France
BANGKOK – DAMNOEN SADUAK FLOATING MARKET
SOUTHEAST ASIA, THAILAND, Bangkok, Southeast Asia, ThailandMonic, our private tour guide, arrived at our hotel with a driver before 7:00 a.m. to take Carolyn, Efren, and me on a tour of the Damnoen Saduak Floating Market, Old Bangkok, and Chinatown. Bangkok to Damnoen Saduak is about a 1-1/2...
BANGKOK MARKETS AND WAT PHO
SOUTHEAST ASIA, THAILAND, Bangkok, Southeast Asia, ThailandDo you know how both nervous and excited I was to meet my tour buddies for the first time? You never really know if you are going to mesh with the group but I have to tell you, we all hit it off immediately from the moment we said our...
BANGKOK – THE CITY THAT NEVER SLEEPS
SOUTHEAST ASIA, THAILAND, Bangkok, Southeast Asia, ThailandI arrived at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport early in the morning. I was thankful to be wide awake after an 18-hour flight because I wanted to explore Bangkok during the day and I had paid for a tour that evening. I wasn’t thrilled,...
BARCELONA – SAGRADA FAMILIA AND FLAMENCO
EUROPE, SPAIN, Barcelona, Europe, Sagrada Familia, SpainI woke up before sunrise in Barcelona because I had reserved the earliest time slot to tour Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia. You’ll be happy to know that there is no need to wake up that early to stand in line for the earliest reservation. I...
BARCELONA – LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT
EUROPE, SPAIN, Barcelona, Europe, SpainI remembered that I needed more toothpaste while I was walking back to my hotel to grab my luggage before heading to the train station. I saw a farmacia along the way and stepped inside. I saw the boxes of oral care products along the...
ZARAGOZA – A STUDY OF CONTRASTS
EUROPE, SPAIN, Europe, Spain, ZaragozaAfter my fun last evening eating dinner in Madrid with several of my VaughanTown friends, I headed out to the Madrid Atocha train station early the next morning with my buddy, Pat (from VaughanTown) to catch separate trains. I was on...
VAUGHANTOWN IN TRUJILLO, SPAIN
EUROPE, SPAIN, Europe, Spain, Trujillo, VaughanTownUnless I’m mistaken, I believe that all of the Anglos in VaughanTown Trujillo walked with the Spaniards to Plaza Mayor every day during our one-to-one sessions. Because of our hour-long time constraints, they were always short walks,...
VAUGHANTOWN – MAKING NEW FRIENDS IN SPAIN
EUROPE, SPAIN, Europe, Spain, Trujillo, VaughanTownI rushed back to my hotel from Madrid Centre to freshen up for the first event of what I knew would be a week of fun. Let me give you some background information first…. I met a lovely couple at a travel show in February of 2014. They...
MADRID – THE CENTRAL DISTRICT AND ALMUDENA CATHEDRAL
EUROPE, SPAIN, Europe, Madrid, Spain, VaughanTownAfter lunch at La Buha, I only had a few hours to see what I could of Madrid on foot because I was attending an event that evening. I decided to return to Catedral de la Almudena, or Almudena Cathedral, which is located directly...
DISCOVERING MADRID
EUROPE, SPAIN, Europe, Spain, Trujillo, VaughanTownYou know you’re going to have a wonderful trip when you discover a double rainbow outside of your airplane window. The flights from Los Angeles to Madrid were relatively uneventful, save for the thunder and lightning rainstorm at...
MY REFLECTIONS OF EUROPE
EUROPE, EuropeI thought it would be easy to wrap up my final blog relating to Europe. I decided to give myself a few days to rest, trying hard to work through jet lag. It is especially bothersome because, when I arrived from L.A. to Amsterdam, I hit...
EUROPE – HOMEWARD BOUND
EUROPE, ITALY, EuropeHave you ever done something knowing it’s for the last time, and you’ve said to yourself, “This is the last time I’m ____”? That was my standard line to myself on my last evening before leaving for my flight home from Rome. Every...
TUSCANY – SIENA, SAN GIMIGNANO, AND PISA
EUROPE, ITALY, Europe, Italy, TuscanyI woke up fat(ter) and happy the following morning after my scrumptious dinner with Marco, Rosanna, and their family. But this was a new day, and an early one to boot, because I had a twelve-hour day tour planned through Tuscany! Marco...
FLORENCE – MY PERFECT MEAL
EUROPE, ITALY, Europe, Florence, ItalyWhen I had arrived back at the house at approximately 4:00 or 5:00 p.m., I was expecting to find Rosanna preparing dinner like the guy I photographed from a restaurant kitchen window while I was heading back to Rosanna and Marco’s...
DRENCHED IN FLORENCE
EUROPE, ITALY, Europe, Florence, ItalyAs I was packing my luggage for my train ride to Florence the following morning, I checked my train ticket, only to discover that my train wasn’t leaving until 9:20 a.m.! I had told everyone that I wasn’t going to see them for...
ROME AND THE VATICAN CITY
EUROPE, ITALY, Europe, Italy, RomeBuon giorno! We were at the Monterosso train platform to meet Sandro for our last drive together to Rome! As it turned out, our hotel in Rome was located on the third floor (uh, that is the fourth floor) of a building, the bottom floor...
EXPLORING CINQUE TERRE
EUROPE, ITALY, Cinque Terre, Europe, ItalyI was among those who were sad to leave Venice, but I already know that I will return some day. However, we were on to our next adventure! We were heading to the Cinque Terre area, specifically Monterosso al Mare. Cinque Terre is...
VENICE – GETTING LOST BY CHOICE
EUROPE, ITALY, Europe, Italy, VeniceI thought I had my day all planned out knowing that I was going to explore Venice. I was looking forward to getting an early start after coming down from yesterday’s high. The two sisters, Sue, and Kathy, were going to St. Mark’s...
VENICE – WEAVING MY WAY THROUGH THE CANALS
EUROPE, ITALY, Europe, Italy, VeniceVenice is such a beautiful maze of a city (and I’m not exaggerating the word “maze”). Honestly, two nights there was not enough time for me to explore the city although, considering how lost we all constantly were, perhaps we did see...
MUNICH – CONTRASTING OKTOBERFEST WITH DACHAU
EUROPE, GERMANY, Europe, Germany, MunichI wanted to love Munich. Really! But perhaps it was due to a time constraint that I didn’t see this lovely city as thoroughly as I should have that caused me to love it less than the other wondrous cities that I had just visited on...
HIKING FROM LAUTERBRUNNEN TO GRINDELWALD
EUROPE, SWITZERLAND, Europe, Lauterbrunnen, SwitzerlandOne of the things we had all experienced since arriving in Paris, and perhaps those of us who had arrived several days before, was rain. Every. Single. Day. At first, I thought it was charming but, geez, after a while, let up already!...
THE COBBLED TOWN OF BEAUNE
EUROPE, FRANCE, Beaune, Europe, FranceI messed up…I thought we were on to Switzerland next, but we were heading to Beaune, France! First of all, I want to say something. When I began planning this trip, I was most hesitant about visiting Paris because of all of the...
VERSAILLES – THE CHATEAU AND MARIE ANTOINETTE’S HAMLET
EUROPE, FRANCE, Europe, France, VersaillesI set out very early with Sue and Kathy, two sisters from the tour, to Versailles. We were a little intimidated by the Metro and Rer C train, but together we made it easily to Versailles with the other early birds. I could tell that it...
PARIS – THE MAGNIFICENT NOTRE DAME
EUROPE, FRANCE, Europe, France, Notre Dame, ParisI woke up very early the next morning in Paris because I had paid for a “Skip the Line: Notre Dame” at 9:45 a.m. And I wanted to photograph a bit before the tour began. Back on to the 69 bus, I went, feeling smug in knowing how to ride...
THE GRANDEUR OF PARIS
EUROPE, FRANCE, Europe, France, ParisI headed out for Brussels Midi train station early in the morning for Paris after my fabulous one night’s stay in Brussels. I wish I had been able to stay longer because I missed seeing much of the city due my not being able to tear...
BRUSSELS – A GRAND PLACE EVENING CELEBRATION
BELGIUM, EUROPE, Belgium, Brussels, EuropeI heard an orchestra playing, followed by a smaller band. I was in Brussels, heading towards Grand Place. I had to take a look! But when I saw this only to be followed by this and then this. I have to say that I completely lost it....
BRUSSELS – A DRIZZLY DAY AT GRAND PLACE
BELGIUM, EUROPE, Belgium, Brussels, EuropeCharm ‘n Bruges is an aptly-named bed and breakfast inn. I loved to wander through the courtyard and the breakfast room to see the beautiful vignettes. The jars of Côte d’Or were milk and dark chocolate spreads. The jams were...
BRUGES – MARKT AND LOVELY CANALS
BELGIUM, EUROPE, Belgium, Bruges, EuropeI am sitting here in my twin bed (what?!?) in my Paris hotel room in the early evening of Day 8 writing about Day 4 in Bruges! I would write more if I only had the time and energy, but I am hitting the ground running every morning and...
BRUGES – DISCOVERING HIDDEN TREASURES
BELGIUM, EUROPE, Belgium, Bruges, EuropeCan we please start this blog off properly by posting something so decadent that it might only be found in Belgium? And, no, I didn’t, buy these, but only because there was no room in my luggage! ;) I should have checked the price of...
THE ANTWERP CENTRAL TRAIN STATION
BELGIUM, EUROPE, Antwerp, Belgium, EuropeI wanted to add a couple more images of Delft taken on my one full day there. The elderly woman in the picture above could not have timed her turn onto the street any more perfectly for me. I was very pleasantly surprised by my visit...
A DAY TRIP TO DELFT
EUROPE, THE NETHERLANDS, Delft, Europe, NetherlandsI woke up before sunrise in Amsterdam, many hours before my 10:00 a.m. tour of the Anne Frank house. I wanted to spend as much time as I could exploring the city because I was leaving by train to Delft after the tour. I hadn’t even...
EUROPE – AT LONG LAST
EUROPE, THE NETHERLANDS, EuropeGood morning, sunshine! After what turned out for me to be a fitful night’s sleep from waking up at every half hour, and waking up with a sore jaw (man, I must have been more apprehensive about traveling alone than I thought!), Steve...
THE COUNTDOWN TO EUROPE BEGINS!
EUROPE, EuropeAs many of you already know because I cannot stop talking about it, I am boarding a plane for a three-week adventure through Europe, departing on Monday, September 9th. Other than several vacations to Hawaii and one vacation to the...