travel
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More Than Just Where a Treaty Was Signed: Charming Maastricht
More Details: More Than Just Where a Treaty Was Signed: Charming MaastrichtThe charming town of Maastricht sits in the “tear drop” southeastern corner of The Netherlands by the Meuse River (“Maas” in Dutch, hence the town name). a stone’s throw from Belgium and a hard ball kick from Germany, as it were. The town is known these days more because of the European union project since…
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Top 8 Climbs for a Great City View in Europe
More Details: Top 8 Climbs for a Great City View in EuropeThere are so many ways to see and experience a city. But one of my top ways to get to “know” a city is by getting up high and looking down at it. Of course, this is not hard to do as there are usually man-made or natural high points. While I like getting a…
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Love Shopping? I Have a Grand Bazaar for You
More Details: Love Shopping? I Have a Grand Bazaar for YouThis is one of the neatest places to go in Istanbul if you like to shop and haggle, and even if not, it is still quite impressive by its sheer scale in size and offerings. You can almost picture business going on here for centuries! The bazaar is huge – it is a veritable maze…
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Going Under in Istanbul
More Details: Going Under in IstanbulI have shared in other posts about the incredible Hagia Sophia, Topkapı Palace, and the beautiful mosques of Istanbul – definite must-sees in that great city. But be aware, right under your feet could be some of the remnants of good ole Roman engineering: the cisterns of Istanbul. Old cities tend to have lots of…
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The Ottoman Ruler’s Residence: Topkapı Palace
More Details: The Ottoman Ruler’s Residence: Topkapı PalaceTopkapı Palace sits at the entrance to the Golden Horn, an inlet of water that splits the European side of Istanbul. It is located quite close to the Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque. It was the Ottoman ruler’s humble abode for part of the time they ruled the empire (the rulers eventually moved to…
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Out, Up, and Down in Chile’s Valparaíso
More Details: Out, Up, and Down in Chile’s ValparaísoChile is truly an amazing country. Nature, in and of itself, offers a myriad different possibilities from the Atacama Desert and the salt lakes in the north to the fjords and glaciers down in Patagonia. But Chile’s urban areas offer some incredible sights and experiences. And Valparaíso may take the cake as its character is…
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Jewels of Istanbul: Its Mosques
More Details: Jewels of Istanbul: Its MosquesDuring my 5-day visit to Istanbul, I had ample time to walk around, often aimlessly, to get to know the city. While some sights were on the must-see list (like the Hagia Sophia and the Topkapi Palace), I also “discovered” places not on my list. I quickly developed an interest in entering the many mosques…
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History via One Monumental Building: Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia
More Details: History via One Monumental Building: Istanbul’s Hagia SophiaThe highlight of my visit to the great former Byzantium, former Constantinople, or current Istanbul is Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia. Getting there is always step one After having had some challenges getting out of Egypt, my arrival in Istanbul continued to offer “experiences” as there was an unexpected change of plans that I shared in my…
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Manila Relaxation
More Details: Manila RelaxationI love to travel and explore new places. I enjoy it a lot. But I also like to relax and do not much of anything worth writing about. Yes, I have been known to cram a lot into a trip when I set my mind to it (like my Croatia/Bosnia & Herzegovina/Montenegro chaser to my…
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Photo of the Week – A Storm over Washington, D.C.
More Details: Photo of the Week – A Storm over Washington, D.C.No, I am not referring to the government shutdown or any of the infinite number of incidences of stupidity that emanate from the politicians who make a career in DC at our expense and to our detriment (soap BOX!!!)… This is a literal storm caught from my hotel in Arlington, Virginia looking towards Reagan-National airport…
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There’s Something about Tallinn
More Details: There’s Something about TallinnOn my way around the Baltic Sea with my family a couple of years ago, we stopped in the capital of Estonia: Tallinn. It was not a picture perfect June day weather-wise but, of course, we wanted to get off the ship and see the town. Tallinn is an old city in that part of…
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Photo of the Week – A Church on Rome’s Tiber Island
More Details: Photo of the Week – A Church on Rome’s Tiber IslandLast year during my one week in Rome, I did the usual when in cities as incredible as eternal Rome: walk, walk, and walk. Sometimes with a clear objective, sometimes just meandering and seeing what the walking will uncover. On this gray day, we found ourselves crossing the Ponte Cestio into Tiber Island as we…