Long overdue for a return, last fall I was offered a chance to attend Peru’s first eco-travel conference, with side explorations of northeast and northern Peru, including the world's highest tropical mountain range and ancient ruins far older than Machu Picchu. Those locales proved an embarrassment of riches, well-worth recounting. But I’ll do that down the road. For now I’ll describe my return to the lower elevation of Lima. I had to kill a day awaiting a midnight flight to the States. At the baggage claim, I overheard a couple fellow travelers setting up passage on a boat to islands off the coast of Lima. They aimed to swim with the sea lions that ruled those seas. That sounded terrific. I quickly signed on. 

I was there as part of a US group of travel media and our visit did not, sadly, allow us time to stay very long, but had I been on my own I would have loved to have stayed there for about a week or longer. It's a great place to vacation and is fascinating, charming, lovely and really interesting in its own right. I don't know about you, but when I think of Germany, I think of places like Bavaria and big cities like Berlin and Munich. Lakeshore towns like Friedrichshafen do not come to mind - I mean it looks and feels and sounds more like some gorgeous, very romantic Italian resort.

In fact, the reason there are so many religious festivals in the Philippines is because creating festivals was part of the Spanish strategy for conquest: Instead of a prolonged bloody war, the Spaniards realized the locals loved festivals; so by creating more festivals more and more locals salivated to participate in the merriment and this resulted in fewer unrest.

My wife and I had just arrived at Rio de Janeiro’s famous Copacabana Beach.  It was in February, the height of Brazil’s Austral summer. Surrounded by deeply tanned locals, playing ball games, and some even dancing the samba, I looked like I just got off the boat from Finland.

I just stood in wonder, marveling at this site that brought tears not only to my eyes, but also the eyes of my big, strong son-in-law. Not wanting to miss a thing, Jeannette and Kolin ventured higher on foot, while I retreated to the CRV, where Sally was waiting. During this trip she rarely got out of the vehicle, enjoying the sights vicariously, as she had been on this tour many times before. The next stop was Sunset Point, where we viewed Bryce Canyon from a different angle.

I had never seen so many tall and sleek model types in my life. I watched with fascination as they rushed through Milan’s  Piazza del Duomo (“Cathedral Square”) for an unknown rendezvous or appointment, dressed in the latest fashion. It was also the first time I had ever paid $16 for a café latte, but it was well worth the price for a front row table facing the magnificent Piazza.

A sensory blitz overtakes me as I shamble (yes, the result of that red-eye, early-morning arrival at Heathrow, so I am a little beleaguered) into the very groovy nhow Hotel lobby in Shoreditch, a London neighborhood that has (to quote Wikipedia) "become synonymous with the concept of contemporary 'hipsterfication' of regenerated urban areas"

Built in the late 1700s its location on a lonely, high cliff that overlooks the often raging seas below is, in my view, one of the most romantic and yes, stunning places in all of Bonnie Scotland. It was a delightful and wonderfully sunny day when I visited and, as a WW2 buff, I was fascinated to learn that the entire top floor is a luxurious suite called “The Eisenhower Apartment.” It was so named in 1945 as a “Thank You” from the people of Scotland to the American general for what he did in WW2.

Would you marry your partner all over again? If the answer is yes, start thinking about a vow renewal. There’s no better way to celebrate an anniversary than with a trip capped with a joyful celebration. Unlike a destination wedding, no legal rigmarole attends a destination vow renewal. You won’t have to sign official documents or even secure an officiant. Want a friend to stand up in front of you or write your own vows? Go for it!

Vietnam is a captivating country where ancient natural wonders blend seamlessly with vibrant urban energy and a remarkable story of resilience.