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.

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.

Another Labor Day weekend is just around the corner.  Labor Day.  What’s it really all about?  We all suppose it has something to do with labor; tote that barge, long hours, cubicles, 9 to 5, the banks are closed as is the post office, and there’s a lot of sale shopping going on.  Without Googling it (how did we survive before Google) can you speak of the authentic origin of Labor Day?

Some things are just fun and fascinating to see.  It was with that mindset we visited the Smithsonian’s Udvar-Hazy Center.  Getting to see the Space Shuttle Discovery up close and personal was beyond fun and fascinating.  It was awesome.  And, it was a testament to man’s ingenuity and dedication.

I couldn’t help but notice the boxes of tissue as we entered the screening room at James Madison’s Montpelier.  By the end of the film, I understood the need.  Although it didn’t actually bring tears to my eyes, the story of Ellen and the enslaved community in which she lived at Montpelier, tugged at my heart.  It left me wanting to learn more.