20
FAIRYTALE CASTLE TRIBUTE TO WAGNER The end of the Romantic Road in southern Germany climbs to the village of Schwangau, about 60 miles south-west of Munich, the gateway to Bavaria, the beer-drinking capital of the world. Above the village, tower two of the most famous Bavarian castles from the nineteenth century; Hohenschwang... More..
Travel > North & South America Travel experiences: Wonderful wildlife encounters while traveling: 1 of 14
HARAR'S HYENA MANI've heard of some weird things in my travels, but feeding wild hyenas by hand has to be one of the strangest. Harar is an ancient Ethiopian city with a long checkered history, much of it violent and un-Western, so this hyena-feeding seemed to slot into this unique place.My husband and I were visiting Harar f... More..
Local Guides > Las Vegas Travel experiences: Las Vegas: 1 of 11
Love it. Hate it. It's impossible to be indifferent to Las Vegas as it's so "in your face".I went with two people who loved it (the Lovers of Las Vegas) and one person who hated it (the Hater), which allowed me to see the city from different perspectives, and in the end I decided I was somewhere in between. If, for a few days... More..
Arts & Humanities > Museum Reviews Museum reviews: The Louvre, Paris, France: 1 of 11
The Louvre, located in the center of the city of Paris in the first arrondissement on Rue De Rivoli and along the River Seine, is a great choice to begin a Paris museum adventure. With its stunning French stone architecture and famous glass pyramid, it's the world-famous icon of France and Paris and one of the most beautiful ... More..
Travel > North & South America Travel diaries: The Hoover dam: 1 of 6
If you are visiting Las Vegas or the Grand Canyon, it's worth making an effort to visit the Hoover Dam. The dam straddles the Colorado River at Black Canyon, a deep narrow defile on the border between Arizona and Nevada. It's an amazing engineering feat and even today we still marvel at its construction, and its purposes. Eve... More..
Celebrations & Holidays > Celebrations & Holidays (Other) Groundhog Day: A Pennsylvania tradition: 2 of 11
If you hear mention of Groundhog Day, chances are you think of the famous weather-predicting rodent from Pennsylvania. This Groundhog is the only mammal to have a day named in its honor. How did this happen?According to legend, if the Groundhog (also known as a woodchuck, a kind of marmot) sees its shadow on February 2nd when... More..
Food & Drink > Dessert Recipes Recipes: Cakes for the Christmas holiday: 6 of 24
For many people "Christmas Cake" conjures up images of a heavy, fruit-rich, brandy-soaked delight. This was the Christmas cake of my childhood, when my mother would begin collecting up extra butter and eggs, ready to make the cake in September or October. A wonderful cake with wonderful memories, but times and people change: ... More..
Food & Drink > Seafood Recipes Recipes: Fish stew: 2 of 8
FENNEL AND FISH STEWI love preparing fish stews, as they are very nutritious and healthy, can be so tasty, and yet are really easy to make. All my family and many of our friends like fish, so a big pot of fish stew is also a great dish for entertaining. An advantage of this recipe is that you can prepare the base in advance i... More..