Tag Archives: around the world

Our Best of the Best #3: great ruins, discoveries, and places to hike

In four years of nonstop traveling – and many trips before that – we definitely have some favorites, and, now, we’re ready to share a few of those. Our favorite ancient ruins: Angkor Wat in Cambodia; Ephesus and Afrodiasas in … Continue reading

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The question everyone asks

We usually don’t have to wait long before someone asks, “What has been your favorite place?”  When we see old friends or meet new people, they are aghast to discover that we’ve been traveling nonstop for three years with no … Continue reading

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Sunset stroll along the Douro River

We meant to take an afternoon stroll and ended up over 6 km from where we were staying and the time was past 7pm. Walk or take the bus home? Since the weather was perfect and we felt great, we … Continue reading

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(Happily) slowed down

We slept in and then lazed around reading and writing until we realized how much time had passed, after 2pm already! Time had come for a walk, but where would we go? We studied the map and decided to start … Continue reading

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A castle, with a palace next door

The castle in Guimaraes was the real thing: thick walls of stone, built on a high bed of rock, its only purpose was defensive. The interior space was smaller than expected. We saw very few openings in the tower to … Continue reading

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Ever heard of Citânia de Briteiros? And how would we get there?

Sure, Guimarães has a castle, a palace, and is even a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Isn’t that enough? No, not when Citânia de Briteiros is close by; THAT’s where we wanted to go. Citânia de Briteiros is the archaeological site … Continue reading

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The camera comes with us on our daily walk

We’ve always taken a daily walk. Before we left on this trip, the walk was a prescribed route that wound through our neighborhood. We enjoyed the same walk every day, day-in and day-out, for many years. Changes in the landscape … Continue reading

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The heart of the city

On our first evening in Porto we looked out the window to see the illuminated Cathedral atop a nearby hill, with the darkening outline of the city spread out around it and below. The next day we walked up the … Continue reading

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Tasting fortified wines

Interesting trip-planning, huh? We actually planned to visit Madeira, followed by Porto, two cities renown for their historic fortified wines, and, guess what, Beth doesn’t even drink. When we arrived at our AirBnB in Madeira, a bottle of Madeira wine … Continue reading

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Hard to find and neglected – but still beautiful

Friday seemed like a good day for a walk in a garden. We walked up the steep hill to visit Quinta Palmeira but couldn’t find the entrance gate. A tall stonewall stood between us and the garden. We studied the … Continue reading

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