Category: Travel
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Medieval Fair of Obidos
Obidos Portugal, the place I happily call my new home, hosts a major festival during each season of the year. In the fall, there’s an international literary festival called Folio. Winter brings a celebration of Christmas called Vila Natal. In spring, Obidos is the place for all chocoholics during the Chocolate Festival. And my favorite…
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A Journey on the Jacobite
With awe-inspiring scenery around every bend, it’s no wonder why a trip on the Jacobite Steam Train has been described as the greatest railway journey in the world. Filmmakers love the Scottish Highlands as well and films including Local Hero, Highlander, and the Harry Potter series were shot there. We began our train trip in…
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Inveraray Castle: Is it Really Haunted?
Time for yet another confession. I have never seen the immensely popular series Downton Abbey, so I was quite surprised to see pictures of the cast in the State Dining Room. Turns out, Inveraray Castle was the setting for the 2012 Christmas special. Called Dunealge Castle for the episode, it is the fictional home to…
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Inveraray: A Step Back in Time
Located on Loch Fyne, the longest sea loch in Scotland, Inveraray is a quaint and picturesque town steeped in history. Its roots date back to the 1400’s when it was a fishing village. In the mid-1700’s, Archibald Campbell, the 3rd Duke of Argyll and head of the powerful Clan Campbell demolished the original village to…
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A Road Trip in the Scottish Highlands
We fell in love with Scotland on our first visit in late-Spring of 2019. That trip combined train travel around the country with a barge trip along the Caledonian Canal in the Highlands. Not only was the scenery gorgeous but we found the Scottish people to be very friendly and helpful. Edinburgh and Glasgow are…
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Beautiful Bussaco
What comes to mind when you envision the country of Portugal? Sandy beaches, palm trees, and crystal blue waters? Rolling hills covered in grapevines? Large cities and small villages? Yes, it has all those things and so much more. Similar in size to the US state of Indiana, Portugal is a wonder of varied climates,…
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Cawdor Castle and Gardens
Of the many things I love about Europe, the abundance of castles is near the top of my list. As a child watching animated films, I dreamed of living in a castle one day. The ones from Brave, Cinderella, and The Little Mermaid, are my all-time favorites. In Brave, the young Princess Merida lives in…
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Beautiful Belém
No visit to Lisbon would be complete without spending some time in Belém. Rick and I have stayed there twice and have yet to scratch the surface of everything it has to offer. From monuments to museums and from parks to promenades, Belém will appeal to history buffs, nature lovers, families, artists, and tourists alike.…
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Where in the World?
In this blog, I challenge my readers to guess where in the world the photos below were taken. Some are easy, some not so much. Name the country, city, or place of as many as you can in the comments. Click on Photo 1 to begin. In my next blog, I return to Lisbon and…
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The Teno Mountains of Tenerife
What do Pirates, Mummies, Scotland, Shakespeare, and Clash of the Titans have in common? Continue reading to find out! When we told our friends that were we going to Tenerife, they gave us numerous suggestions for places to see and things to do. Mount Teide, the cliffs of Los Gigantes, Masca village, and the…
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Never Been to Spain
I have a confession to make. Despite having lived in Portugal for three and a half years, we’ve never visited our neighboring country of Spain. It wasn’t for lack of trying, however. We had plans to visit Barcelona in 2020 but the pandemic closed borders, so we had to cancel our trip. Now that travel…
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Park of Monserrate
As a lover of gardens, I’ve been to many in both the United States and Europe. At the top of my list of favorites are Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens in California and Cawdor Castle Gardens in Scotland. Since visiting last May, the Park of Monserrate Palace now tops my list. It is stunning in both…
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A Tale of Two Palaces (Part Two)
The Palace of Monserrate has a long history of famous occupants and guests. In 1790, wealthy diamond merchant Gerard de Visme built the first Neo-Gothic palace on the ruins of the old chapel of Our Lady of Monserrate. In the mid-1790’s, British novelist and art collector William Beckford became the new tenant. During his stay…
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A Tale of Two Palaces (Part One)
With its proximity to Lisbon, favorable climate, and lush natural beauty it’s no wonder why Sintra attracted both royals and the rich as THE spot to build their palaces. It is also one of the most romantic spots in Portugal, where kings and queens have fallen in love and where writers such as Lord Byron…
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Paris in Black and White
I recently re-watched a wonderful and moving film, The Walk, directed by Robert Zemeckis. Set in the early 1970’s, it tells the story of French wire-walker Philippe Petit who, on August 7th 1974, spent 45 minutes suspended on a wire between the World Trade Center towers. The film is both exciting and beautiful, especially the…
Travels with Terri 