it’s what we do
Join Ron & Mary James as they wine, dine and travel around the World
EXPLORING SAN SEBASTIAN, SPAIN
Hola Amigos, we’re back in Spain, our favorite European country, and in a brand new city for us, San Sebastian. We’ll be here for two weeks, so we have a lot of time to explore, but so far the city on the Bay of Biscay, just a stone's throw from France, is impressive....
OUR WEEK IN LEIDEN, HOLLAND: FORMER HOME OF THE PILGRIMS
After a pleasant day of getting a feel for Leiden, it was time to get to work. Our mission was to explore the place where 50 Mayflower passengers lived for nearly a decade before their dangerous but historic voyage 403 years ago. There are no walking tours featuring...
TIME TO GO HOME
Okay, we’ve had enough adventure for a while. After three and a half months of exploring Europe - Ireland to Istanbul - we’re heading home on a 14-hour flight to LAX. Thanks for joining us. We’ll have a few more posts on our amazing Turkey visit soon. We’re home until...
THE ROCK TOMBS OF CAPPADOCIA
Visiting this part of Turkey is like visiting another planet. The magical geologic formations are out of a science fiction movie. No wonder so many movies have been shot here. The early inhabitants over 2,000 years ago called the organic ponty rock formations fairy...
SANTORINI, A BEAUTIFUL TOURIST TRAP?
We spent eight busy hours exploring Santorini yesterday. Highlights included a visit to the ruins of an ancient city dating to 2000 BC, which some speculate was part of the highly advanced civilization of Atlantis. The roofed site, steamy in the summer heat, featured...
GREEK ISLANDS ON FIRE: CHANIA, CRETE
We just anchored off of Chania, Crete, Greece’s largest island. Although there are no reports of fires on the island right now a warning was issued by Greece’s Civil Protection, proclaiming Crete is at a level five alert category, which is the same as Rhodes. It’s...
KOTOR, MONTENEGRO: A STUNNING SAIL IN
If it’s Sunday we must be in Montenegro. It took us a sea day to sail from Naples, Italy through the Straights of Messina and across the Adriatic Sea to Kotor, Montenegro. Before anchoring just outside this amazingly photogenic city, we sailed through Kotor Bay. Both...
OUR HISTORY OF SANTA BARBARA CASTLE IN ALICANTE, SPAIN
OK… let's try this again. Along with my usually lucky Aztec shirt, Mary and I moved on from Cadiz to our lucky city of Alicante, Spain, which has many similarities to San Diego. In this photo, I’m pointing at Alicante’s most famous landmark, Santa Barbara Castle. Its...
LOVING LUCCA, ITALY: A PARADISE IN TUSCANY
If you’ve been following us for any time, you know we love to mix in a cruise or two on our multi-month travels. Non-cruisers frequently asked why we travel by ship to explore the world. Can you really understand a place via day-long shore excursions? Of course, you...
SHOWTIME IN CITIAVECHIA, ITALY
We love to cruise on Azamara ships because they are relatively small compared to the behemoths of other major lines. Azamara's four ships each welcome up to 700 passengers. The ship docked next us in Naples, RCCL’s Symphony of the Sea, carries 6680. Big ships do offer...
A HOT TIME IN FLORENCE ITALY
It was hotter than Hell in Florence during our five-mile exploration there earlier this week. Over 100 degrees F with high humidity! It seemed appropriate to find the tomb of Dante, tucked inside the relatively cool Santa Croce cathedral. Surely touring Florence...
SAN SEBASTIAN, SPAIN
San Sebastian, Spain: Upcoming Portugal Spain Adventure Destination 5: July 13 to July 23. We've never visited San Sebastian. The Basque city, set on the coast of the Bay of Biscay, is famed for its beaches, and quaint Old Town, and is considered one of the world's...
MONTE CARLO: NOCTURNAL ANIMALS WITH CHAMPAGNE DREAMS
Monaco is a tiny enclave not just for the rich but the super wealthy— the .01 percenters. As such, it has become somewhat of a zoo. A zoo for masses of middle-class visitors from around the world who come to get a peek behind the curtain of an unbelievably exotic,...
MONTE CARLO, MONACO: WE’RE NOT IN KANSAS ANYMORE
My boat is bigger than your boat! Just pulled in Monaco, the second smallest country in the world. (Name the smallest.) We’re enjoying breakfast at our favorite table, this time with a magnificent view of the city, and one of the largest yachts we’ve ever seen. The...
MODERN ART FIX IN ALICANTE SPAIN
Happiest Fourth everyone! Mary and I celebrated by visiting the Alicante Modern Art Museum. It surprised us with five floors of very good art from around the world. It motivated me to take an artsy photo of us through floor-to-ceiling vertical room dividers....
ALICANTE SPAIN: A SUNLOVER’S BUNNANZA
After our siesta, we walked a few blocks to our favorite boardwalk cafe in Alicante. It surprised us that the beach was packed with thousands of sun lovers at 7 pm and still packed when we left after 8 pm. Our favorite pastime here is people-watching. It never gets...
UP IN SMOKE: ALICANTE SPAIN’S HOT HOT SAINT JOAN’S FESTIVAL
Last year, Mary and I visited an Alicante museum dedicated to the weeklong celebration of Sant Joan during the summer solstice. It’s a big deal in this region of Spain. Locals spend a year creating amazing, gigantic sculptures of fantasy scenes. Then, they burn most...
THE WALKING WOUNDED IN ALTEA, SPAIN
We're into our third week in Altea. My wounded ankle has kept us from some things we love to do in this beautiful Costa Blanca village. One is making the formidable hike from our Mediterranean sea-level apartment to the ancient old town atop a steep hill. So...
DISCOVERING ALTEA, SPAIN
Long ago we learned never to judge a destination by first impressions. A great example is our adventure here in Altea. We had never heard of this Spanish seaside town until a friend of Mary’s highly recommended we visit it in a Facebook message last week. Our initial...
COOKING IN BASQUE COUNTRY
Everyone in San Sebastian seems to be crazy about food–Basque cuisine specifically. Even experienced travelers may find it hard to get their heads around this cuisine savored in coastal northern Spain. Is it the pintxos, the beautiful artistic mouthfuls offered at...
EXPLORING SAN SEBASTIAN, SPAIN
Hola Amigos, we’re back in Spain, our favorite European country, and in a brand new city for us, San Sebastian. We’ll be here for two weeks, so we have a lot of time to explore, but so far the city on the Bay of Biscay, just a stone's throw from France, is impressive....
THE PARIS CITY OF THE DEAD
If you’ve ever visited Paris, you know it’s an intensely colorful city full of life. But beneath this bustling metropolis, there’s a vast city of the dead. The Paris Catacombs are home to the remains of over six million souls. They weren’t always a resting place for...
FLEA MARKETS OF PARIS
We’ve visited street markets around the world but none can compare to the ones in Paris. There are well over a dozen markets in the city, but the most famous is at Porte de Clignancourt, officially called Les Puces de Saint-Ouen, but known to everyone as Les Puces...
MOTHER’S DAY DINNER IN MONTMARTRE
Our Mother’s Day dinner in Montmartre began with another wind-sucking climb up the hillside. One look at our dining destination instantly healed any pains. La Taverne de Montmartre is a postcard rustic French cafe highly regarded for its classic bistro dishes. We...
MONTMARTRE
Mary and I enjoyed Mother’s Day exploring Montmartre, a vibrant, charming neighborhood in the north of Paris. Until 1860, it was outside the city limits, so rents, booze, and adult entertainment were cheap. That attracted poor artists like Picasso who could rent a...
A WEEK IN PARIS
Paris has a special something not easily described with words–and that’s a tricky dilemma for travel writers. It’s not The Eiffel Tower, although it is special, and one of the most iconic landmarks in the world. Whatever it is, even for battle-hardened journalists,...
MAYFLOWER PILGRIMAGE TO SOUTHHAMPTON, ENGLAND
Southampton, England. We’ve been at this port several times, usually getting on or off a cruise, but we’ve never spent time in the city. This time tho we had a mission: We dedicated the first week of our European adventure to explore pre-voyage locales of my Mayflower...
MONT ST MICHEL
Storming the castle! Actually, this incredible place is a medieval Abbey, never conquered over the centuries. Protected by tides and rock foundations and visited by thousands daily, it’s mind-boggling. More than 300 stairs climb to the monk residences and social rooms...
DEVOURING LISBON: A FOOD TOUR
Almost every great city has signature dishes, be it clam chowder in Boston or deep-dish pizza in Chicago. Lisbon has those too - the custard tart, Pastel de Natas; bacalao or dried cod), and grilled sardines, to name a few. But there’s more - flavorful dishes...
SAILING LISBON’S TAGUS RIVER
Taking a ferry is a good inexpensive way to cruise the Tagus River. But we found a much more interesting and fun way to enjoy this busy waterway that flows into the Atlantic here. We spent a glorious summer evening on a classic ketch sailboat, enjoying splendid city...
IRELAND TO ISTANBUL: THE ADVENTURE BEGINS
There's no grass growing under our feet — It's time for our Ireland to Istanbul adventure, spanning 36 cities in almost four months. On Friday, Mary and I fly to Fort Lauderdale to board the Celebrity Apex transatlantic to Rotterdam with port stops in Bermuda,...
THE CACHOPO CHRONICLE
A few years ago, we unintentionally ended up in the Spanish coastal town of Santa Pola on a day trip from Alicante that had gone wrong. That’s when we stumbled on Restaurante Asturiano La Sidrería de Santa Pola and discovered Asturian cuisine–comfort food on steroids....
Portuguese Wines: A Profusion of Confusion
By Ron and Mary James During our several visits to Portugal, we’ve grown fond of the country’s wines - they are good and cheap. Oh, there are expensive ones to be sure, but the majority offered at mini-markets around town are less than $5, and only double that in most...
DESTINATION DINING: HOLLAND AMERICA’S KONINGSDAM
Our current seven-day Holland America Mexican Riviera cruise is unlike any of the 34 we’ve experienced. Unlike most other voyages we’ve taken, the itinerary wasn’t part of our equation. The destination we cared about was the ship itself. Our cruise, which ends...
HISTORY & FINE DINING MEET IN MADRID
The highlight of our short visit to Madrid with our friends Gary and Debbie Wasserman was undoubtedly our memorable lunch feast at Botin, the world’s oldest continuously operating restaurant. We had dined here once before at the suggestion of our friend Mary Ann Eger....
FEASTING IN ALICANTE
During our last three visits to Alicante, Spain, we walked by La Taverna del Racó del Pla a dozen times. Hidden in a narrow side street a couple of blocks from the Mercado, it doesn’t look like much from the outside, but when we peered through the windows, we were...
CRAZY ABOUT CADIZ
You may have wondered why I haven’t posted much about our stay in Cadiz for the last eight days. Besides the fact we’ve been busy exploring the city, I wanted to confirm our first impressions of this place, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Europe....
THE TROUBLE WITH PORTUGUESE WINES
It may come as a surprise, but Mary and I enjoy a glass of wine now and then. (Cue the laughing hysterically soundtrack). In our household, wine time has been an important ritual for more than 33 years. It always begins at 5 p.m. sharp, unless we're traveling, but I...
A LUSOPHONIOUS DINING EXPERIENCE AT BAHR
For the most part, we focus our travel dining on well-reviewed family-owned eateries that serve traditional fare. Occasionally, we take a break and enjoy a good steakhouse or an Italian or Asian restaurant. Rarely, usually once during a long stay, do we splurge on a...
MAD ABOUT BACALHAU
Portugal has some quirks. One of the biggest head-scratchers is its love affair with bacalhau or stinky salt cod to laypeople. Why a country known for its seamanship and rich fishing grounds would prefer salted dried cod over the tasty fresh stuff is baffling. Equally...
A VISIT TO THE NATIONAL TILE MUSEUM
Portugal is best known for explorers, bacalhau, Pastel da Natas, sardines, wine cork, and decorative tiles not necessarily in that order. You know they’re important because there’s a museum dedicated to almost all of them. One, in particular, caught Mary’s fancy, the...
A SUNSET CRUISE ON THE TAGUS RIVER
Mary and I sailed the Tagus River last evening to watch the sunset on a glorious summer day here. It's a popular pastime among visitors and locals. So during our time here we've eyed some of the commercial big-name tours. Too often they looked crowded and...
PASTEL DA NATA COOKING SCHOOL
It's one thing to savor Portugal's favorite sweet pastry, pastel da nata, but it's another to make it from scratch. This morning we took the always exciting number 28 tram to the Compadre Cooking School to learn the secrets of this tasty tart, first sold at a...
PORTUGAL’S SURF CITY
We're taking an overnight break from Lisbon in the surfing town of Ericeira, about an hour away from the big city. We were pleasantly surprised by the charm of the old town that hugs the rugged coastline. We enjoyed a fun meal at a popular little eatery, Taberna O...
FERRY TO STREET ART AND GREAT FOOD
Amazing day, even though our elevator has been out for the last two days — that’s seven days out of 14 since we moved into our apartment. My calves are becoming massive. Here are some shots of our excursion to our restaurant across the Tagus river. After we exited the...
BELEM WALKING TOUR PART 2
Our guide, who skipped the long line to buy Pastel da Natas for us, couldn't do the same at Jeronimos Monastery or the adjoining church of Santa Maria de Belém. We decided the line to Jerónimos Monastery, which stretched the length of two football fields, was too...
BELEM WALKING TOUR PART 1
Our first walking tour on this visit to Portugal took us to historic Belem, a political power center of Portugal for centuries. A short train ride from Lisbon, it's the home of the Presidential Palace, a grand cathedral, the riverside point where Portuguese explorers...
CELEBRATING OUR ELEVATOR
Beautiful day in Lisbon. We’re celebrating the restoration of elevator service at our apartment. It’s been out for three days, and since we’re 7 floors up, we’ve moved to a hotel until it’s fixed. An hour after we checked into the Lisbon Wine Hotel, we got word that...
A HEALING LUNCH AT DA PRATA 52
We had a great night's sleep last night, so things are looking much better this morning. The shower was perfect and Alexa is playing Moonlight on jazz piano. Also, the silver lining of our challenging day yesterday was our outstanding meal at a little restaurant just...
SORRY, THE ELEVATOR IS BROKEN
We like to say that in these times, getting there is the hardest part of travel. After a backbreaking 22-hour trip to Lisbon, our experience here so far is proving the exception. We thought the hard part was behind us as our driver stopped outside our just restored...
THE SAD FUTURE OF AIRPORTS?
The future of airports? In Toronto, there’s practically zero traditional seating at your gate. Instead, the bean counters have replaced them with restaurant seating, each equipped with a touch screen menu with an 18 percent default tip. Handy for a quick, expensive...
SPLENDID ISOLATION? DAY FOUR
Another rather dull day in isolation. I learned this morning that they would test me tomorrow and the next day for COVID. That’s good news, but it also creates a little anxiety. A negative result would free me to join Mary in our balcony suite on deck seven. A...
SPLENDID ISOLATION? DAY THREE (HUMP DAY)
Not much new here on day three. One thing of note is that I now make my bed. I learned how in the Navy many decades ago, but I’ve been spoiled for the last thirty-some years by my loving wife who takes on this chore. Evidently, my housekeeping abilities don't equal...
SPLENDID ISOLATION? DAY TWO
I’m really not sure if this is day two or not. For me, it’s day three, but the ship’s doctor considers yesterday the first full day toward my required five days in isolation when they will test me again for Covid. I’m feeling fine and my temperature and oxygen levels,...
SPLENDID ISOLATION? DAY ONE
It was really only a matter of time; I suppose. Traveling is a risky business to begin with, and even more so in the time of COVID, no matter how careful you are. Sometimes your luck just runs out. Mine did yesterday and I'll be alone for at least five days in an...
RON & MARY’S TAPAS & ANCESTRY ADVENTURE
Tomorrow we're off on a three-plus month adventure that will take us from San Diego to Spain, Miami to Montreal, and to New England. We’ll be staying two nights in Madrid to get over jet lag, then bullet train to Alicante, where we’ll spend a month and a half. Then...
Safe, Sated and Satisfied Mexican Riviera Cruise
We didn’t have high expectations for our recent Mexican Riviera New Year’s cruise on Holland America’s Koningsdam–we just needed a convenient pandemic cruise fix out of our hometown port of San Diego. We had sailed twice years ago on Holland America ships and...
Villajoyosa: Spain’s Happy Beachtown
Our visit to one of the city’s chocolate factories had a sweet ending, but the genuine star of our visit to Villajoyosa was the seaside town itself. The adventure begins at the top of the old town, where the remnants of ancient castle walls merge into narrow three and...
Alicante’s Castle Santa Barbara
Alicante's Santa Barbara Castle, among the largest medieval fortresses in Spain, is the symbol of this historic city. It also dominates the dramatic view through the wall-to-wall glass doors in our apartment. After watching it for the last twenty or so nights, we...
The Trouble With Tabarca Island
On our trip from the Alicante airport to our apartment of the many stairs and no elevator, our nice landlord pointed out a sleek orange catamaran docked in the marina. “That’s the Kon Tiki,” she said, “the ferry to Tabarca Island. It’s a good day trip. The island is...
Playing James Bond at the Palacio
Celebrating an Aztec football win at the Palacio Estoril Hotel bar with a 007 “Vesper” martini. Shaken not stirred. Ian Fleming stayed here as an intelligence officer during the war and frequented the casino next door. That’s where he met a spy who inspired James...
A Delicious Routine in Portugal
After a month in Portugal, things are becoming routine, like making Saturday and Sunday breakfasts. This morning I made us bacon, cheddar cheese, and egg sandwiches. What makes it special was that the beautiful rolls were super fresh. This morning I just walked a few...
A Festival of Food & Stuff: The Cascais Farmer’s Market
One joy of living in Europe is going to the market. We already posted a story about the spectacular supermarket here in Cascais. But to get super fresh farm-to-table produce, local farm-raised meats, and just-caught seafood, European farmer's markets can’t be beaten....
Portugal: A Food Lover’s Paradise
Shopping yesterday at a bustling Cascais supermarket yesterday was like finding a mammoth Whole Foods with Trader Joe's prices. The vast market showcased an abundance of beautiful produce, including avocados and fall-fresh apples. Wonderful fresh breads and sweets...
Hello Alfama, Lisbon!
Jet lag city. After our somewhat grueling journey from San Diego, we grabbed a quick bite, checked into our apartment, and flopped down on the comfy bed until we came to four hours later. Feeling human, at least for the moment, we invited our traveling companions from...
Sometimes Travel Adventures Can Be a Real Pain
We felt we had dodged a bullet when we missed the 48-hour strike on July 17 by airport workers in Portugal. The work stoppage caused the cancellation of some 600 flights in two days and stranded passengers who waited in long lines, frantically trying to reschedule...
White-Knuckle Travel Time: Covid Vaccination Proof & Testing
International travel is never easy. But in the time of covid, it’s become a lot more difficult. Our upcoming trip in a few days to Portugal and Spain highlights all these new challenges. No wonder we’ve faced greater anxiety and stress planning this trip than any...
The Fine Art of Packing
With only a few days to go before we begin our three-month adventure in Portugal and Spain, we’re packing — no, make that Mary is packing. She is the main packer in our household primarily because she’s seen me pack — and it’s not very organized and always at the last...
Uncharted Waters: Traveling in the Time of Covid
We’re about to begin a three-month adventure in Spain and Portugal. It’s been a long time in coming, for obvious reasons. Over the past 18 months, we planned the trip three times, but Covid surges and lockdowns in the US and in Europe forced us to postpone, again and...
Our New Blog: Travel Adventures with Ron & Mary
Stay tuned for Wine Dine & Travel's Ron & Mary James's new blog on their travel adventures. Their next adventure begins on August 16, when they begin a three-month exploration of the Iberian Peninsula.
A NEW WORLD OF FRIENDSHIPS
Not that long ago that friends were folks who met in your neighborhood, church, clubs or work. Most were local; long-distance relationships were rarely forged, except for relatives scattered around the country. Today, social media, cheap flights and an explosive...
Rough Seas
By Ron & Mary James Mary and I have had many chats lately about our upcoming booked cruises. We wonder if they will be cancelled as the pandemic persists. We speculate about radical changes in the cruise experience as cruise lines focus on keeping...
CRUISE GONE BAD
There is risk in any travel, whether hitchhiking through South America or a penthouse stay in Dubai. This fact was sadly validated for us when our recent luxury cruise turned from dream to nightmare. In these never-ending pandemic times, we knew that cruising included...
The Fear of Travel
In today’s world, fear is rampant in almost every aspect of our lives - global warming, the economy, healthcare, international politics, and yes, even travel. Even the unintended consequences of American presidential actions induces fear among travelers. We can’t do...
Travel Gallery
Ron and Mary’s favorite travel photos and videos.
