Do you remember the first time you fell in love? Was it love at first sight, or was it the kind of love that grows over time? Did you go through the ups and downs that all relationships seem to experience, or has it been nothing but smooth sailing? Do you still see the goodness behind the facade, or has your love faded over the years? When you see your love, whether it’s every single day or with extended absences, does it still make you smile, perhaps your heart skips a beat? And when you finally must part, do you start planning and counting the days until you are reunited once again? That’s how I feel about Italy. I forged a relationship with Italy rather late in life. I first knew her through family and friends who teased me with […]
Read MoreTraveling the East Coast Underground Railroad
In honor of Black History Month, I am pleased to feature this guest post on the Underground Railroad, a part of history that’s well worth spending time learning about. —- Over the years, I’ve found that introducing history to my children through travel has made more of a difference than anything they’ve read in history books. Visiting the places where history actually happened gives children and adults so much more knowledge. It also gives them a real connection to the past. As February is Black History Month, I’ve been researching Underground Railroad locations to bring history to life in our neighborhood and in preparation for our forthcoming family travels. Here are the most interesting Underground Railroad destinations on the East Coast which are open to the public: Florida – Fort Gadsden State Park, Route 65, Sumatra – This abandoned fort, […]
Read MoreThe Beauty in Chamonix
Fans of sports, snow, and the outdoors love Chamonix for the famous resort at the base of Mont Blanc in the French Alps, home to the First Winter Olympic games in 1924. From snow sports, to natural beauty, to year-round mountaineering, to the nightlife in Chamonix, this is a place that gets under your skin and never lets you go. What can you expect when you visit? Snow Sports – Mont Blanc and skiing go hand-in-hand, and this is where you’ll find top-notch adrenalin junkies pushing themselves on some of the most challenging and thrilling ski slopes. Glacier skiing is also popular, and there are plenty of options for snowboarding. While the resort claims to have skiing for all ability levels, most of the runs are intermediate to advanced. Popular ski areas include: White Valley (glacier skiing), Brevent and la […]
Read More10 Travel Snacks that are Healthy, Easy to Pack, & Will Get Through Airport Security
With meals on flights either non-existent, expensive, and often unhealthy, and airport food not too much better, one way to make your vacation a little more pleasant is to pack some food to take along on your flight. Or road trip. If you’re flying you’ll still have to avoid liquids and gels (get those once you pass through security), but packing a few healthy and yummy snacks, can keep hunger and crankiness at bay. While prepared energy bars can always be packed into a bag, I much prefer to look for real food options. Here are some of my favorite snacks to take along on my flight: Peanut butter sandwich – Add jelly, honey, or leave it plain, and make sure that it’s wrapped up good and tight because this will make a mess all over if it squishes out. […]
Read MoreFlavors of Peru
Food, glorious food — It’s one of the many things that I enjoy about traveling! Visiting a new country or region often means discovering a new food, spice, or other dishes. Sometimes those discoveries are not something I’d want to try again, but fortunately, more often it’s a tasty delight that I long for once I’ve returned home. If you’ve discovered food that you love while on your Peru holidays, take some time to look around your neighborhood – you may be surprised to find a Peruvian restaurant or store located nearby. While you may not be able to re-create the Machu Picchu experience at home, you can rekindle your love affair with the cuisine of this South American country. Fair warning – If you fell in love with the food while visiting Peru, this post may have you drooling […]
Read MoreBest Bag Ever: eBags Crew Cooler II
The eBags Crew Cooler is a very popular bag with Flight Attendants, pilots, and others who spend much of their life on the road. For a long time it was one of those secrets whispered about on the jump seat as we’d watch – with great envy – as a co-worker would pull out the crew cooler, perfectly packed with delicious food for their trip. Word passed from one crew member to another and we all started ordering a bag for ourselves. As airlines started eliminating food, and duty days got longer, more and more of us starting filling up the crew cooler with nutritional meal choices and snacks. I’ve seen coolers packed so efficiently that I swear could feed a family for a week! Then the crew cooler disappeared! As the bags wore out or were damaged, we couldn’t […]
Read MorePlanning for Travel to Italy
It’s time to start thinking about Italy again. Although that presumes that I’ve ever stopped thinking about it. With the new year fully underway, we’re beginning to sort through details, watch airfares, and think about how we want to spend our time there this year. It will be a shorter trip this year, probably only three weeks as compared with nearly a month last year. At least one of those weeks will be spent at our favorite spot in Tuscany, La Montalla. It’s currently covered with snow, but in the summer it is beautiful with the blooms, olive trees, and grapevines. I can nearly taste the pici pasta and pecorino cheese and I think about it. I love Italy for a variety of reasons, and the planning part brings it all back. Up for grabs is the remaining two weeks. […]
Read MoreNew Year, New Places, New List
I love lists. I’ve made them all my life, from things to do, to resolutions and goals, books to read, and just things to think about. I was a fan of the various book of lists that have been published over the years, and love looking at list that others have made to see how they compare to mine. With the coming of a new year, I decided to sit down and write my travel bucket list. I had to limit it to 100 items – without a limit I would still be listing and this post would never get published. I had a few other self-imposed rules: the list could include specific experiences or general destinations; there had to be a mix of domestic and international locations and experiences; I could not include anything that I knew for certain […]
Read MoreSplendor in San Francisco: Visiting the Palace of Fine Arts
In the middle of San Francisco’s Walter S. Johnson Park, sits the Palace of Fine Arts, an easily recognizable piece of San Francisco architecture. You’ve likely seen it in many photographs, with attractive shots both by day and by night, so you’ll want to make plans for visiting the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco, California. The Palace was designed as part of the 1915 Panama Pacific Exposition, an event hosted by San Francisco to celebrate the completion of the Panama Canal. It was also seen as an opportunity for San Francisco to rise from the ashes of the devastating 1906 earthquake and fire. A site was chosen in what is now known as the Marina District, and architect Bernard Maybeck designed the Roman-themed/Greek-styled Palace of Fine Arts. Exposition exhibits are temporary and therefore made with collapsible materials, so […]
Read MoreWhere I’ve Been: The 2011 Edition
As I start the New Year, as I do every year, I take stock of where I’ve been. It’s only by knowing where I’ve been that I can plan where I want to go. I have a long, and I mean VERY LONG, list of places that I’d like to go. I no sooner cross a place off than I add two or three more. I’ve accepted that the list will never grow shorter! Here’s where I stand as of January 1st, 2011. The US States I’ve visited (32 of 51, which includes the District of Columbia): And, the countries that I’ve visited (21, or 9% of the world). Note to self: visit bigger countries! I clearly have a ways to go – both in getting to all 50 states, as well as becoming a member of the Centennial Club […]
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