Gulf of Orosei – Don’t Miss this Boat Tour in Sardinia
On our last full day in Sardinia, Italy we decided to take a small boat tour along the eastern coastline, specially the Gulf of Orosei. All of Sardinia was amazing, but this day-trip was icing on the cake. The coastline is amazing – towering cliffs and some of the prettiest beaches and water anywhere on…
Best European Cities for Foodies: A Culinary Trip
Explore the best European cities for foodies—Rome, Paris, Lisbon, London & more. Indulge in authentic flavours, wine & culture!
Craigmillar Castle – Just a Stone’s Throw from Edinburgh
Visiting Craigmillar Castle is an easy day trip from Edinburgh, it is well-known as a setting in the TV series Outlander.
Top Sights to Explore Around Oristano, Sardinia
Oristano is not likely to be on the main tourist route in Sardinia, Italy especially if time is limited. However, if you have the time, you should definitely check it out. There is a lot to do in this region of Sardinia. Here are the main sights we visited. In addition to the sights listed…
Kilmacduagh Abbey: Ireland’s Iconic Leaning Tower
Kilmacduagh Abbey is about halfway between Galway and Ennis and just outside Burren National Park, in west-central Ireland. The area is full of natural and historic wonders. Kilmacduagh has one of the finest collections of monastic buildings in Ireland and is definitely worth a visit if your travel plans take you to The Burren or…
Bosa, Sardinia – A Great Day Trip from Alghero
About one hour south of Alghero by car (45 km or 28 miles) is the town of Bosa, home to Sardinia’s only navigable river (the Temo River). We visited Bosa as a day trip from Alghero and we made it part of an interesting loop drive – visiting Basilica della Santissima Trinità di Saccargia on…
Caerlaverock Castle – Defending Scotland’s Border
Less than an hour’s drive northwest from Carlisle, England is the 13th century Caerlaverock Castle. Standing on the edge of Scotland, near the Solway Firth, this castle once guarded an important gateway into Scotland. The castle we see now is actually the “new castle” built about 50 years after the “old” castle, which has been…
Costa Smeralda – One of Many Beautiful Regions of Sardinia
We started our Sardinia vacation by flying (from Frankfurt) into Olbia on the northeast coast of Sardinia. This was a great place to begin (and end) our Sardinian adventures. Olbia is ideally situated near the famous Costa Smeralda and the La Maddalena Archipelago, as well as other costal towns, archeological sites and beaches. (See here…
10 Surprising Things about Sardinia
As I have mentioned is previous posts, we LOVE the islands of the Mediterranean. They are some of my favorite destinations in world. After visiting Mallorca and Menorca (which belong to Spain), the next island on our list was Sardinia (part of Italy). We had been to Sardinia’s northern island neighbor, Corsica (part of France)…
Exploring Menorca’s Unique and Fun Coastal Towns
In addition to beautiful beaches, Menorca, Spain has some interesting and scenic towns to explore. During our short visit, we mixed in visits to the island’s towns, historic sites and beaches. The island is small and it only takes about 45 minutes by car to get from one end of the island to the other.…
Mallorca (Majorca) and Menorca (Minorca) – Spain’s Well-Kept Secret Islands (at least from Americans)
My wife and I love exploring the Mediterranean’s host of magical islands for so many reasons, but as of 2022, we had not yet visited Spain’s share of these islands and so we decided to take a September trip to Mallorca and Menorca (with few days in Barcelona on our way home). September was a…
Visiting “The Most Serene Republic of San Marino” – Europe’s 3rd Smallest Country
As a day trip from Ravenna, we drove south about 78 km (48 miles) to the hilltop Republic of San Marino. As we sped down the motorway, we could see the striking Monte Titano in the distance and wondered if it was the little country of San Marino. Sure enough, it was, and what a…
Bologna – the Other Italian City with Leaning Towers
We all have heard about the leaning tower in Pisa, Italy, but have you heard of the leaning towers in Bologna? While these towers may be less famous, they are the signature feature of this beautiful city, which is located roughly halfway between Florence and Venice. Two of the most famous towers in Bologna are…
Three Great Stops Along the Romantic Road in Germany
The Romantic Road, which winds its way through scenic old towns from central to southern Germany, covers a distance of almost 400 km (250 miles). It was a medieval trade route and several towns were at crossroads on that route. This post will cover two of those scenic towns and the world famous Neuschwanstein Castle.…
The Isle of Corsica – One of the Hidden Gems of France – Part 1 of 3
When we mentioned to friends that we were going to Corsica, the typical response was “where is Corsica?” Even though it’s part of France, relatively few people in the U.S know much about this island. For the record, Corsica is just north of Sardinia (another great island, which belongs to Italy) and is closer to…
The Canary Islands – Part I
Overview If you want to visit a part of Europe that most Americans aren’t familiar with, consider the Canary Islands, an archipelago of 7 islands belonging to Spain located off the west coast of Africa. We wisely decided to visit the Canary Islands following our two weeks in nearby Morocco. We visited two islands (Gran Canaria…
Visiting St. Petersburg, Russia
As part of a Northern European cruise in 2013, we visited St. Petersburg, Russia. This was one of my favorite stops–it was my fist time in Russia and I was excited to see the city that I had heard so much about over many years. Because there is so much to do here, the cruise…
Kraków, Poland – One of Europe’s Finest Cities – Part 1
When people think of great European cities, the standard list includes Paris, London and Rome, which of course all certainly belong on the list. Not too many people would name Kraków, and largely because they don’t know much about it. Kraków was our favorite city in Poland and it’s one of our favorite cities in…
Tallinn, Estonia – A Medieval Gem
If Tallinn were located in France or Germany it would be overrun with tourists. Since it’s on the Baltic coast of Estonia, most tourist traffic comes via cruise lines and only over the summer, which is how and when we visited in 2013. I love historical places and Tallinn is high on my list of great medieval towns.…
Malbork – Europe’s Largest Gothic Castle
My first general awareness of Malbork Castle came from a Lufthansa flight magazine on a trip to Europe. Immediately I though “this is a place I need to visit” and in August 2013 I was able to do so with my family. Malbork is about 30 km (18 miles) southeast of Gdansk, Poland and can be…
Ancient Pergamum – One of Turkey’s Most Dramatic Sites (and the seat of Satan)
How I love going to a new location and seeing another great ancient ruin! As we drove into the modern city of Bergama, we looked up high on a hill behind the city and the first thing we saw is ancient Pergamum’s theater, dramatically situated on a very steep slope. For a map of sites…
Bran Castle and Raşnov Fortress – The Valley of the Roses
These two great medieval sights are about 16 km southwest of Braşov, and only 10 km apart, so they make a good day trip from Braşov. Raşnov gets its name from the Saxon word Rosenau, which means the Valley of the Roses. For a map of these locations, click here. Since we were traveling by…
Peleş Castle – Livin’ the Dream
One of the highlights of Romania is a visit to Peleş Castle, located in Sinaia, about 110 km north of Bucharest or 50 km south of Braşov. We visited this fairytale palace on a day trip from Braşov. Although this castle is not old (it was started in 1875 and finished in 1914), it is…
Meteora – Nearly out of this World
One of the great sights in the world, let alone Greece, is Meteora. The combination of stunning natural scenery—huge sandstone rock pinnacles–with medieval 14th century monasteries sitting on top of them is a sight I will not forget. About 5 hours by car northwest of Athens, Meteora (which is close to the fairly large town…
Excursion to Malta
We visited Malta as part of our trip to Sicily in April. It was a good time of year to visit weather-wise. The temperatures were warm and sunny but not hot. Malta is only about 90 kilometers from Sicily, and we spent two nights and one day in Malta. We took a ferry (Virtuferries.com) from…
The Independent Tourist 