South side of the Douro so we are in Vila Nova de Gaia not Porto. Technical difference but important to locals! No one wants to be called a ‘tripe eater when theyre not!
Talking food the ship served a ‘francesinha on board today. Poor substitute for the real thing and significantly smaller but it probably meant considerably fewer heart attacks than serving good ones.
After breakfast we walke Read on...
We were up early for what was for me to be hopefully the highlight of the trip, our visit to the USSR, as the main reason I chose this particular Sundowners itinerary was because most of them bypassed countries and made it straight from Athens to London. We made it the 30kms to the border by around 8am. Discharge from Romania took around 30 minutes and was no hassle. However, we werent so lucky o Read on...
Avec presque 6h descale Frankfort, jai vraiment trouv le temps long, jai pas mal arpent les innombrables galeries marchandes. Cest dingue la taille de cet aroport, surtout dun seul tenant. Roissy ne fait pas la mme impression avec tous ces satellites. Le couloir en photo fait 288m de long cest dire. Lavion est parti lheure, un Boeing 747, je ne savais pas que nationales en avait encore en circul Read on...
Amantani Island is known for its distinctive arches. You pass through several on a walk around the island.
After my article about Amantan Island was published in Fodors, I decided to go back to the island to see what the impact has been so far. If you havent read the article, check it out first. (There are also links on my website). This story will make a lot more sense afterwards. I went for a Read on...
From the hotel, we were dropped off by Mike, a driver (when hes not working for the County cutting grass). He chatted with me all the way, since I rode in the front of the van. Peter is our guide.
We walked along paths and roads. Houses and beautiful gardens were seen with some frequency. These groups of houses are nominally villages, although none have any services beyond a mail box and a (red Read on...
I think I covered this before on one of my Twelve Days of Christmas series of emails. But, perhaps with Covid, we should revisit your needs when traveling afar. Here is a basic list from Travel and Leisure:Hand sanitizer (lots of it)Hydrocortisone cream, for rashes and bug bitesPain and fever reducer, such as Tylenol, Aspirin or AdvilBandagesAntihistamines (diphenhydramine preferred) for allergic Read on...
It didnt take too long to reach the border and by 11am we were in the Sunshine State. No need to have our permits at the ready as there was around. Given the number of caravans from both Victoria and NSW travelling just now we were surprised there was no police presence.
We stopped for lunch and a stretch of our legs at Cunnamulla before continuing on to our free camp for the night at Wyandra. T Read on...
We awoke about 8, got ready, and went to have some breakfast. Our daughter slept in so we brought her some food when we went back. We admired the views of the sea from our Airbnb one last time. It was neat to see the in and out of the harbor all day and night.
We walked over to the waterfront near the bus station and waited. It was very nice to watch the sea. Soon we were on the bus back to the a Read on...
Is it a beauty contest, or the fact that visiting San Diego is always a treat? One place I have always wanted to visit is Blacks Beach. Blacks Beach is one of the coasts only nude beaches. Its not technically legal, but nudists still flock to the area, typically gathering at the north end past the Glider Port Trail. Surfers dominate the other end of the beach, and visitors will find restrooms and Read on...
Our second day without going anywhere in Gertie (the car). Wed been told that the beach to the south of us, Maderas, was a good surfing beach, and easy to walk to along the shore as long as the tide was low. It looked like late afternoon would be a good time to go, so in the morning we went to the closest beach. We got some boogie boards from the caretaker, but it wasnt really my thing. Waves are Read on...