From tiny monastery to big monastery
23 февраля 2018 г., Испания ⋅ 🌙 5 °C
This morning while one of us slept in a bit, the other climbed up to the castle, then had a café con leche right smack dab in the middle of Trujillo's beautiful square. Watching the sun come up andЧитать далее
Back in Spain
22 февраля 2018 г., Испания ⋅ 🌙 6 °C
I finished teaching and was back in the hotel by 1, we were at the car rental place and on the road by 2:00, and 3.5 hours later we drove into the small city of Trujillo Spain. Finding the parador wasЧитать далее
Hanging out in Lisbon
22 февраля 2018 г., Португалия ⋅ ☀️ 9 °C
For these two weeks, I am teaching Monday through Thursday from 10 - 12:45. The routine is familiar -- sleep in the Marriott across the street from the University, spend the morning at school.Читать далее
Whoever heard of Arrifana and Odeceixe?
18 февраля 2018 г., Португалия ⋅ 🌙 13 °C
Probably the same people who have heard of the beautiful places we went yesterday. But we never had.
So, as we were checking out of our hotel this morning, I asked the woman at the desk for drivingЧитать далее
South coast and west coast
17 февраля 2018 г., Португалия ⋅ 🌙 13 °C
Today we started at the fort that was possibly the site of Sir Henry the Navigator's school for "discoverers". From there we proceded a little bit west to the promontory that is possibly theЧитать далее
Lagos and its rocks
16 февраля 2018 г., Португалия ⋅ 🌙 12 °C
Today we first headed to downtown Lagos. The first African slaves to be brought to Europe landed here in Lagos in the 1440s. The slave market building now has a small museum, and it was understatedЧитать далее
Another beach day
15 февраля 2018 г., Португалия ⋅ 🌙 8 °C
Well, not a bad way to spend Feb. 15. First, a long walk along the cliffs, then lunch in a pretty tourist trap-y kind of place, but then a wonderful boat ride through caves. Now we are in our secondЧитать далее
Faro!
14 февраля 2018 г., Португалия ⋅ 🌙 9 °C
Today was a day of cathedrals, chapels, bones, and Roman ruins. We drove to Faro, which has a bad name because of its Algarve airport where tons of Europeans flock for warmth and cheap holidays. ButЧитать далее
Day on the Beach
13 февраля 2018 г., Португалия ⋅ 🌙 12 °C
I can't remember the last time (if ever) that I have spent the entire day on a beach. But the temperature was perfect (low 60s), it was sunny, and the beach stretched on and on and on. So we just keptЧитать далее
Cloudy with spotty showers
12 февраля 2018 г., Португалия ⋅ 🌙 9 °C
That's what the weather report said this morning, when we got up at a lazy 9:30 (jet lag and all that). If this is what cloudy with showers looks like in Tavira, I'll take it!
We spent the morning,Читать далее
In Tavira
11 февраля 2018 г., Португалия ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C
About 29 hours after we left the house, we pulled up in our little rental car in front of our hotel in Tavira.
All the travel went well, and I even got several hours of real sleep stretched outЧитать далее
Getting out of town
10 февраля 2018 г., Соединенные Штаты ⋅ ☁️ -4 °C
Thanks to Tina and John for giving me a heads up about a huge storm coming through Chicago this weekend. I was able to change our tickets to re-route us through Dallas, and so far so good.
WeЧитать далее
Last day in Mexico
28 января 2018 г., Мексика ⋅ ⛅ 10 °C
Today was one of those low key but very enjoyable days. No rushing around, no major sites, but a really nice way to end the visit. First off -- no more horrible coffee, so we headed to Starbucks toЧитать далее
Xochicalco saves the day!
27 января 2018 г., Мексика ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C
The weekend getaway to Cuernavaca took a definite uptick today. At 10 am, Enrique showed up in his car to whisk us away to the ruins at Xochicalco, dating from about 700 AD. They had some earthquakeЧитать далее
To Cuernavaca
26 января 2018 г., Мексика ⋅ ⛅ 9 °C
Well, we were wrong. Cuernavaca is not some beautiful little town in a valley of eternal spring. It is a chaotic, congested, haphazard amalgam of people and way too many cars, bikes, and buses of allЧитать далее
Quick morning trip
26 января 2018 г., Мексика ⋅ ⛅ 4 °C
Before heading out for our weekend in Cuernavaca, we decided to take a quick trip over to the National Palace for the Rivera murals and the Cathedral, neither of which Joe had seen this time. TheЧитать далее
Last full day in Mexico City
26 января 2018 г., Мексика ⋅ ⛅ 3 °C
Well, of all the things to do in Mexico City, the one place that seems most appropriate for a return visit is the Museo de Antropología. Joe wanted to go, understandably, so we took the morning toЧитать далее
South to Coyoacan
24 января 2018 г., Мексика ⋅ ☁️ 0 °C
Trotsky, Frida Kahlo, and Diego de Rivera, the trio we focused on today. First stop, the house where Trotsky was living in exile when the Stalinists killed him. Really learned a lot in the video, andЧитать далее
Another day in the Centro
24 января 2018 г., Мексика ⋅ ⛅ 0 °C
Joe's plane arrived late on Monday night, due to delays and cancellations, but he was in the hotel by 11 or thereabouts. Yesterday we spent in the Centro Histórico, visiting some of the main places IЧитать далее
Pyramids!!!
22 января 2018 г., Мексика ⋅ ⛅ 11 °C
Yesterday, I asked my Uber driver if he would be interested in driving me out to the Pyramids and back. Promptly at 7:30, his VW Passat was outside the hotel. By 8:45, I was walking through theЧитать далее
Moving to the Centro Historico
21 января 2018 г., Мексика ⋅ 🌙 6 °C
My three amigas had to head home, so I had the day to myself. First a couple of hours walking around the Condesa neighborhood. Seems that every single person in Mexico City is out and about on Sunday.Читать далее
Chapultapec Park
20 января 2018 г., Мексика ⋅ ⛅ 7 °C
Today we slept a little later, having gotten back from our foodie dinner extravaganza in Pujol around 1 am. We decided to spend the day in Chapultapec Park. First stop, the Archaeological Museum.Читать далее
To the Centro Historico
19 января 2018 г., Мексика ⋅ ⛅ 8 °C
Today was our day in the centro histórico. We went to buildings with Rivera murals, took a very quick trip through the cathedral (baroque is NOT my favorite) and very much enjoyed the excavations ofЧитать далее
In Condesa
18 января 2018 г., Мексика ⋅ 🌙 6 °C
We are like kids in a candy shop. We are in a wonderful hotel. Good friends. Beautiful neighborhood, amazing food.
Trying to get there
18 января 2018 г., Соединенные Штаты ⋅ ☀️ -1 °C
Unbelievably, the travel gods seem to have looked down on me favorably. My new bag to avoid gate checking just barely fit under the seat in Champaign, my flight to Dallas arrived early, and my flightЧитать далее
Home
4 января 2018 г., Соединенные Штаты ⋅ ⛅ -15 °C
No pictures, no stories. Just 22 hours since I got out of bed. Our 5 am water taxi had to drop us off for a cab because of too much fog on the lagoon. I was really hoping to pull up to the VeniceЧитать далее







































































































































