To us the question was “why not”? We have each been to Italy quite a few times but as Puglia gained traction as a destination for travelers our curiosity grew and we began to plot a trip to the region. When Go Ahead Tours offered to host us on their Puglia and Southern Italy tour we accepted with unseemly alacrity. So why did we want to go there? The beautiful coastline … [Read more...]
University of Coimbra – Capes, Ribbons, Bats n’at.
The University of Coimbra in Portugal seems to prove the adage "everything old is new again". Capes were just featured on the runways of New York's Fashion Week. Consumers value products free of chemical pesticides. E-book sales are declining as readers return to print. Ribbons are a hot topic on Pinterest. The University of Coimbra never knew capes went out of style. … [Read more...]
Pena National Palace, Sintra (proof that it really matters who you marry)
Brunette is a savant about UNESCO World Heritage Sites so it was pre-ordained that our trip to Lisbon would include a visit to Pena Palace, Sintra. Sintra's UNESCO status The "cultural landscape" of Sintra is what has UNESCO status, not the Pena Palace, as many less intellectually rigorous travel writers fail to clarify. (This is nearly impossible to believe but there … [Read more...]
Porto with (and without) Viking River Cruises
Porto Porto was where we first boarded the Viking Torgil to begin our cruise of the Douro “River of Gold” in Portugal. It’s also where the cruise ended. This post is a combination of places Viking River took us and a few we found bumbling around on our own when we stayed for an extra day after the cruise ended. Porto is an ideal location to begin a Douro River cruise … [Read more...]
Prague – Castle Hill, Lesser Town and mistakes
Sometimes the weather is cloudy and sometimes our memories are; unfortunately, both were in Prague. When we travel Brunette takes detailed, copious notes. Except when she doesn’t. For our couple days in Prague last October she jotted down only that we humiliated ourselves. We were 24 hours and 45 minutes late for a dinner reservation we made months earlier. We … [Read more...]
Regensburg isn’t regular
Well then, what makes Regensburg irregular? (Not in that way!) It's one of Germany's best-preserved medieval cities, the old city center is a UNESCO World Heritage city of "Outstanding Universal Value" and Regensburg was once the home of retired Pope Benedict XVI. And, for something that might actually be of interest to our readers, it's home to Germany's oldest restaurant, … [Read more...]
UNESCO World Heritage Site: Prambanan Temple, Indonesia
We were fortunate enough to get to Prambanan Temple in Java, Indonesia and unfortunate enough to be there during Eid al-Fitr. If you are not Muslim or do not live in a Muslim country you're probably wondering the heck Eid-al-Fitr is. Our simplistic explanation is that it's a 3 day holiday that begins when Ramadan ends. During it all Muslims have to simultaneously drive, with as … [Read more...]
The odd beauty (and odd guide) of Khor Al-Adaid
When Qatar Airways graciously gave us two business class tickets to the Maldives we chose to spend a few days in Doha to break up our trip and experience somewhere new. But as Brunette, the trusted researcher, began to look for activities in Doha she found little that sounded intriguing beyond the Museum of Islamic Art. Our attention span for museums is similar to a 6 year old … [Read more...]
Three continents – Three spectacular botanical gardens
In our travels Blonde and Brunette have found botanical gardens to be oases of tranquility and beauty and good places to hid from the cops. OK, the second part isn't true but we didn't want to be gushing girlishly about flowers and ruin our reputations! Brunette got indoctrinated into the botanical garden fan club on a long ago visit to Phoenix, Arizona. She … [Read more...]
UNESCO World Heritage Sites – Canal du Midi
It was a hot and sunny day..... Wait, shouldn't it have been a dark and stormy night? Well it wasn't. Blonde and Brunette were cavorting in a sweaty way through the charming lower part of Carcassonne in Southern France trying to find a boat ride on the Canal du Midi. Voilà! Although the canal doesn't begin or end in Carcassonne it's one of many places you can … [Read more...]