In Portugal, the Douro River is a popular Viking River Cruises destination. The third-longest river in the Iberian Peninsula after the Tagus and Ebron, the Douro is 557 miles and is navigable in Portugal by light rivercrafts. With its mountains and hillsides covered in vineyards and villages with their bright orange-tiled rooftops, it is ideal for anyone wanting to relax
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Discover Historic Texas at Millard’s Crossing
On a beautiful spring day I visit homes, a church, school and land office all from the 19th and early 20th centuries and all original to East Texas. The buildings, and symbols of local history, were dismantled and reconstructed on a plot of land in Nacogdoches and collectively named Millard’s Crossing Historic Village. The village is named for the railroad
Essaouira, Morocco is a seaside treasure
After two weeks in major cities, the Atlas Mountains and Sahara Desert my Exodus Travels’ Moroccan tour arrives in Essaouira on the Atlantic; a charming seaside city. Our bus pulls up to the curb just across from the beach that is nearly deserted. Here, two men with carts unload our luggage and we follow them into a maze of narrow
Museum chronicles Texas oil boom
Before me in muted light is a life-size muddy street with a traffic jam. Going one way is a mule-drawn wagon and going the other way are two cars. The street is impassable because of its width and the axle-deep mud. Welcome to East Texas during the oil boom. The lobby reminds me of other museums; an old car, antique
5 Nonstop Family-Friendly Destinations from Raleigh- Durham International Airport
By Marilyn Jones If you want your family to travel by air but dread connecting flights, you’re in luck. Raleigh‑Durham International Airport offers a wide range of nonstop flights to vacation destinations like Cancun, Paris, London, Montego Bay, Toronto, Montreal and Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic. Want to stay in the U.S.? There are dozens of child‑friendly nonstop destinations
Travel: Taking Tours of Savannah
Bringing history to life BY MARILYN JONES 0 Centuries-old homes line the streets of Savannah. PHOTO COURTESY OF MARILYN JONES The Pirates’ House, serving meals and beverages to seafarers since 1753 — including pirates —is one of Old Savannah Tours’ hop-on-and-off stops. Characters from pop culture and Savannah’s storied past visit passengers at several locations along the tour route, including The
Try Cruising on Your Next Family Vacation
By Marilyn Jones “Dr. Seuss is on the loose!”, children, their parents and at least one grandmother (me) shout as we parade with the Cat in the Hat, Thing 1 and Thing 2, and Sam I Am from one end of Carnival Fantasy to the other. With provided noise makers and banners, we march past shops, the casino, a café, and passengers
Ho Ho Holidays at Walt Disney World
“Want to go see Santa Claus?” I ask my 3-year-old granddaughter Ainsley as we wait for her parents and uncle to ride Twilight Tower of Terror at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. She enthusiastically agrees this is a great idea, so we queue up with other preschoolers this balmy December day to meet the jolly old elf. You might not
DISCOVERING ANCIENT EGYPT
Fotolia TIME OFF DISCOVERING ANCIENT EGYPT MARILYN JONES | SEPTEMBER 2018 Bent at the waist, head down, step by step, I climb. It’s hot, and every few seconds I stop to allow someone coming down to pass. I try not to think about what I’m doing or the solid rock surrounding me because I’m claustrophobic. Instead, I
A most elegant hotel — Ciragan Palace Kempinski
During my travels I stay in lovely hotels all over the world, but none lovelier than the opulent Ciragan Palace Kempinski in Istanbul. After a 12 hour Turkish Airlines direct flight from Houston I am taken to the hotel by a representative of KD Tourism & Travel. The hotel reception area is charming and beautiful, but, as I will soon