travel
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Monticchiello: Charm in the Middle of Tuscany
More Details: Monticchiello: Charm in the Middle of TuscanyA few years ago, in one of my trips to Italy, we spent a few days in Tuscany. We opted to rent apartments in a small mountaintop town called Monticchiello, a charming place, sandwiched between Pienza and Montepulciano (lucky folks!!!). We truly lucked out: the town was quaint, quite small, and its location was central…
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The “First Cousins” Capitals: Copenhagen, Oslo and Stockholm
More Details: The “First Cousins” Capitals: Copenhagen, Oslo and StockholmIt has been an interesting exercise to try to think of the Scandinavian countries and come up with a good and succinct outline of what makes them different from each other without requiring a degree in history, architecture, and other similar fields. So I decided to not be that ambitious and limit this to taking…
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Admiring History on the Rocks in Petra, Jordan
More Details: Admiring History on the Rocks in Petra, JordanI first went to Petra, Jordan back in 1998 on a day trip from Sharm-el-Sheikh at the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt. If you know the lay of the land, that may sound impossible. Well, not if you take a flight from Sharm-el-Sheikh to Aqaba, Jordan and then hop on a bus. …
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Travel Inspiring Reads – In the Empire of Genghis Khan
More Details: Travel Inspiring Reads – In the Empire of Genghis KhanStanley Stewart shares with us in his book about his travel through the lands of Genghis Khan. Even before he gets to Mongolia, you get to enjoy his anecdotes from traversing what is to me an obscure corner of our planet: Central Asia. And, I may add, a part of the world I am dying…
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Piedmont Park: An Oasis in the Middle of Atlanta
More Details: Piedmont Park: An Oasis in the Middle of AtlantaAtlanta is a city of greenery and a lot of that comes from its many parks. Many neighborhoods have a park and some, like mine, more than one. The parks are mostly local to each area though open to anyone as they tend to be city property. They range from just a wild natural area,…
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Visiting Jozani-Chwaka Bay National Park in Zanzibar
More Details: Visiting Jozani-Chwaka Bay National Park in ZanzibarMost people likely think of Zanzibar (Tanzania) for its beaches and resorts. Or perhaps also for its very unique history and architecture. Or maybe as the birthplace of Freddie Mercury. However, get off-the-beaten-path and you will discover Zanzibar has other interesting places to explore. One such place for those who like things to do outdoors…
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Roadside Treats on the Way to Maracas Bay, Trinidad
More Details: Roadside Treats on the Way to Maracas Bay, TrinidadI think I must be hungry because chadon beni has been on my mind today… It is making me remember my trip to to Maracas Bay in Trinidad. On the way there, we made a stop for “Trini-Treats”, a roadside kiosk with a neat array of munchies, some familiar to me having grown up in…
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Photo of the Week: Viewing Venice from my Window Seat
More Details: Photo of the Week: Viewing Venice from my Window SeatVenice, Italy is such a unique place. It is almost out of Disney’s mind. But it is not. It is truly unique and a sight worth seeing once in your life. I have been fortunate not only to have seen it, but to have been there twice. It can be a maddening place with the…
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Travel Inspiring Reads – Conquering the Fear of Flying with “Ask the Pilot”
More Details: Travel Inspiring Reads – Conquering the Fear of Flying with “Ask the Pilot”I admit it. No, I confess it. I am a nervous flyer. The more I fly, the nervouser I get. Is it that the odds are infinitesimally less in my favor? Is it that I can better recognize abnormal sounds? Or is it just the fault of that off-duty flight attendant gripping our shared armrest…
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Ideas for Paris Travel with Pre-Teen Kids
More Details: Ideas for Paris Travel with Pre-Teen KidsA friend asked me what to do in Paris as she was going with her kids for a week or so. I do not have kids but I was one once and that, coupled with the fact that I have stayed at a Holiday Inn, fully makes me an expert at recommending stuff for kids.…
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Photo of the Week – The Alps of Transylvania
More Details: Photo of the Week – The Alps of TransylvaniaThis scene was what we were rewarded with after arriving at the Cabana Curmatura in the Transylvanian Alps in Romania and hiking on for another hour. I dream of returning to amazing Transylvania. Too bad people’s only notion of it is the legend of Dracula: there is SO much to enjoy and explore there!
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Travel and Adventure Show: A Great Way to Explore Destinations
More Details: Travel and Adventure Show: A Great Way to Explore DestinationsThese days, there are so many ways to learn about places to travel in the U.S. and abroad. A Google search away you can find a treasure trove of sites (like this one!) with topics from “top X fill-in-the-blank” to “Y on a budget” to tourist boards’ plethora of information about any given destination. You…