For four centuries, the distinguished and elegant university town of Salamanca (population 150,000) attracted prestigious names such as conquistador Hernán Cortés (Yeah, the guy that wiped out the Aztec Empire) and Christopher Columbus who came here in 1486 on a fruitless attempt to get the university to fund his exploration plans. The town, draped in a seductive sandstone, deteriorated for…
Porto is one of those cities that is dripping with European charm...red roof tops, contrasting sapphire blue waters, port wine flowing like water, and azulejos bedecking every other surface you encounter. It has a long and fascinating history as a port city, endless captivating colors and pedestrian thoroughfares dotting the spaces near the Douro River. It's undoubtedly immensely walkable, and…
For our last two stops in Georgia, we longed to escape the cities and step into something a little more laid back and authentic. We chose Kazbegi, aka Stepantsminda, a deliciously Georgia-eous mountain townlet on the Russian border and Sighnaghi, a charming red-roofed village plopped in the middle of eastern Georgian wine country. The ride to Stepantsminda (Kazbegi) was about…
Growing up inside a snow globe… in Leavenworth, Washington At the age of 6, my mom moved me to a new home. A magical and otherworldly wonderland home. The welcome sign at the entrance road to this unfamiliar land proclaimed that you were entering Leavenworth, Washington, the “Bavarian Village.” The sign included a new, unfamiliar, and strange looking group of…
