Portugal, which shares the Iberian Peninsula with Spain, is a beautiful country full of historical and natural wonders. I have friends who spent their entire vacation in Portugal this year and strongly recommended it. We had one day to explore the capital city of Lisbon while on a cruise. Lisbon is a large city, 100…
A Tale of Three Cities: Stratford
Solo Travel with Renee Taking a mini trip close to home can recharge your batteries and provides a great learning curve for fledgling solo travelers. Some of my best travel experiences have been a short jaunt away from my home in London, Ontario. I’m a firm believer in spreading holiday dollars around your own turf…
Port of Call – Palma Majorca Spain
This island port is everything that Spain has to offer in one stop. Beautiful beaches, stunning Spanish architecture and historical significance, to say nothing of delicious tapas and cold beer. It is a great addition on any itinerary. Before you decide to spend your day in the main city of Palma check out some of…
Port of Call – Seville (Cadiz)
Vibrant, exciting, traditional; all words that can be used to define the city of Seville. Friendly people, breathtaking sites, where history and culture abound are also accurate descriptions and the reasons why you will want to visit this beautiful city. We spent a day there during a recent cruise, and not only was it not…
Port of Call Badly Planned
This past spring we landed in the port of Barcelona for the third time. The first couple of times we flew into the airport and grabbed a cab directly to the cruise port. Taking an overnight flight meant no sleep thus is not conducive to sightseeing. We were disappointed of course but ever hopeful of…
Remembering D-Day
On June 6, 1944 the Allied forces of Britain, America, Canada and France stormed the beaches of Normandy France in Operation Overlord, hailed as the turning point that led to the Allied victory in World War II. This year marked the 75th anniversary of this auspicious event. We would have been remiss not to take…
Top 5 Tips From First Time Cruisers
At the beginning of October we published an article outlining our top 5 tips for first time cruisers. Although we would like to think we had some good advice to offer there is no doubt important information we missed. Thanks to Jaime and Chris Carr who upon returning from their first cruise, their honeymoon no…
Overcoming the Fear of Solo Travel
Solo Travel with Renee Are you afraid to travel alone? What if you got lost, attacked or caught up in a violent protest? What if you became ill so far from home? How would you get help? Travel fears can loom large in people’s minds and it would be foolish to dismiss the fact that…
Our Top 5 Paintings in the Uffizi Gallery
Florence Italy is the recognized birthplace of the Italian Renaissance, a period in history following the Middle Ages which began in the 14th century and peaked during the 15th and 16th century. The Renaissance was a rebirth of the classical values of ancient Greece and Rome and an appreciation for the individual. This humanistic approach…