In the Alto Alentejo region of Portugal, Évora is not an undiscovered place of beauty. The preserved medieval town has its fair share of tourists passing through daily, but in the evening, the city oddly brightens, revealing its protective, historical, gruesome, spooky and friendly side all wrapped up into the confines of its Roman walls. Évora’s Sé looks more like it is ready for battle than attune to prayers of sinners and saints. Massive, monstrous and topped with varying domes in size, shape and color, the Cathedral holds much of the city’s richest history. Construction began on the Sé Continue Reading
Óbidos, Portugal Wishes You Were Here
Despite the crowds of tourists and joggers gearing up for a race through town and despite the freeway looming not so far in the distance, Óbidos, Portugal is undeniable. The walled city allows visitors to scale its shoulders, no railing and all. Looking down warrants a few stomach jumps, but in the end all that can be seen is the ultimate wedding gift. Dom Dinis gave Obidos to his wife Dona Isabel. After centuries of blood from the Visigoths, Romans and Moors, sweat today from the marathon runners and tears from a few crying Portuguese baby tourists, Óbidos is difficult to grasp. After all, it Continue Reading
Combating Travel Crankiness
After an hour and half check-in line for my favorite Ryanair flight (note sarcasm), an hour of standing in line just to board because they don’t assign seats, and a delayed flight to Pisa, I was left somewhat cranky on travel. The last bus to Florence from the Pisa airport left at 12:20AM. Otherwise I would be faced with waiting for another bus at 1:30AM, arriving to Florence around 4AM. Arriving to the baggage claim at 12:20AM, my crankiness only intensified for I knew I had missed my bus. The miracle of miracles, my bag was the first on the baggage claim. I dashed through the moving doors Continue Reading
Suzy Stumbles Over Travel: Week of August 16, 2010
Back in Florence, I finally was able to catch up on some travel reading. Hopefully you will as well with this week’s favorite submissions. In case you are new here, each week I ask readers and writers to submit their favorite travel posts of the week. I read, comment, stumble (using Stumbleupon) and tweet every submission. The following Monday, I highlight my five favorites from the week and the stumbling begins yet again. If you want to submit, leave a comment here with your submission. This can be from your own site or another writer’s post you enjoyed. Please keep it to one link per Continue Reading
Vaduz, Liechtenstein Wishes You Were Here
The sixth smallest country in the world is often forgotten. Its capital of Vaduz doesn’t lend that grand capital city touch. It is small like most aspects to the country only 25 kilometers in length and 6 kilometers in width. The main landmark in town doesn’t allow visitors because I don’t think the monarch would approve of tourists traipsing through for morning coffee. Passing through on my recent trip to Switzerland, a light drizzle hits the windshield. Carefully in between the mist and fog is the Vaduz Castle. The Castle dates back to the 13th century. It is still the residence of the Continue Reading
Discerning The Connections of Travel On Lake Lucerne
With just a few more weeks left of my travels in Europe, I wanted to highlight each week a piece of what I love about travel. Perhaps in an effort to close out my time, I want to make sure I appreciate all that I have seen, heard, and experienced for I know not when I will return. This week, I am grateful to travel for the connections with time, people and places it lends. I quickly recognized this while strolling the pinched to perfection streets of Lucerne, Switzerland. A place so perfect has to have one scar or blemish. Where is it? Lucerne’s beauty mark can be found on every restaurant Continue Reading
Neuschwanstein Castle and The Bavarian Alps Wish You Were Here
This week's "Wish You Were Here" photos comes from Danee Gilmartin at Museum Chick. I was pretty impressed with Danee's photos and I suspect you might be as well. Be sure to check out Museum Chick and follow Danee on Twitter. The magical Bavarian Alps seemed to beckon with every step that I took hiking up the steep foothill from the quintessential Alps town of Hohenschwangau that lead to the Neuschwanstein Castle. I hardly noticed the huffing and puffing coming from my chest as the incline got steeper. Paved trails help the less coordinated but the Continue Reading