Known for mezcal, mole, and Dia de los Muertos, Oaxaca City (officially Oaxaca de Juárez) is Mexico’s culinary capital and cultural heart. This brilliantly colorful city blends Spanish Colonial architecture…

A Viking Douro River cruise combines land and river travel through northern Portugal, stopping at UNESCO World Heritage sites, historic wine estates, medieval villages, and the cities of Lisbon, Salamanca,…

  From Royal Windsor to Oxford, the cities and towns of the Thames Valley make perfect day trips by train from London. Castles, historic pubs, and iconic sites await.  No…

original article updated 2026  It took five years and  six trips to Rome wandering my favorite piazzas, before I went inside the Colosseum. I was resistant. For some reason I…

  When I was growing up, a favorite Christmas treat was my grandmother’s delicious rum cake with a decadent sauce that went on top. She also made fruit cake which…

Discover an authentic European Christmas market in Wisconsin at Osthoff Resort. Shop 100+ vendors for German crafts, ornaments, and traditional holiday foods.

This post contains affiliate links. If you book through them, I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Read my full disclosure.  One of my favorite experiences…

Update (September 20, 2026): Highway 1 through Big Sur is open! There are scenic drives, and then there’s California’s Highway 1, a route so breathtaking it feels almost mythical.  Miles…