Natural Bridge State Park. After several arctic cold months, spring finally started to show itself. Now, I’m someone who loves winter, but the winter of 2024/2025 was unusually brutally cold and the idea of spring was a good one. It enticed us to hit the backroads of Virginia to find Natural Bridge State Park. It did not disappoint.

Cartão de cidadão. Or, citizen card of Portugal. This is a little story about how I applied for my Portuguese citizen card – citizenship – through family linage.

UPDATE!

Recently, I was contacted by someone who saw a comment I left on a Portugal Expat Facebook post. She was seeking information about my process as she hopes to apply for her Cartão de cidadão through a family member. With that being said I thought I’d post a little update on my application.

Breckenridge, Colorado, is an appealing retirement destination, offering a blend of natural beauty, recreational activities, and a welcoming community. As of 2022, the town has a population of approximately 5,017 residents, with a median age of 37.2 years. 

The holiday season often brings joy, togetherness, and an increase in spending, Americans planned to spend an average of $2,100 in 2024, a 7% increase from the previous year. This included gifts, travel, decorations, and celebratory meals, making it a financially challenging time for many. Especially retirees living on fixed incomes. 

eSim: Stay connected without overspending. Retirement offers the perfect opportunity to travel, explore new destinations, and enjoy life at a more relaxed pace. But with all the excitement of new adventures, it’s easy to overlook practicalities like managing phone bills while traveling.

A return to Nova Scotia. We first visited Nova Scotia in late summer 2022. Prior to taking the ferry across the Northumberland Strait to Nova Scotia, we spent 10 glorious days exploring Prince Edward Island. As we made our way south, toward home, we mapped out a quick five days on Nova Scotia.

Edinburgh. Is there anyone who doesn’t instantly recognize the name? It’s a city with a rich history of kings, queens, castles, stunning landscapes and infamous festivals. What more could you want in a travel destination? It’s one of those cities that captures the imagination. So much so that for a city with a population of 500K+ it averages nearly four million visitors per year. We were fortunate to be two of those four million.

Glasgow, Scotland. After spending10 days traveling through rural Scotland and experiencing the extraordinary landscapes and historical sites, stepping off the train in Glasgow was quite a shock to the senses. It was definitely a “we’re not in Kansas anymore” moment.

The Lake District is not actually in Scotland, but our visit to the region was a continuation of our Scotland travels. A national park, in Cumbria northwest England, the Lake District is just a stones throw across the border from Scotland. Our travel group was based in Penrith for four nights while we explored the region.

Scotland: Peebles & the Hydro Hotel. After two fascinating days in Stirling, our tour group moved on to Peebles. Again, we had no idea what to expect as we’d never heard of Peebles. A charming small town with a population of about 9,000, Peebles proved to be a lovely base for the next three nights of our tour.