Avid Traveler and Master Scuba Diver
Sharing stories, photos and insights about the places I’ve visited. Simply sharing my experience and giving travel tips to help others plan their own dream trip and travel independently.
We had been trying to get to Istanbul for many years. We had at first booked a cruise that was cancelled due to the pandemic. Then had a second cruise booked with a scheduled overnight stop, but there was an incident, and they cancelled the port again and took us to Izmir instead. This time […]
There is a lot of history around the New York area and many mansions, historic places, and Gilded Age homes. One can probably spend months visiting all of these but it’s also nice to select a few for a weekend escape in the area. Some are privately owned, some have been converted to hotels or […]
We have a comprehensive packing list which is already quite long. We also love to travel with our carry-on bags only. This makes us think carefully about every item that we pack, and we are very selective about what comes along. That said, here are a few items which we’ve found handy while traveling that […]
We’ve had several prescription dive masks made over the years, but now as we’ve gotten a bit older the old ‘bifocal’ issue has come into play. We kept wondering how all those other divers were getting pictures of small nudibranchs and critters, but we were barely able to see anything up close! Well, it was […]
Montreal is Canada’s cultural center, a city of entertainment with an impressive lineup of festivals and an array of activities catering to many different tastes. It’s a dynamic buzzing city with lots to do, year-round. There’s something for everyone. Montreal’s Old Town is a place where history comes to life and it dates back to […]
One thing we love about visiting Montreal in the fall is the beautiful colorful foliage. In early October it was too early for Montreal, but we could easily find some areas around the city where we could revel in the blazing autumn colors.
Turin or Torino is a large metropolis not that far from Milan. We opted to spend three nights here on our Northern Italy adventure, but it really stands alone as a place to visit alongside other larger Italian cities. Easily combined with Milan we would definitely recommend a visit to Torino.
Northern Italy has become more popular as a tourist destination with many hoping to find less crowded historical attractions. We were intrigued and excited to plan out and explore a selection of smaller towns rich in history. We were equally excited to visit a sampling of spots along the picturesque Italian lake area. Our plan, […]
This little town was a real gem of a place to visit. With everything close by it was great to be staying in the heart of Bergamo’s Città Alta (Upper Town). We didn’t even know it when we booked but our hotel (Gombit Hotel) was actually attached to the Torre del Gombito, a stone tower […]
The smaller city of Brescia also turned out to be one of our favorite Northern Italy destinations. It is a charming little town with much fewer tourists. Everything in the old city center is close-by and within walking distance. We found everyone to be friendly and helpful and really felt welcome. Brescia Castle Upon arrival […]