I have no idea of the significance a tiny Portuguese village has in the history of this nation when I arrive on a tour bus with a 35 other passengers. I am sailing on the Douro River with Viking River Cruises. This day the shore excursion includes a visit to Castelo Rodrigo, a tiny medieval walled village. A visit here
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Finding history in East Texas
Nacogdoches, Texas is the oldest community in the state. Around 1700, the Spanish began establishing missions in and around Nacogdoches to have a presence in the area and to bring Christianity to Native Americans. Naturally when you visit this East Texas city you expect to find several historic attractions and you won’t be disappointed. Two homes open for tour are
East Texas Animal Park offers education and fun
On a beautiful winter’s day recently I experienced a little bit of Africa and other exotic locations in the rolling hills of East Texas. My destination was Cherokee Trace Wild Animal Park, just east of Jacksonville, a 300-acre preserve and drive-thru safari. “The safari as it is today was started in 2003. It is still owned by the same family,”
Plan your family vacation now
If you are thinking about your upcoming summer vacation, try to find a destination offering natural beauty, history and lots of fun activities. When my children were young, we went all over the United States. Below are a few of my favorite places that cater to children, parents and grandparents all rolled into one. Williamsburg Williamsburg, the 18th century capital
New software offers the best in home video editing
Adobe has done it again. This time with amazing software to create beautiful effects, slideshows, and collages from photos, video clips or a combination of both! When Best Buy gave me the opportunity to try Adobe Premiere Elements 2020, I was thrilled. I have used Adobe Photoshop for years and have always been pleased with its versatility and ease of
Shreveport Aquarium; tiny and mighty
In the shadow of Eldorado Resort Casino – a 400-room hotel-gaming complex – is Shreveport Aquarium looking small and blue; like a tiny lake at the foot of a mountain. But what’s inside this welcoming haven for nature lovers and children of all ages is anything but small. Although it is blue. On this unseasonably hot October day I welcome
Jackson County, NC; a Gem in the Mountains
It’s quiet. Well, there are birds singing and the occasional crunch of gravel as a car slowly passes by, but pretty much it seems like I am a million miles away from anyone or any care in the world. I am staying in a rustic cabin with all the amenities anyone could wish for at Balsam Mountain Preserve. The entire
“Eating Europe” now offering tours in Lisbon
My own experience with Eating Europe was in beautiful Florence, Italy. The “Sunset Food Tour” took me through the neighborhood of Santo Spirito surrounding the piazza and the Church of Santo Spirito. We made six stops over the course of three and a half hours walking along cobblestone streets and meeting several locals along the way. Now Eating Europe is
South Carolina’s Rare Plant and Animal Species
South Carolina is an amazing place to discover the great outdoors. Many plants, insects and animals adapted to unusual environments and conditions here and thrived. Dolphins For example, near the mouth of the Kiawah River, where it runs into the Atlantic Ocean by Captain Sam’s Spit on Kiawah Island, visitors can watch a fascinating behavior as pods of dolphins work together
Kasbah Ait Benhaddou – Another chapter in Moroccan History
What do Game of Thrones, Gladiator, and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade have in common? They were filmed, in part, in the foothills of Morocco’s High Atlas Mountains’ southern slopes. Kasbah Ait Benhaddou, dating to the 17th century, is the setting for many of these television and movie productions. Every day the Kasbah is also host to a steady