Today marks the last of five sea days since we left Gambia. After tomorrow’s port stop on St. Helena Island, […]
A Day in The Gambia: Sacred Groves, Crocodile Pools, and Playful Monkeys
The sun rose over the Gambian coastline, casting a reddish-golden glow across the bustling port of Banjul. We exited the […]
Exploring Dakar, Senegal: A Journey Through Vibrant Culture, Rich History, and Powerful Heritage
Dakar, Senegal Our shore excursion yesterday was a powerful reminder not to judge a destination by first impressions. As I […]
Halfway Through Our Grand Voyage: Highlights from 31 Days at Sea from Venice to Cape Town
Today, we’re in Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, marking the halfway point of our incredible Grand Voyage, which began 31 days […]
Exploring the French Riviera Off-Season: Nice’s Elegance and Eze’s Magical Charm
Ah, the French Riviera – a sun-drenched escape for the rich and famous, from Zelda and Scott (Fitzgerald) to Jeff […]
Gaudí’s Vision: A Timeless Journey at the Sagrada Familia
For over a decade, Mary and I have watched Gaudí’s Sagrada Familia climb ever higher, gradually dominating Barcelona’s skyline. The […]
A Zara Quest on Barcelona’s Finest Day
Walking the Ramblas, we were ready for any mischievous squirt guns lurking amidst the vibrant crowd. It was a glorious […]
A Day of Triumph and Trials in Florence
It may be my last visit to Florence, Italy. The city was so crowded that it took a lot of […]
Exploring Napoleon’s Exile: A Journey to Elba’s Villa Martino and Beyond
One of the most fascinating aspects of travel for us is walking in the footsteps of historic and legendary figures, […]
Rediscovering Taormina: A Day of Shopping, History, and Stunning Views in Sicily
If there’s a tourist hotspot in Sicily, it’s got to be Taormina. We took an “on-your-own” tour of this beautiful […]
Discovering Maltese Heritage in Every Sip: Wine Tasting at Ta’ Betta Wine Estates
The last part of our Malta tour was a wine tasting at a local winery. Ta’ Betta Wine Estates was […]
Exploring Malta’s Timeless Charm: Mdina’s Silent Streets and Valletta’s Majestic Coastline
Malta has always been one of our favorite Mediterranean ports, offering everything a traveler could ask for—fair weather, dramatic ancient […]
Exploring Contrasts in Corfu and Argostoli: Highlights from Greece’s Ionian Islands
Shared with Public We’re enjoying our first and last sea day on this leg of the cruise, as we […]
Top Ten Things to do in Cadiz Spain
Kotor and Our Lady of the Rocks
Our latest visit to Kotor featured a shore excursion that blended luxury, history, and local charm. We skipped the old […]
Greetings from Dubrovnik, Croatia
“Greetings from beautiful Dubrovnik! It is a cool, sunny day, much better weather than our previous visit during last August’s […]
A Fun Night at the Stud Farm
We had a truly an Az-amazing Evening at the Lipica Stud Farm in Slovenia! Having toured the farm on a […]
A Lovely Day in Ljubljana, Slovenia
Our first port on our Azamara grand voyage was Koper, Slovenia. We had already been wowed by Slovenia’s people, beautifully […]
Travel Gods Weren’t Smiling
It’s been a crazy couple of days since we left Rome, but we finally made it to our ship, our […]
Great Roman Dining: With a Little Help From My Friends
We have many ways to choose restaurants when we travel. Typically, we rely on YouTube, TripAdvisor, and Google Maps for […]
Three Coins in a Dry Fountain
Mary and I visited the Trevi Fountain today, only to find it drained and walled off with a glass partition. […]
Trastevere’s Charms: A Perfect Roman Evening
This evening, we capped a perfect Roman autumn day at Caffè Marzio, a prime people-watching spot in Piazza di Santa […]
The Pantheon: A Travel Lesson
There’s a travel lesson to be learned from our tour of the Pantheon yesterday. We’ve stayed in Rome three times […]
A Very Roman Food Tour
We enjoyed an informative and mouth-watering food tour yesterday, exploring the flavors of Rome’s Campo de’ Fiori, the Jewish Ghetto, […]
Jet Lag, Day 2
Jet lag, day two. I woke up at 2:30 am and tried to count all of our previous travel adventures […]
THE ADVENTURE BEGINS
24 hours ago, our journey from San Diego to Rome began. The trip, despite a few unusual incidents, was largely […]
Ron & Mary’s Ultimate Granada Tapas Crawl
Free tapas – yes, free! It’s a hallmark of the Granada food scene. While the tradition of a free tapa […]
Beyond the Squirt Gun: Finding Balance in Tourism
The recent squirt-gun protest by Barcelona’s Neighborhood Assembly for Tourism Degrowth (ABDT) drew international attention to the growing tensions surrounding […]
A Family Reunion in Toledo Spain
On Friday, we took a 35-minute train ride from Madrid to the ancient city of Toledo. Toledo’s rich 2000-year history, narrow medieval streets, and eclectic architecture left us amazed when we visited a few years ago. It was a Roman colony, Visigothic and Islamic Al-Andalus capital, and later, Castile’s political and military center. It was an amazingly tolerant place where Christian, Muslim, and Jewish cultures flourished together.
Walking Through History in Granada
Granada, much like Toledo, is a city defined by its history. People have called it home for over 7,000 years. Sunday morning we joined a Highlights of Granada free walking tour. Our guide took us through the labyrinthine of steep cobblestone streets in the Albaicín. It’s the old Moorish quarter with ancient whitewashed shops and houses that cascaded down the hillside. Our memories of it are vivid. On our first visit to Granada, we enjoyed several days in the heart of the quarter. We felt a sense of timelessness here.
Above and Beyond in Granada
We usually focus on food and drink when we do a restaurant post. This one isn’t necessarily about food, although […]
Great Beginning to Granada Adventure
Probably the best travel day in a long time. Madrid Uber driver on time and happily loaded our bags. Easy […]
Pasaia Maritime Festival San Sebastian
San Sebastian is so much more than pintxos and beaches. Today we discovered the sea-faring side, just a dozen miles […]
Our Last Lunch in San Sebastian: Geralds Bar
ur last wonderful lunch in San Sebastian was at Geralds Bar, the same friendly place where we enjoyed our first meal on this visit. As much as we love pintxos bars and fine Basque restaurants, sometimes we need a break. Geralds offers just that — delicious international comfort food perfectly prepared with the best local fresh products. And they offer an excellent selection of wines in the $20-a-bottle range. Our menu del Dia included a braised quail with leeks – warming and delicious on a rainy spring day. A perfect ending to our San Sebastian adventure.
La Charca Taberna: Asturian Cuisine in Madrid
Cachopo is pure comfort food, think chicken fried steak but instead of gravy, it’s stuffed with cheese and all sorts of tasty ingredients, depending on the chef’s preference. We’ve had a cachopo craving ever since we landed in Spain and yesterday we satisfied it in a lovely little restaurant, La Charca Taberna. It lived up to its glowing reviews on TripAdvisor.
Royal Botanical Garden of Madrid
Today, the Botanical Garden boasts 90,000 plants,1,500 trees, and five greenhouses filled with non-endemic species. As we strolled the garden, workers were busy replacing spent displays of tulips, iris, and other spring blooms. Not much else was in flower, but it was still a joy to claim a bench and relax with other visitors lost in conversation or a good book. Busy-body magpies entertained, gliding through the jasmine-scented air. It was a splendid way to spend an afternoon, refreshing body and soul, on a sultry Madrid day.
Basque Country Bliss: San Sebastian
San Sebastian’s magic lies in its Basque soul–a vibrant cultural tapestry woven from centuries-old traditions and fiercely independent. The Basque Country boasts a rich cultural heritage, a language spoken nowhere else on earth, and a deep connection to its rugged coastline. This spirit infuses everything, from the colorful fishing villages clinging to cliffs to the world-renowned cuisine.