Cooking classes are a top tier option for the solo, female senior traveler. I heartily recommend this as an easy (lots of online options) safe (read the reviews) entertaining and eye-opening way to explore the cuisine of a new country. Food preparation offers a unique and yummy peek into a national culture I took my first class on a trip to Southeast Asia, stopping in a small village for the …
Here are my ten best tips to make hotel check-ins, here and abroad, simple and safe. First, you’re at the Registration Desk. Take two keys. If they’re not offered, ask for the extra. Take a quick pic with your phone of the room key folder and room #. Easy memory trick. After a recent twelve hotel odyssey in France over three weeks, I was in “detail overload” and this helped! …
It’s not about the castanets. Before my trip to Seville, I misunderstood the art form of Flamenco. I had visions of elaborately ruffled women clicking those little plastic gizmos in a face off with brooding matador-types in mock Andalusian ecstasy. It’s not. Flamenco is an art like nothing I’ve ever experienced. It’s raucous, joyous, passionate and great entertainment. Fun fact: castanets were not part of the original flamenco dance but …
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 …
Located in the southwestern corner of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Petra was a thriving trading center and the capital of the Nabataen Empire between 400 BC and AD 106. My first question? Who the heck were the Nabataens? Brilliant, savvy, artisanal nomadic Arabs who performed engineering feats of singular merit. Some scholars feel that the ancient Nabataean gods may have become: Al-Qaum, the male god of the night (moon), Dushara, …
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 …