Read some of Melody's recent work:
AAA Going Places, July-August, 2009
"Niagara Falls Up-Close"
Ever since Niagara Falls emerged from the melting glaciers of the last ice age, people have been spellbound by its magnificence. "I saw two great white clouds rising up slowly and majestically from the depths of the earth," wrote Charles Dickens. "Niagara Falls was at once stamped upon my heart, an Image of Beauty..." View the article
AAA Going Places, November-December 2008
"Cape May: Queen of the Jersey Shore"
Along the southern tip of New Jersey, where the waters of the Atlantic meet the Delaware Bay, Cape May, the state's most charming seaside resort, offers visitors a step back in time. There, horse-drawn carriages clip-clop down tree-lined streets, vibrant flowers burst from well-tended gardens, and herons call out from the misty shoreline. View the article
AAA Going Places, May-June, 2008
"Lake Atitlán: Guatemala's Mayan Paradise"
There is good reason Lago de Atitlán has been called "the closest thing to Eden on Earth." Tucked between three imposing volcanoes, the area is replete with stunning natural beauty. But here, in the Central Highlands of Guatemala, I learned from my Maya friend Carlos Vivar that it's the spirit of the people as well as the dramatic scenery that brings visitors back again and again. View the article
TACA Airlines Explore magazine, March 2008
"Lake Atitlán: Guatemala's Eden on Earth"
Lake Atitán, Guatemala, has been called "the closest thing to Eden on earth." Located in the central highlands of Guatemala, the lake is tucked between three imposing volcanoes -- San Pedro, Tolimán and Atitán -- and at 1,000 feet deep, it is the deepest lake in the Western Hemisphere. But Lake Atitán has much more to offer than breathtaking scenery... Read the article in English / Read the article in Spanish
TACA Airlines Explore magazine, July 2007
"Napa Valley: The Jewel of California's Wine Country"
The sun sets, painting the sky in glorious shades of salmon, pink and tawny gold. You sit on a winery porch, sipping a superb Cabernet as your eyes scan endless hills fanned by vines laden with firm, juicy grapes. This is California's Napa Valley, a magical place where wildflowers bloom along roadsides, lush forests shelter nature lovers and vineyards produce some of the best wines in the world... Read the article in English / Read the article in Spanish
TACA Airlines Explore magazine, May 2007
"Chicago: Celebrating Summer in the Windy City"
The Chicago skyline glistened beneath a cerulean sky, cotton-candy-like clouds drifting lazily above the buildings. Even at this early hour, people were outdoors, walking, jogging and cycling along the city's lakefront path, celebrating the arrival of summer's warm weather... Read the article in English / Read the article in Spanish
AAA Going Places, May, 2007
"Essaouira, Morocco: Africa's Windy City"
"I will give you 3,000 camels and the Sahara Desert if you will be my wife," said Mohammed, our young, dark-haired Moroccan guide, as he looked at me with soulful brown eyes.
I bit my lip to keep from smiling. Then I thanked him, assuring him I would consider his offer if I could fit the camels on the airplane... Read the article / Download the article
The Daily Herald, January 14, 2007
"So To Speak: Take a Language School Vacation in Vienna"
Vienna, Austria, 8:15 a.m. I bid auf wiedersehen to my roommate Francesca, grab my notebooks and rush outside. On my way to school I pass Vienna's spectacular St. Stephen's Cathedral. Despite the threat of April snow, I look forward to this afternoon's tour of the city.
I hear the clip-clop of a fiaker, its alabaster horses led by a bewhiskered fellow who nods his head at me as he passes. A shop owner calls to me in German as I stop for coffee at a cafe on the elegant Karntner Strasse, and I am able to respond. I'm no ordinary tourist who knows just a few words in German - I am a language tourist... Read the article / Download the .pdf
Melody's work has also appeared in the following publications. The links in the column on the right will take you to some of these articles, or click on the links below:
