Traveling from Southern Spain to Morocco by ferry was one of the shortest connections we had in five weeks of travel through Spain, Portugal, and Morocco, but seemed to take the longest to sort out the options. Now that I’ve done it, I can see that many websites and blogs didn’t have accurate or up-to-date …
Morocco stole my heart. I was on a five-week journey with my husband, Steve, touring Portugal, Spain, and Morocco. The European part was all enjoyable, but when I arrived in Tangier (Tanger in French), something changed. I felt more alive, my senses blazing with the sights, smells, flavors, and ambiance of the place. My introduction …
Dreaming of tapas, flamenco, fado and castles, my husband and I broke our pandemic travel fast with a road trip to Spain and Portugal. Everyone I know seems to have been to Portugal, is there now or is planning a trip soon, so I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. Spain is …
The hut-to-hut hike on the Alta Via 1 (AV1) is one of eight roughly parallel Alta Via routes through the Dolomites in Northern Italy. This UNESCO World Heritage Site in the the Tyrolean Alps is known for its rugged beauty. The AV1 is generally regarded as being the easiest of the routes, but don’t mistake that …
Geneva is a great place to get over jet lag with its walkable historic core, endless sidewalk cafes, glittering blue lake and fascinating glimpses into international organizations that reach around the globe. Its central location means that trains, buses and cars can transport you to magical moments in the nearby Alps or destinations in France, …
The Alsace Region, nestled between Switzerland and Germany and the Vosges Mountains in France, is known for its aromatic white wines and charming villages. I visited the southern part of Alsace, known as Haute-Rhin, or Upper Rhine, on a recent trip that originated in Geneva. Since it was only a 3-hour drive from Geneva it …
The Tour of Mont Blanc, a 110-mile hike through the Alps in France, Italy and Switzerland, meanders through villages and is connected by an extensive system of refuges (huts), hostels and inns. Though some carry full backpacking gear for a mountain expedition, many carry daypacks and take advantage of the many shelters. Once the decision …
I had a lot of questions about food choices on the Tour of Mont Blanc for our self-guided hike. It was a relief to not have to plan our usual backpacking menu since I had just done five backpacking trips in one summer, but I didn’t know what our food choices on the Tour of Mont …
When planning a tour of Mont Blanc hike, which circles around the Mont Blanc massif, the choices immediately get overwhelming. Once you’re on the trail it becomes even more obvious that, while there may be an official Tour of Mont Blanc (TMB) route, the variations are endless. About the TMB The Tour of Mont Blanc …
The last time I was in Italy I was 14 years old, my mother and I having just been evacuated with the last of the women and children of Western nations from East Pakistan, leaving my father behind. East Pakistan was undergoing a bloody metamorphosis into Bangladesh in a bitter civil war, and we had …