With the monumental 40th birthday approaching, I decided to make a list of the forty things I wanted to do before my milestone occurred. It was fun, and I think I learned a lot in that year. Will there be a fifty before fifty? Wait and see!
Milano! You either love it or hate it here or at least that’s what the tourist book says. Milano on first glance is noisy, crowded, busy and dirty. On second glance you will find a lively culture, with people out and about with many things to do and see; even in the middle of…
Imagine finding a statue of a Black Madonna in a cave high up on a mountainside: a relic from a time past, with a story to be sure. Some believe The Virgin of Montserrat – The Black Madonna was carved in the early days of the church, others say as late as the 12th century….
Gaudi created Güell Park with the intension of establishing an elite neighbourhood for 60 houses in a setting high on the hillside, away from the smoke and pollution of the city of Barcelona below. The park and its roads were designed with natural forms and lines in mind. To enter the park it is free…
Barcelona Spain Picasso Museum is for the art lover. A little known fact about my past- I worked 10 years for an Art Gallery where I met local and famous artists like Carl Brenders, Terry Isaac and Robert Bateman and participated in signings and sales in the Canadian art scene. I loved my job and…
If you do one thing outside of budget on your trip to Barcelona, go inside Sagrada Familia Temple. The large Catholic Church draws tourist from around the world. In 2010 Pope Benedict XVI declares the temple a minor Basilica. The unfinished work by Antoni Gaudi is different than any other church. Its vastness alone is…
Since moving to southern France, we have pointed many tourists to the Canal du Midi for a relaxing bike ride along the shady tree covered path, where you make your own breeze on a hot summer’s day. Except one problem… I never did it before today! Another tick? off my 40 before 40 list,…
Today is my 11 day post hysterectomy operation mark, and I feel fabulous. Other than being tired, it has been a breeze. The last ten days were full of modified activities; mainly writing, reading and shouting recipes from the pullout bed in the living room. Alfonz propped me up with pillows, and surrounding me with…
Moving to a new country comes with its’ worries. New language, new people, and new customs and that is aside from setting the children up with everything they need with school and so forth. Back when we meticulously completed our ‘TO DO List’ when moving to France, once here and settled into our new life,…
“Our happiest moments as tourists always seem to come when we stumble upon one thing while in pursuit of something else” If you are lucky this happens. You are on vacation and all the stars line up for a serendipitous experience. Maybe you are at a resort and the maid brings you back to…
Alfonz and I dropped Angelina off at school by 9:00am and then we made our way directly to Toulouse. It took us over 2 hours to get there, but I was pretty excited about the adventure I was about to start in Budapest Hungary, as an actual paid travel writer….