110 degrees. All day, all night. This was my first Grecian experience. That, and an old man waving his reproductive organ at us as he peed in the street outside of our hostel. Welcome to Athens. My friend Melissa and I were prepared for the overly friendly old men (we had just come from Spain after all), but the heat was another story. All day and night we would laid there, in our non-air conditioned hostel, with no fans, waiting for that … [Read more...]
Luxembourg
What an amazing day, from racing through the rural Luxembourg hillsides up hills at 240 km/hour in a new Porsche 911 Carrera 4S to gorging on local Sauerkraut and Wienershnitzel at the Schueberfouer fun fair held every year since 1340, (670 years and counting - I've scheduled a return in 30 years for the 700th one). We visited Moselle, Luxembourg's largest wine region. The focus here is on white varietals with some Pinot Noir thrown in for … [Read more...]
Top 10 Travel Tips For Couples
No matter how much you are looking forward to spending some quality time with that special someone, traveling together can be a bit stressful; regardless of whether you have been married for decades or are just testing the waters as a couple. So what can you do to ensure a blissful getaway? Here are a few surefire ways to keep the fires burning without getting burned. 1. Both Contribute to the Planning - It's important that you both feel like … [Read more...]
Huangshan Gems
"Since you are here in Huangshan, you must visit our two traditional villages, Xidi and Hongcun. They are little gems of elegance and tradition." A guide advised when I asked him his favourite attractions in the region. We had already made plans to visit these villages and his advice reinforced our decision. Both Xidi and Hongcun villages rest in the foothills of the Huangshan (Yellow) Mountain. They lay amid a landscape of greenery, … [Read more...]
Moon Portugal
Lonely Planet Portugal by Regis St Louis the country conjures up visions of old world charm, classic European cuisine, the Iberian sun and vineyards; better yet visions of yourself planted among the vineyards at an outdoor cafe enjoying a late afternoon Port from one of any of a number of family producers north of Lisbon in the Douro Valley region. This is the "go to guide" on Portugal presented by Lonely Planet - four authors have carefully … [Read more...]
Yosemite – Wineries
Mariposa County is the southern most county in the Sierra Foothills wine growing region. There are merely 4 bonded wineries in the entire county! We are used to visiting the heart of California's wine region, Sonoma and Napa counties and seeing literally hundreds of wineries in each county. As a result, visiting Mariposa County for wine tasting is relatively easy as far as making choices of who to visit is concerned. Why not visit them all in a … [Read more...]
Napa Valley – November 2008
Napa Valley is a narrow long valley located about an hour north and slightly east of San Francisco. This is California and the USA's premiere Internationally recognized wine region. Cabernet is the "king" of the varietals produced in this region and most wineries produce at least one vintage of this wine. There are approximately 1,000 wineries/producers in the valley making wine commercially and of these a fair number are open to the public. … [Read more...]
Vines of Mendoza – May 2008
Arguably the centerpiece of the Vines of Mendoza is the resort and spa, a community built around 21 villas ranging from 1,000 to 2,700 square feet. Surrounded by vineyards and situated along the shoreline of a small body of water, the views from the villas are always spectacular especially of the snow capped Andes and during sunrise and sunset. Each villa is located within a short walking distance of the lobby, restaurant and gorgeous pool (with … [Read more...]
Mendoza, Argentina – Restaurants
As with other Latin countries, Argentinians take siesta which often runs between 1 and 4 to 5pm. Nearly all shops are close including restaurants. Most restaurants (aside from some of the main tourist ones) will reopen in the evening around 8 or 9pm. Restaurants typically will not be crowded until at least 10pm; it is not uncommon to see families with children dining at this "late" hour. We found restaurants to be quite crowded on the weekdays … [Read more...]
Language Abroad: When Your French is Bad, An English-Speaking Stranger Can Become an Intimate Friend
It was five days into my research trip to Rennes-le-Chateau, a village in the French Pyrenean foothills, and I was lonely. Gathering details for my novel, I had hiked the hilly red dirt of the countryside dotted with helm oaks and dry broom, had walked the narrow roads of the village to the accompaniment of squawking roosters, and had admired the humble stucco houses. I stood in the rooms of the presbytery where my characters -- a priest and his … [Read more...]
