To say the least it’s been a rough start to the new year, the new decade.  I’m not sure anything more could happen to make the headlines around the world any worse, but I shouldn’t jinx it.  The images and reports coming out of Australia are heartbreaking.  Puerto Rico has declared a state of emergency after a series of earthquakes, and hundreds of thousands protesters, led by the courage of a seventeen-year-old girl, are taking to the streets every Friday around the world, to bring awareness to climate change.  And, of course, the contentious conflict between the US and Iran, which has me thinking of our travels through Iran.

Each year for the past several years I’ve published a list of Christmas quotes; a list of inspiration if you will. It’s no surprise that I think the past couple of years, in particular, have found many of us in need of a little extra dose of holiday inspiration; something to help us find joy in the moment while we hold on to hope for the future.

Maybe some sort of Christmas miracle?  Or, at the very least a beautiful Christmas melody to make us smile and cry with emotion at the same time.  Take a few minutes and listen until the end, I promise it will touch your heart.

Sometimes, the best travel treasures can be found in one’s backyard, or within just a couple of hours drive.  Road trips are probably our most favorite mode of travel, followed closely by train travel.  We decided to jump start our Christmas holiday with a yuletide road trip that took us just beyond our backyard to the Brandywine Valley which stretches across the borders of Pennsylvania and Delaware.

Who doesn’t love a giveaway, and who doesn’t appreciate the wealth of knowledge and experience shared by Rick Steves when it comes to traveling in Europe?  This giveaway is super easy and you could win one of two copies of this beautiful book titled, Rick Steves Europe’s Top 100 Masterpieces.

Grateful -vs- Thankful (2019)

I wrote this little ditty nearly five years ago. It turns out that over the years this little grateful – vs – thankful tale attracts a great deal of traffic to our site, about this time, every year.  Which tells me I’m not alone in my thought process of trying to distinguish between the two.

When the calendar page turns to the first official day of summer, I begin counting the days until the first official day of fall, as if I can hurry along the seasonal changes.  I can appreciate the beauty of summer with green grass, flower blossoms and wearing flip flops, but I am not a fan of heat and humidity.  Humidity tends to suck the life out of me so when the air cools in the fall, I feel as if I can breathe again.  There are those who profess they love the fall season but worry that winter is just around the corner.  I’ll take winter too.  One can layer on the clothing to stay warm, but only so much can be taken off to stay cool in the summer heat. You know what I mean?

Once upon a time we thought we wanted to live in the country, in Frederick, MD to be precise.  We bought a sweet little brick house that just happened to sit in the middle of five acres of pretty pasture grass.  Fast forward 2 1/2 years and we sold the house and bought one way tickets to Europe.  As much as we loved the small city of Frederick and our little brick house, it turned out we didn’t love living in the country. As a friend said, “How could you know you wouldn’t enjoy living in the country if you didn’t try?”  With that being said though, here’s why you should visit Frederick, MD.

It’s no secret that Porto, Portugal is our most favorite city in Europe.  Well, at least of the cities we’ve actually visited.  We think of the city as our home-away-from-home and we spend as much time as we can in Porto.  So when a friend asked for a few suggestions (aside from the obvious tourist sites) for spending time in the city, I pulled together a list of our favorite insider tips.  Then I thought, why not share the adventure?  So, that’s exactly what I’m doing.

How does one describe a place that is, in essence, indescribable while still finding a way to do justice to a 175-room mansion?  Rooms filled with 90,000+ pieces of art and antiquity.  Not to mention the 60-acres of gardens surrounded by 1,000 acres of sprawling meadows and woods.  Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library is such a place.  Indescribable.

We like to feel as if all of our travel experiences are wonderful, even though some travel days are less than successful, but every now and then we’ll find ourselves somewhere extraordinary.  It’s such a surprise when it happens. With an estimated 1.5 million visitors per year, Longwood Gardens in Kennett, Pennsylvania is one of those extraordinary surprises.  We knew our visit to the gardens would be wonderful, but the surprise came in the fact that we spent nine hours exploring the gardens and we left plotting our return.  Leaving when you want more, is always the best time to leave.