xml encoding=”UTF-8″–>No visit to Germany is complete unless you get a chance to visit a few of its famous German Landmarks. Germany has such an abundance of age-old landmarks thanks to its rich history dating back more than two millenniums. I have created a list of must-see palaces, cathedrals, castles, ruins, medieval towns, walls, forests, …

xml encoding=”UTF-8″–>There are many adorable small towns nestled in the foothills of the Azuay province near Cuenca, Ecuador. This area is the new hub for American retirees that I wrote about in my article “Should We Retire to Ecuador?” The picturesque town of Chordeleg is just one of those small quaint towns. Getting there from Cuenca was …

xml encoding=”UTF-8″–>Visiting Oaxaca City in the foothills of the Sierra Madre along the banks of the Atoyac River in Mexico is a wonderful experience. It has numerous colonial-era buildings and churches, as well as a significant archeological site nearby. Known as Monte Alban, it is the ruins of a 2,300-year-old Zapotec city just outside of …

xml encoding=”UTF-8″–>After my trip of a lifetime and luxury safari with Shadows of Africa and their school visits, tribe discovery, and all-day game drives, I was off to visit the Serengeti. The Serengeti is one of the seven Natural Wonders of Africa and is located in the northern part of Tanzania. It has a landmass …

xml encoding=”UTF-8″–> The Science Behind the Island The Galapagos Islands are located in the Pacific Ocean, approximately 650 miles off the coast of Ecuador in South America. They are isolated from any other land formation or island group. About half the size of New Jersey, you may ask yourself, according to geographical size, why are …

xml encoding=”UTF-8″–> I believe everyone deserves a vacation. Most people think that a vacation should be in a tropical paradise where sometimes your skin seems to melt due to the extreme heat (maybe I exaggerated just a little, but you know what I mean!). Skip the tropical beaches in the Summer and go on a …

xml encoding=”UTF-8″–>Don’t you just love the Spring? I know I certainly do. By Springtime, I am ready to get rid of the cold and shivering winter and move on to a renewed sense of Spring. This got me thinking about the beautiful cherry blossom and how it represents the fragility of life and yet also …

xml encoding=”UTF-8″–>White and soft sand, palm trees, impressive size cliffs, and the ocean. At least a few vacation days in one of the seven most beautiful beaches in the world would make a tourist trip just as good as a fairytale. Of course, it is easy to be biased about it, but all of these …

xml encoding=”UTF-8″–>Cuenca,  Ecuador is a UNESCO World Heritage city and the charming, colonial capital city of Ecuador. Going there is like stepping back in time to another world, it is quite different from my own world. But, “o what a world it is!” Filled with over 52 churches and picturesque views of the Cajas Mountains, it …

xml encoding=”UTF-8″–>I have always wanted to go on an African Safari, but for some reason, Africa has always escaped me. With all my travels, you would think I would have booked my Tanzania itinerary by now, but alas, it never happened. Every time I hear about someone’s African itinerary, they always come back and say …

xml encoding=”UTF-8″–>I’ve been just about everywhere, well not everywhere, but it is on my bucket list. Actually, it’s not. I never set out to travel to all the countries and continents in the world, but I am glad that I have come this far. My last country count was 88 countries before Africa, and I …

xml encoding=”UTF-8″–>I not only like to travel, but I love to travel. So imagine my surprise when, even for me, I end up out of my comfort zone! Where on earth could this be? Where was I when I felt this was? It happened to be Montañita, Ecuador. It was just one of those places …