travel beyond the obvious
In the far north of Iceland, pretty little Siglufjörður (Siglufjordur) belongs on every Iceland Ring Road itinerary. Why put Siglufjörður on your Ring Road itinerary? The Ring Road, Iceland’s Route 1, offers a wealth of Read More …
With a classic highway commercial strip that’s changed little since the heyday of historic Route 66, travelers on the Mother Road will feel right at home in Tucumcari, New Mexico.
Scenic State Park, located in northern Minnesota’s beautiful Lake Country, features glistening lakes surrounded by forested hillsides. It has a bit of all the things that make this part of Minnesota special. Exploring Scenic State Read More …
The products SC Johnson (Johnson Wax) manufactures are probably familiar to most, as they include household staples like Windex cleaner, OFF! insect repellent, and (my favorite for packing) Ziploc storage bags. However, fewer people realize Read More …
Claude Monet’s gardens and home in Giverny, France, offer a peek into the famous Impressionist painter’s world. Wandering Monet’s gardens and more in Giverny Painter Claude Monet moved to the village of Giverny in the Read More …
Sparreholm Castle (Sparreholm Slott) is one of the hundreds of manor homes that wealthy land owners once built in the Swedish countryside around Stockholm. Over the years, Sparreholm has undergone significant changes in both its Read More …
Tourists heading to Puerto Rico in search of the island’s history would do well to visit San Germán. Exploring San Germán Everyone knows San Juan is the colonial heart of Puerto Rico. However, in the Read More …
Surrounded by laterite in Duong Lam Commonly referred to as Duong Lam Ancient Town, this village near Hanoi, Vietnam, is among the last to retain its traditional laterite buildings. Laterite buildings have a long history Read More …
Established in 1579, Lithuania’s Vilnius University is among Europe’s oldest universities. It is also one of a very small number where the historic campus remains largely intact. This makes it a wonderful place to explore. Read More …
Day four off the tourist trail in Northern Vietnam Day four of our northern Vietnam road trip includes visits to several villages tucked into valleys far off the tourist trail. We also visit a lively Read More …
Vietnam is filled with villages racing to modernize by tearing down their old buildings and replacing them with modern ones as fast as they can, but there are still places where visitors can see what Read More …
While Stockholm is the largest and most well-known of the towns linked together by Sweden’s Lake Mälaren, travelers would be wise to journey farther along the lake to discover its smaller and less-famous gems. The Read More …
The traditional Vietnamese villages of Duong Lam, Vietnam, have many treasures hidden within their ancient walls, but the largest collection – both in number and physical size — reside within the quiet confines of Mia Read More …
In the beginning, there was Best beer Before there was Pabst – or Miller or Old Milwaukee or even Schlitz “the beer that made Milwaukee famous” – there was Best, as in Best Select, an Read More …
I don’t really keep a bucket list, but one of the things I have always wanted to do is to see the cherry blossoms on the Mall in Washington, DC. I finally got to do Read More …
Looking for a hotel that does everything just right AND allows you to immerse yourself in Milwaukee’s brewing history? Then you belong at the Brewhouse Inn and Suites in the newly renovated Pabst brewery complex. Read More …
Watching the Milwaukee Art Museum open its wings It’s not every day you can watch a building take a morning stretch, unless, of course, you are in Milwaukee. Here visitors and residents alike have that Read More …
Time is a shapeshifter at Mission San Juan Bautista. This is a place where the past slips into the present, where both the church building and the religious life conducted within it have continued largely Read More …
Despite its name, Nyköping (which translates to “new market”) was founded in 1187, making it one of Sweden’s oldest towns. It’s a great stop for tourists, as the town has a charming center with a Read More …
Seen from the water, Gripsholm Castle (Gripsholms Slott) looks like a fairytale castle, with huge round towers (complete with onion-dome tops), high brick walls, and lush lawns. But it’s a real castle, one that has Read More …
Among the first California missions to capture the public imagination, Mission San Juan Capistrano (and its swallows) have been immortalized in song and film.
I love discovering cities on my own, wandering without much of a plan and little knowledge of what I might stumble upon. After all, if you don’t know what is supposed to be “important,” you Read More …
The countryside beyond Stockholm is home to hundreds of manor homes, the remnants of a time when large landowners controlled agricultural production in this part of Sweden. While many of these elegant manor houses remain, Read More …
The royal palace that serves as the permanent residence of the Swedish Royal Family has been nearly 500 years in the making, as the first true palace was built on the site in 1580. Built Read More …