We took a tour just outside of Paris following the footsteps of Vincent Van Gogh and Claude Monet. Both Van Gogh and Monet lived and spent time in Paris in the 1800s. Although they never met in person, Van Gogh was influenced by the impressionist style that Monet pioneered, which resulted in Van Gogh abandoning […]
Turkey #8 – Travelers
We are the Travelers….We often enjoy joining small group photo tours with less than 10 people, such as Mehmet’s. We hate seeing so many tourists wherever we travel, so we label ourselves “Travelers”. First, all the travelers in our group have common interests – a passion for photography combined with travel to exotic destinations and […]
Iran 2 – Kerman
Iranian Local: Where are you from? Me: America. IL: But where are you from NOW? Me: America. IL: No, that is not possible. Americans are not allowed to come to Iran. Where did you come from? (discussion continued, and he was amazed to discover that it is legal for Americans to visit Iran) Kerman plays […]
Panama 2 – Bribing a Cop in Spanish
Driving back from Boquete towards Panama City, I was stopped by a cop for speeding. Yes, I was driving over the limit — which was 35 mph on a 4-lane, 200 mile (literally) straight stretch of road where I saw another car about once every 5 minutes, and no city or other obstruction within 10 […]
Portugal 9 – Lisbon
Our three month adventure in Europe and Central Asia is now over. This is our 37th and final blog entry covering this trip that has taken us to Italy, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Georgia, Armenia, and finishing with a month in Portugal. On our last day in Lisbon, we decided to check out their zoo. We […]
Portugal 8 – Lisbon Oceanarium
We went to the world-class Oceanarium in Lisbon today. We were joined by David and Debi Billings (right column), friends we knew in Cuenca who have recently moved to Portugal. The Oceanarium opened in 1998, was the centerpiece for the World’s Fair, and is the largest indoor aquarium in Europe with more than a million […]
Portugal 7 – Aveiro
In between Porto and Lisbon, we stayed in Aveiro, a town that boasts canals and is sometimes called the Portuguese Venice. Our first stop was the fish market around the corner from our hotel. Though small, with no more than 15 stalls, it had charm and the people were friendly. A vendor selling eels (center) […]
Portugal 6 – Minho Province
As always, friendly faces prevailed at the gigantic Feira de Barcelos open-air market. This market has been held here since the early fifteenth century, and is a must-see if you’re in the area. It is the largest market in Portugal, and one of the largest in Europe. Every Thursday, the vendors fill the tree-lined Campo […]
Portugal 5 – Douro Valley
We spent two days in the Douro Valley. This was less than we had originally planned, but other parts of Portugal keep drawing us to visit too. We will probably return here at some point, and spend more time in this region when we do. This is one of the primary port wine producing areas of […]
Portugal 4 – Feira Medieval de Penedono
We are staying in the Douro Valley today, and our host told us that there is an annual festival this weekend in Penedono, a nearby town with a castle. We decided to check it out. In Northern California, we have the Renaissance Fair every summer. This is very much like that, but only lasts the first […]
