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.

One could easily spend an entire month exploring Washington, DC.  The list of places to see and visit is beyond extensive and with 19 Smithsonian Museums to explore, that’s 19 days right there!  The memorials, the food scene, the nearby historical homes of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, as well as Harper’s Ferry and other significant places in history, a month’s time would fly by in the blink of an eye.

Truth be told I’ve never taken a sauna, but as we stepped off the bus in Philadelphia I figured it was about as close to a deep sweat sauna experience as I ever hope to get, which is never.

There are a few things that must be experienced when visiting New York City and on our 4th and final day in the city we got them all in.  Noodles in China Town, gelato in Little Italy, taking in the views from the Empire State Building and a walk across the Brooklyn Bridge were the highlights of our day.  And, we were fortunate enough to cap off such a terrific day with a stay at the fabulous Hotel Giraffe located at 365 Park Ave S.

On the morning of our second day in NYC the intense heat wave broke which made for this, our 3rd day, the ideal summer day; lovely and warm but not suffocatingly hot. It was the perfect day to take a long stroll through Central Park.  Given that 37+ million visitors enjoy Central Park every year, seemingly any visit to the city should definitely include time well-spent exploring the park.

Our second day in New York City found us making our way from Casablanca to Madison Avenue and 41st where we visited the New York City Public Library. From there we took a lovely stroll on The High Line and ate lunch at the Chelsea Market, which was followed by yummy cocktails at sunset with rooftop views.  It all made for quite the day, having walked a total of eight miles.  Who says NYC is not pedestrian friendly?

Everyone should visit Times Square at least once in their life.  It’s one of those iconic destinations that has to be experienced to be appreciated, or not.

I hate to admit it but we’ve been living just outside of Washington, DC for the past 3 1/2 years and it was only just today that we finally made it to Ben’s Chili Bowl – the iconic diner.

Potsdam, Germany.  Melk, Austria.  Mondsee, Austria.  Have you heard of them?  They were not at all on our list of chosen destinations while traveling across Europe with Eurail.  And, yet, these unexpected treasures turned out to be three of our most memorable experiences.

The first time we entered Casa Natal, I could hardly contain my enthusiasm.  Of course, not wanting to embarrass myself I kept my glee in check, but oh… in my head a party was going on.