How Do I Love Thee, Vienna

Belvedere Palace Two years ago we first visited Vienna for five days and were so delighted by it that we returned again to this extraordinary Austrian city for the entire month of August. I love Vienna now even more than before. Here are fourteen reasons why. There are almost 1,000 municipal parks in Vienna, including … Continue reading How Do I Love Thee, Vienna →

Birdwatching to Find Peace

The news has been so distressing recently given the death of more than 17,000 people in Gaza and the slaughter of about 1,200 Israelis by Hamas on October 7th. This is horrifying as is the ongoing war in Ukraine and the threat to American democracy posed by would-be dictator Donald Trump, the Republican Party’s leading … Continue reading Birdwatching to Find Peace →

A Visit to Cartagena, Colombia

Our younger son chose Cartagena, Colombia as the destination for the second week of our Christmas vacation together. The first week was supposed to be in Peru to visit Machu Picchu, among other sights. But when the Peruvian government declared a state of emergency right before we were to fly there, we opted to go … Continue reading A Visit to Cartagena, Colombia →

México City is Amazing

First, I must make a profound apology to all Mexicans. Your country is rich in history, culture and art. Somehow I never understood that before. Perhaps it's because I am from the United States where children are educated primarily in their own history and culture. Nearby countries, like Canada and Mexico, are ignored as are … Continue reading México City is Amazing →

First review of What’s So Special about Spain

Since the paperback version of my book came out last week I have received my first review from children's book author Darlene Foster. Here's what she had to say about it in her Amazon and Goodreads reviews. "A wonderful book describing some of the many wonders of Spain with amazing pictures and interesting details. Children … Continue reading First review of What’s So Special about Spain →

What’s So Special About Spain Paperback Now Available

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BMT2PLZV/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1668937711&sr=8-1 Just in time to order for a Christmas gift for children or grandchildren, I published a travel book about the wonders of Spain. The book comes in e-book and paperback format and is available on all Amazon sites. This is a book meant for children to help them understand what makes Spain so special … Continue reading What’s So Special About Spain Paperback Now Available →

Visiting Santiago de Compostela

On Saturday, the day after we finished walking the Camino, we went to a government building in Santiago de Compostela to get our certificates acknowledging our completion of the walk. You need to have walked at least 100 kilometers on any Camino to get this certificate and we walked 143 kilometers. So we more than … Continue reading Visiting Santiago de Compostela →

Day Five on the Camino

Weather was beautiful today, clear skies, moderate temperatures and no rain. Unfortunately, we have all had enough of the Camino. Santiago Ways, the company we booked our trip with, consistently underestimated the kilometers we need to walk to get from one city to another. Perhaps they are just calculating the distance from city A to … Continue reading Day Five on the Camino →

Final Day Walking the Camino

On our final day walking the Camino we went from Padron into the city of Santiago de Compostela. We walked 31 kilometers, more than 45,000 steps. That was an insane amount of walking! Here is a photo of the Camino we walked, from Tui to Santiago. This map was included on our credencial del peregrino … Continue reading Final Day Walking the Camino →

Third Day Walking the Camino

No rain today and many beautiful sights. Walking is getting harder though as it is the third day in a row of long-distance hiking, including going up and down many hills. Also, when Google maps says there is a cafe up the street, that may not be the case. So expect some disappointments. I would … Continue reading Third Day Walking the Camino →