Travel and Leisure

Verona, Italy: Travel in the Wake of Romeo and Juliet

Verona is a city breathing with love, affection, and embraced with romance. This town is where Romeo fell in Love with Juliet. "A Hundred shades of romance are beautifying the walls of Juliet’s house were love would charm your heart with just a single touch."  ~ L Read More

Batalha and the Monastery of the Battle (Moisteiro da Batalha)

Life in Batalha revolves around a single structure of epic proportions, a truly monolithic sight: the Batalha Monastery (Moisteiro da Batalha), or Monastery of the Battle. With intricate stone latticework decorating the exterior, ornately carved stone ceiling that soars overhead, and high Gothic sty Read More

The Mythical, Enchanting, and Verdant Town of Sintra Portugal

Sintra is a mythical, enchanting, and verdant town settled in the foothills of the Sintra Mountains in Portugal. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is not far from Portugal’s capital of Lisbon and makes for a memorable day trip. However, you will need much more than a day to visit all the gloriou Read More

Some Tidbits about the Language of Portugal

Travelers who want to be more in tune with the culture can learn the official language, European Portuguese, online. Podcasts, videos, and downloads are currently available. Whether you achieve fluency or familiarity, this is the quintessential Romance language. Teachers and translators are another Read More

The Birds of Yosemite

The songs of the Yosemite winds and waterfalls are delightfully enriched with bird song, especially in the nesting time of spring and early summer. The most familiar and best known of all is the common robin, who may be seen every day, hopping about briskly on the meadows and uttering his cheery, en Read More

The Beauty of Lucerne, Switzerland

Rarely will you be entranced by such a relatively small town as you will with Lucerne Switzerland. Situated in central Switzerland about a forty minute drive south of Switzerland's most-renown city of Zurich; Lucerne is famous for its magnificent and well-preserved architecture and natural Read More