You step off the plane, down the steps and onto the tarmac and experience the sweet sensation of mega-humidity. You’re still technically in the States, but any resemblance to the mainland ends the minute you find yourself in a van where the taxi driver rides along with his companion and co-pilot which just happens to be a talking parrot named Mango. Welcome to the Conch Republic, the end of the road, the southernmost point of the continental United States and home to a bunch of folk who were smart enough to realize that what goes on in the rest of the country just isn’t that important to them as they have more on their mind than just a house with a white picket fence in the burbs, two kids, the PTA and bowling night. Welcome to ... read more

Leaving Paris was not easy, but nonetheless part of the plan. We had entered this marvelous city under the cover of clouds and rain and would leave it the same way. Fortunately for us all the days in between were warm and sunny. Our last hotel was directly across from the train station that would deliver us to our next destination. We boarded the nearly empty train which left promptly on time and deposited us in Evereux only one hour later. From there we rented a car and began the next chapter of our journey….to Giverny; for the home and gardens of Monet and then to Bayeux, near the area where the D-Day assault began. Giverny was a delight to say the least. Our one night stay there found us in a beautiful bed and breakfast ... read more

The fact of the matter is that you can just sit there for hours just staring at them; first the American Falls with the good sized boulders constantly bombarded with the cold water of the Niagara River, then just to the right, the Canadian Falls or “Horseshoe Falls” as they are known, which majestically tumble into the same river with the constant company of the Maid of the Mist tourist boats. Sure, this is a well crafted tourist destination, with all the major hotel chains, the Hard Rock Café, Planet Hollywood, multiple casinos and even an indoor water park which we’re sure impresses the many kids who burn off energy going down the multiple slides into the heavily chlorinated water, not to mention the parents who have successfully found a way to tire out the little ... read more

Lazy days and Lovely Lavender in Sequim, Washington One of our favorite cities in the world is Seattle, Washington. One of the beauties of living there is that it is the jumping off point for so many adventures. We lived in the area for seven years. We miss it and have been reminiscing about one our favorite day trips. One of those is the annual trek to the Olympic Peninsula to the tiny town of Sequim, which hosts the largest annual lavender festival in the United States and known as the “Lavender Capitol” of North America. For us, attending the Lavender Festival was an annual event so last summer we flew to Seattle to spend time with good friends and attend the Lavender Festival in Sequim, Washington even though we had moved east of the Mississippi. ... read more

Packed like sardines in a large tin can, the airport shuttle carried us to the Amsterdam airport, where we attempted to check in at the airline kiosk. To our surprise, we were not assigned seats next to one another. The prospect of sitting apart for over 8 hours was not very appealing, so we made inquiries at the luggage drop. We explained that we had around the world tickets on a single reservation number and couldn’t understand why did not have seats next to one another. The lady was quite friendly and said she would note this on the computer and that we should speak to the person at the gate. When we finally arrived at the gate, we were prepared to explain all of this, but the lady had already taken care of the tickets ... read more