Countries

Countries

  • Lisbon Christmas Markets - Kelly M and I decided to go to Lisbon to see the Christmas markets. We took the Flixbus from Lagos to the Lisbon Oriental station. The bus stops at Portimao and another location before taking the highway north. It’s about a 4 hour trip. I thought the train would be faster but from Lagos you have to take a fairly slow train to Faro then can catch the express to Lisbon so it can take just as long. We left...

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  • Balearic Islands, Spain - When planning my trip to Portugal, I asked Kelly M if she was interested in another trip, either to Mallorca in the Balearic Islands or Malta. The flights to Malta from Faro were more expensive and complicated so we flew to Palma, Mallorca for six nights. I’ve always wanted to visit the Balearic Islands. We also booked a one day tour of Menorca from Palma. We flew into and stayed in Palma. Palma The first night we walked all the...

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  • The Algarve, Portugal - This was both a visit to a friend, Kelly M, who lives in Lagos, as well as a scouting trip for a rental for a move to Portugal. Kelly M is not the Kelly I’ve traveled with for years, but we also worked together. She recently retired and moved to Lagos. I flew into the Faro airport and she picked me up. We wandered through the Faro Old Town, visited Igrega do Carmo and Capela dos Ossos (chapel of bones),...

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  • Niagara Falls, Ontario - I’ve visited the falls several times. My first visit was with my parents and sisters in the late 1960s. My daughter and I stopped by for one afternoon and one night on the way to Maine in 1993 and we rode the Maid of the Mist. We were in Toronto for a week in 2004 and drove over for a day; we did Journey Behind the Falls. I’ve never spent any time in the area, however, to see anything other...

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  • World History: The Explorer’s Class - In the many years I’ve been wandering the world, I’ve been so lucky to see amazing sites. I do think travel is a wonderful way to learn, about other people, other cultures, and, of course, world history. All of these sites were amazing; interesting museums, beautiful castles, ancient ruins. I recommend each and every one. History Museums Museo Galileo, Florence, Italy Musee Marciano, Venice, Italy Musee Civico Correr, Venice, Italy Musee Storico Navale, Venice, Italy Egyptian Museum, Cairo, Egypt Conciergerie,...

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  • Quebec City and Montreal - Quebec City The first morning in town, Boo and I headed out to Battlefields Park and the Plains of Abraham. We walked through the park, viewing the Martello Towers, stopping to read the signs, then around the Citadel walls and onto the Terrasse Dufferin for great views of Old Quebec or Vieux Quebec. We walked back along the Rue Saint Louis and Saint Louis Gate to Esplanade Park and Parliament. Tours That afternoon I had booked the Free Walking Tour of...

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  • Maritime Provinces: New Brunswick - After 3 days in Fundy National Park, I spent a week in the lovely Saint Andrews by the Sea. Saint Andrew’s Charlotte County Archives and Old Jail. From 1831 all the way to 1979 the stone jail held men downstairs in 10 cells with only narrow slits for light. Women and children were held upstairs. Two men were hung in the back, one as late as 1942. They found the scaffolding for the second hanging during remodeling and updates; that...

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  • Fundy National Park - I stopped at Hopewell Rocks Provincial Park on my drive from PEI. I arrived about an hour after low tide but found the path down to the beach. Very muddy. Very weird looking. The stairwell down to the rocks on the other side blocked off but I found a path later that led down but by then tide was coming in. I went back a couple days later to see the difference at high tide. Fundy National Park is a small...

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  • Maritime Provinces: Prince Edward Island - I took the Northumberland ferry from Caribou, Nova Scotia to Woods Island, PEI. I stopped in Pictou for lunch before going to the ferry terminal. I saw Mrs. MacGregor’s Shortbread with a large open sign on the sidewalk so stopped for some cranberry orange shortbread. I also asked them for a recommendation for a lunch place where I could sit outside. They told me to try Harbour House. Boo and I sat on the patio despite it being a little cool but we...

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  • Cape Breton Highlands National Park - Hurricane Fiona moved through Atlantic Canada when I was in Halifax. Boo and I stayed safe in our AirBNB even if we were both worried and a little frightened with the wind and rain. Neither of us got much sleep Friday night from the noise. Our power went out around 2230 but was out for less than a day. Cape Breton was harder hit, as was Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland. Power was restored to my rental in Ingonish before...

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