May 18-21, 2023 Currency conversion – 34 Baht to each $1 US. Thailand has long been a destination for travelers – tropical beaches, friendly locals, and very inexpensive food and housing. When we stayed in 1999, we had a beach bungalow with western toilet (not as common at the time) …
John and I plan to be travelling for 4-7 months. Time depends on budget and how long we want to keep going. How do you plan for a trip of this length? Lots of planning and flexibility. Mail: We have a mail service called Texas Home base, we pay an annual …
May 14-17 The capital of the Netherlands was built on transportation and tolerance. In modern day, Schiphol Airport is the 3rd largest in Europe, and a train station under the airport gives quick access to the city and many destinations. Into the city, the train costs €5.9 pp. Since it is …
May 10-13 The Polish trains could teach the German ones something about Wifi. Another thing that makes Polish trains superior to the German ones – there is no charge to have a reserved seat – EVERYONE has a reserved seat, which you get to pick when you book. We booked …
May 8-10 and 13-14 Polish resilience has led to a general Polish personality – made fun of by our Guru walk guide, Jacek (he asked that we not take photos of him). Jacek joked that when you ask an American “Hi, how’re you doing?” – it doesn’t matter if we …
May 4-8, 2023 Now begins what I will call the “Nazi and Communist Block Tour”. We did not think about this in advance, but quickly realized it along the way. If relationships with cities were like those with people, I’d have to rate Berlin “it’s complicated”. I didn’t not like …
May 3, 2023 There’ll be bluebirds over, the white cliffs of Dover…. Even though I am not British (directly), the sight of the cliffs brings a level of nostalgia. The cliffs welcome home those crossing from The Continent at Calais and returning to mother England. It would be nice if …
May 2, 2023 A city with a rich maritime history since early Roman times, it lies on the deep Cherbourg Harbor on the little Cotentin peninsula, in the region of France known as Normandy. Cherbourg (with neighboring city Le Havre) sits at one of the shortest points between France and …
Transatlantic cruise on the Jewel of the Seas, May 2023 When doing a transatlantic (or most “repositioning”) cruises – you need to love sea days. Which is good, because on this particular crossing there were 9 of them. What do you do on a sea day, you ask? I tend …
Jewel of the Seas, April 29, 2023 On day 8 we arrived in the Azores – an island archipelago that is part of Portugal. This extremely clean city, first settled in the mid 15th century, has been a vital jumping off port for exploring the Americas. Its mild, subtropical climate, moderated …