To travel in Mexico with Marina Aguirre de Samaniego, is to travel with a Google encyclopedia, a passionate, well-connected insider, and a caring mother hen. Marina in Mexico, the name of her seven-year-old specialty touring company, is a treasure and revelation in every way. Her knowledge and enthusiasm as your personal expert as well as her organizational skills as a …
They go very deep into the world’s oceans. They’re still – in my mind – beyond belief as one wonders how do so many tons of steel actually float. Some can even hide – yes, hide! – in the depths of Davy Jones Locker for months on end without coming up for air. If you have even half of one …
Stand by to set lower top sail,” shouted the captain. Backlit by a late Mediterranean sun, he made a striking figure in his maritime attire. “Pull sheets, lower top sail coming out!” I gripped firmly on the rope. “Heave! Heave! Heave!” commanded the first mate. My group of eight joined in unison as we pulled on the rope. I felt …
The secret to a successful marriage is for a husband to carry his bride up all 99 steps to the Church of the Assumption of Mary on the Island in Bled, Slovenia. If only someone would have told me about this Slovenian tradition five years ago. But after stepping off a ‘Pletna’ – a gondola-like boat known only in Bled …
My wife and I woke up to the smell of rich morning coffee. It was to be part of our breakfast on our first day in Ireland, always a dream in itself. It has been said that all Irish homes become a bed and breakfast during the summer, and this Donegal County cottage with one spare room was no exception. …
Increasingly, an American abroad is an American ashamed. Recently I visited Berlin and Warsaw – the former an established European capital, the latter lesser-known but equally sophisticated. It was an opportunity to relax, speak grammatically incorrect German, devour pierogies by the dozen. But more than anything, it was a welcome respite from the nonstop circus American politics has become. I …
It’s surprising that something so automatically associated with Switzerland, should be one of England’s top tourist attractions. As a kid growing up in Great Britain, and even then seeking out offbeat things to see and do in travel, I loved the Lynton and Lynmouth Cliff Railway. Situated in a setting of steep, ruggedly rolling green hillsides alive with unequalled beauty, …
Breathtaking. Mind-boggling. I am reading about Alex Honnold’s free climb of El Capitan in Yosemite but my mind cannot gain a firm foothold on what Alex does and how he ticks. However, reading the story of his El Cap climb rekindled memories of my first experience dipping my toes into the dimensions of what he does. Welcome to a story …
The Canadian side of Niagara Falls has a 35 mile linear park, called Niagara Park, with seemingly endless attractions stretched along the full length of the Niagara River. I recently spent several days driving to each, sampling fantastic wines and great food while enjoying the rugged beauty of the Canadian side of Niagara Falls. It became one of the shortest …
The narrative has now come full circle as the “band of merry media” – 18 travel writers and photographers invited by Insight Vacations (Insight) on its Treasures of Irelandjourney – gather for the very last time in colorful Dublin, the starting and ending point of our incredible week on the Emerald Isle. Greeted warmly with “Céad míle fáilte (One-hundred-thousand welcomes)” …
