Room at the Top of the Popes’ Palace
Coming soon to Avignon, France One of our favourite cities in France is Avignon. When we joined a virtual tour of the Palace of the Popes presented by Explore France,…
She did it - the only one in our group of five to do so!
Ecuador means Equator
Ecuador and the Equator The equator runs through hundreds of places worldwide. But in Ecuador, this South American country proudly celebrates the fact it sits on the equator. Indeed, the…
Taste the World
World Foods Time to test your taste buds on foods from around the world. Like beachworms, blue-skin chicken, scorpions/insects, guinea pig, yak burgers, rabbit, chaya, nopales, noni, arepas… Shock Foods…
Fairytale Town, Famous Pastels near Lisbon, Portugal
Two Must-Sees near Lisbon Say yes to exploring the fairytale town of Sintra. Say yes to exploring Belem. Then treat yourself to a pastel de Belem. Sintra, fairytale town A…
The birth records for most of the elephants at the park are spotty so the staff make educated guesses using the wrinkles around the eye. This one is in her 60s and is sight impaired. We were given instructions to only approach elephants from the front and at a slight oblique angle so they can see you. Elephants who are totally blind use their feet to feel vibrations from the earth as well as their trunk touching the ground in front as they walk. (like a white cane).
Why We Don’t Ride Elephants in Thailand
The Maharaja Riding his Elephant As children, most of us remember tales and photos of Maharajas riding to battle atop their elephants. No image was as powerful as a leader…
A Tale of Two Trails
Northern British Columbia, Canada Adventure on two trails The two trails are: 1 - For the first 20 minutes we stumble/climb a steep trail of loose rocks in a coniferous…
The Sicilian Flag - The 3 legs form a triangle or 'tinacria' from the Greek name for Sicily 'Trinakrius' because of its triangular geography. The face in the middle was originally Medusa but has been softened somewhat. It was created in 1282 but not officially approved until 2000. The colours are from the 2 founding cities, Palermo (now the capital) and Corleone. Sicily is a 20 minute flight from Malta so we decided to spend a few days there.
The Secret Well of Ortigia
The Secret Well For the ancient Greeks in Siracusa, under siege from the Romans, fleeing the city to take refuge on the nearby island of Ortigia was the only option.…
We hired a boat for the day, Our boat captain was Bacho and his son Ethan as the pilot. Bacho is originally from Costa Rica but moved to Panama to marry a Panamanian. He has lived in Bocas since then. Unfortunately he has the early stages of Parkinson's.
More than a Chocolate Farm in Panama
Our boatmen took us on a short ride to Green Acres chocolate farm, near the town of Bocas del Toro, Panama
Tennis, Bistros, and Art in Paris
Paris Trends: tennis, bistros, art It is an art to play the game of tennis, now in the spotlight at the French Open. It is an art to sip café…
Sipping Port in Porto
Port – the taste of Porto Sipping a glass of port in Porto, Portugal, means tasting the lifeblood of this romantic seaside country. UNESCO World Heritage site Located along the…