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Category: Food and Wine

Dublin: Five Things Not to Miss

Ireland in the off-season is magical. Brisk, windy, often wet but still green and lively. Dublin is a great walking city and you can use the River Liffey as a handy navigation tool. Here are five places not to miss! Temple Bar Established in 1840, Temple Bar is one of the most famous pubs in Dublin but also because it offers over 450 different kinds of rare whiskies (Ireland’s largest collection). Easy …

Eat Here: Bairro Alto in Lisbon

There are a million things to love about Lisbon and Portugal in general. But a recent visit introduced me to the city’s interesting and largely unheralded status as a jewel in the crown of the food and wine culture. Sure, Spain in general gets the nod but Lisbon deserves to be singled out for special distinction. I love this capital city and I’d call it a major player in the …

Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi (Part 1)

I’m always asked if I liked Vietnam so for the record, yes, I LOVED visiting Vietnam. Even though my trip coincided with the moment that Covid was silently enveloping the world in March of 2020, I was experiencing my first solo trip to Southeast Asia with a tour group whittled from its original twenty-four to just eight intrepid travelers, I loved the adventure. Is Vietnam safe for a solo, senior …

Dreaming of Chocolate

I love chocolate. And yes, there is a big difference between “ours” and “theirs”. We celebrate chocolate. Thinking about the gigantic red hearts filled with bite-sized confections in their pleated brown nests, the foil-wrapped eggs in Easter baskets, the Hershey bars we drop into Trick-or Treater’s bags and the chocolate coins and Santas we stuff in our little one’s Christmas stockings. Everyone knows how beautifully the Swiss craft their chocolate …

Ten Places to Travel Solo Right Now

For the first time since the Covid situation interrupted the travel plans of those of us hopelessly addicted to the exploration of other cultures, this summer is almost like the summer of 2019 but without the crowds and with a very appreciative group of Schengen countries who are open for business! You can travel solo, but not alone with any of the wonderful tours offered by companies like Globus Journeys …

Wine and Art …

In the Medoc region of Bordeaux you can find the lovely vineyards and winery of Chateau D’Arsac. Many families, including the Chateau’s owner, moved to this region when Algeria gained its independence from France in 1962. The Chateau is also a place open to artistic creation. Every year since 1992, the estate has acquired a signed work by a major contemporary artist. The vine and art are intimately linked here. It is indeed …