Tihar, or Diwali, came and went last week and I went to Pokhara for a mini vacation. After a rainstorm, dinner at a Nepali family’s house, and an impromptu whiskey with an old friend passing through Kathmandu, Kendra and I headed out to Pokhara via microbus on Tuesday morning. A day of travel on each end, we spent three full days in the town and it was a relaxing respite. We didn’t realize we chose to travel on the biggest day of the Diwali … [Read more...]
Top activities for a fantastic family Summer
Butlins, a historic camp in Skegness England first opened in 1936. Famous for their red coats and appealing to families they continue to attract people for family vacations. They have grown since that first camp, most recently opening up a ocean hotel and spa which oddly enough features a snow cave! Not long ago they reached out asking for me to come up with some of my favorite family activities. For short trips including spending weekend … [Read more...]
One girl’s adventures in the Valle de las Batuecas
I don't have a great track record with my attempts to visit prehistoric paintings. All my other travel plans seem to work out just fine, but not this one. My attempt to visit the Lascaux cave paintings in the Vezere Valley in France failed when I discovered that the Lascaux caves are not in fact in Lascaux, the tiny mist-shrouded village I was standing in, but are in fact over half an hour's drive away. Meaning on this particular occasion, I … [Read more...]
Top Summer Festivals in Italy
Check out some of these Summer festivals in Italy, brought to you by the Italian Government Tourist Board North America Pescara - July 14th - July 28th, 2013 www.pescarajazz.com A visit to Italy should definitely include a stop in Abruzzo, one of the most beautiful regions in all of Italy. One of the most important annual events in the region is the world-famous Pescara Jazz Festival. One of Europes oldest and more traditional jazz … [Read more...]
A Glimpse of Paris
With the third and possibly final movie, Before Midnight recently released it is worth a reflection on a few of my experiences and sightseeing stops during my last time touring this much loved city. Paris is a major European hub city with two International airports, Charles De Gaulle Airport (named after a French General) and Orly. Charles De Gaulle is the primary airport for International flights and Flights to Paris from around the world … [Read more...]
Death in Africa
While scouting for the first descent of the Baro River in Ethiopia, a tributary of the White Nile, I heard about a Peace Corps volunteer, Bill Olsen, 25, a recent graduate of Cornell, who decided to take a dip in the river at Gambella, a village near the South Sudan border. The locals warned to stay away from the river, which they claimed was busy with monsters. Bill ignored the cautions, and swam to a sandbar on the far side of the muddy river, … [Read more...]
Exploring Bermuda, an Introduction to the Island
Getting Here There are nonstop flights to Hamilton from a number of cities along the east coast of the USA as well as London Gatwick. It is surprisingly a short flight from many major metropolitan areas including New York (under 2.5 hours) and Toronto (about 3 hours). Many airlines service the island with nonstop flights including Air Canada, American, British Airways, Delta, Jet Blue, United, US Airways and Westjet among others. Bermuda … [Read more...]
Afghanistan Exposed
Just over one year into our odyssey, while headed overland to Europe, we ventured through Afghanistan. Rocking atop burlap sacks in the open-backed truck, I watched as Peshawar faded into the morning’s mirage. Knowing I’d never return in this lifetime, I felt history being made beneath my feet as upturned dust exposed ancient stories. With a mandatory armed-escort riding in the front, I knew I better play by the rules. At 50C, halfway to the … [Read more...]
War and Peace and Napoleon
I’ve always had a thing for Napoleon Bonaparte. After all, he was a pretty amazing guy. In addition to his military exploits, he oversaw the centralization of the French government, established the Bank of France, got the French people to accept the metric system (something I doubt even Barack Obama could do in the United States), reformed the law (the Napoleonic Code still forms the basis of legal process in a quarter of the world), and … [Read more...]
The Caves of Chattanooga
When I tell Lilia that we are going to view bats, she is scared at first. She knows bats only from horror movies and vampire stories in her favorite manga. All the same, she is willing to go. My concerns, as usual, are about accessibility. My daughter is deaf and uses a wheelchair. We are in the United States on our first mother-daughter trip. My husband and son are back home in Japan, busy with work, and summer school, and baseball practice. … [Read more...]
- « Previous Page
- 1
- …
- 19
- 20
- 21
- 22
- 23
- …
- 31
- Next Page »