Travel, life, loves and laughs.
This stunning tower, the Torre de Belém, stands on the banks of the Targus river in Lisbon, the capital of Portugal. It is a landmark dating from the 16th Century. It is a ceremonial gateway to the city and officially a fortification that served as a point of embarkation and disembarkation for Portuguese explorers.… Read the rest
The hop on, hop off tourist bus operators practically mob us as we emerge into Lisbon from the cruise terminal along Av. Infante Don Henrique. However, we have our day more or less mapped out and we grab a taxi and head straight for the Tower of Belém.… Read the rest
Today we are in Vigo, Spain, in the Provence of Galicia on the northwest coast. There has been a port here since the Middle Ages and there is a colorful if not rather violent history of attacks by Vikings, the English and the Turks, not to mention a period of French rule during the Napoleonic era.… Read the rest
Nothing has really prepared me for the enormity of what I am to witness first hand at the site of the ancient city of Baalbek – the historical and cultural significance is overwhelming. In some ways larger and more interesting than either the Roman Forum or the Parthenon, Baalbek exists in Western Lebanon in the Beqaa Valley, nestled between the Mount Lebanon Ranges to the west and Syrian Coastal Mountain Range (Bargylus) to the east.… Read the rest
The Cedars of God, an oasis of precious cedar trees. Specifically the Lebanon cedar which is a species native to the mountains around Bsharri in the Kadisha Valley.
Once the mountains here were covered with forests of cedars.… Read the rest
On the other side of the Kadisha Valley to the St. Simon Monastery where we have just come from visiting the tiny hermit’s cave, is the Gibran Museum in Bsharri.
Once a monastery, the building was bought by Gibran’s benefactor after the Lebanese – American writer, poet and artist, expressed his wishes to be buried in Lebanon.… Read the rest
Francoise, my tour guide, along with Patrick, our driver, pick me up from my hotel for a visit to the Kadisha Valley. We have agreed on an 8am start and I am taken by surprise a little after 7:30am.… Read the rest
A visit to the Al Ain Zoo seems like a good idea. We have been chilling out by the pool for the best part of the day, I even snuck in a massage at the spa. The zoo is advertised for Ramadan hours which means that it is open late for when things get going after iftar. … Read the rest
It’s funny how we (I) can live our lives in such a bubble. Opened in 2016, The Green Planet, like most things in Dubai, is relatively new. However, it still surprises me that I didn’t know about it until a birthday party there a few weeks ago.… Read the rest
By far the best way to see a city is to walk it. Particularly the compact old towns of Europe. Not everyone has the ability, stamina or perhaps enthusiasm for this endeavor, walking from dawn till dusk (and often into the night as well).… Read the rest