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...]
Like ceremonies? You’ll love Fiji!
Fijian ceremonies (a sampling) Before Methodist missionaries came to Fiji one of the favorite Fijian ceremonies was killing and eating people. The (perhaps vegetarian) missionaries got the Fijians to quit doing that but, as far as we can tell, that seems to be the only ceremony they have discontinued. (If they were only going to pick one that was a good choice.) It's … [Read more...]
Islands of Fiji – Vunisea, Kadavu #1 in Places Without Postcards
When we read the brochure from Captain Cook Cruises about their new itinerary to the very remote Lau Islands of Fiji we noticed them using the phrase "places without postcards". Vunisea on Kadavu (not actually one of the Lau Islands but on the itinerary) is our first choice for a series of posts about these places. Vunisea is so remote they don't have postcards, mail comes … [Read more...]
The Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi is as advertised – grand!
On a recent trip to Dubai Blonde and Brunette's itinerary included a day trip to Abu Dhabi. This was a guided tour which is generally something we avoid the same way we do Donald Trump and poisonous spiders.But the price was right and Dubai didn't sound like a good place to "wing it" for two very Western sisters, one with a decided tendency to not behave demurely. For several … [Read more...]
Finding Jesus (more than once) in Melbourne
[slideshow] At the beginning of a 2011 trip to Oz, Blonde and Brunette cashed in some Starwood points and enjoyed three free nights at the Westin in Melbourne. The Westin is in the central business district near Flinders Street train station, groovy bricked alleyways with small cafes and the city's Visitor Center. It is not in an area that brings the Bible to mind … [Read more...]