Updated June 2022 After spending some time in the southwest corner of Portugal exploring the beauty of the ancient port towns of Lagos and Faro, I headed north from the Algarve to the Alentejo region of Portugal to hike parts of the Rota Vincentina, a little-known long-distance trail along the spectacular Portuguese coast I had […]
flashpacker
48 Hours in Jerez de la Frontera, Spain – Bodegas, Buleria and Bridles of Andalucia
Andalucia! The beautiful region in Spain along its southern coast famous for beaches, surfing, bullfighting, and flamenco. The most well-known cities are Seville, Granada, Malaga and Cordoba offering beautiful architecture, delicious foods and wines and much to see. My first stop in Andalucia was to Jerez de la Frontera, or simply, “Jerez”. Pronounced “Herez”, “Hereth”, […]
Magical Madagascar! Of Lemurs, Skulls, Charming Children and Baobab
Edited December 2024 I never, ever, EVER! thought I’d travel to Madagascar! It just wasn’t on my radar at all – but when my friend Piu invited me to join him and his group of French paragliders to explore this amazing island, I could not say no. And since “just say yes!” has been my […]
10 Reasons to Visit Beautiful Ile De La Réunion 🇷🇪
Edited December 2024 After three incredibly amazing weeks exploring the wonders of Madagascar, our group of French paragliders and I flew to La Réunion for more aerial adventures above this tiny island in the Indian Ocean. The island is one of only a handful of places on the planet that has reliable and consistent flying […]
House-sitting in Tuscany: Livin’ the ‘Villa Loca’!
Updated October 2022 Want to know how I landed here in Tuscany in an incredibly amazing 15th- century villa as a caretaker for two months, with free accommodations and my very own room, all for spending just a couple of hours each day doing some flower watering and picking up any bits of trash that […]
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Castles, Caves, Canoeing and the Countryside. The Dordogne Valley.
After four hectic, busy, incredibly amazing famous-art-viewing days in Paris I arrived in the Dordogne Valley via train – an easy, comfortable ride of about 5.5 hours southwest. My friend, Piu, who (whom? Gaah. I never remember which is correct!) I met in Pokhara, Nepal, met me at the station and brought me to his […]
Colorado Rocky Mountain High – Lovin’ where you live.
It’s interesting to “see” where you live with fresh eyes – something that I have tried to be conscious of while living my everyday life here in Denver. While traveling in a foreign country, it’s easy to be stunned, captivated, mesmerized and “wow’ed” by the incredible people, food and places around you because everything is […]
Bathroom Humor: Finding Fun in Unusual Places
One of the things I love about travel is how it expands your mind, your opinions, your preconceived ideas and notions about people, places and history. I always learn so much about where I am, where I’ve been, and also about me! But…sometimes it’s not all serious learning and discovery. Sometimes, travel in different countries […]
Pokhara: Peace Pagoda, Paragliding and Phewa
From the trek in the hillside villages of Kathmandu back to the big city, with all its dust, traffic, car horns…and — HOT WATER! ELECTRICITY! WESTERN TOILETS!!! And wonder upon wonders, TOILET PAPER!! Nothing like doing without for a few days to give a true and real appreciation of the little things in life – […]
Nepal: I Think I’m Going to Kathmandu!
Nepal. 🇳🇵 It’s always had a mystical hold on my travel soul for some reason. I vowed to go there one day…and that day has arrived. And c’mon. How you can you NOT think of the famous Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band’s song from the 70s with the memorable refrain “I think I’m […]
