Portugal’s gorgeous Algarve region offers a variety of things to do and see with charming towns, beautiful beaches, rocky coastline, and historic sites. It is the southernmost region of Portugal with about a half-million inhabitants, but it triples during the vacation season with seasonal residents. A marina in Portimão Our two-day visit in early March […]
Évora is a charming and historic city in central Portugal with relics from Roman and Moorish influence before and during the Medieval period, including protective walls, a temple, several cathedrals, and remains of a royal palace. Group following the guide Our tour of the UNESCO Heritage Site began with a walk through a quiet park […]
After spending a couple of days in Porto, we traveled south to historic Coimbra, the fourth-largest city in Portugal. Belltower at the university Our half-day visit focused on the University of Coimbra and the shopping area near the Mondego River. There’s a limit on what you can see before moving to the next destination on […]
I suppose one adventure of travel is making connecting flights at various airports. The ideal is to board a plane at your home airport and fly nonstop to your destination. That’s highly unlikely if you’re flying overseas in economy class. I like to think it adds to the adventure of seeing fresh places, even if […]
It had been nearly three long years since my wife Mary and I traveled to Greece. In the next two years, we had planned trips to Bulgaria, Romania, and Serbia canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Life, as most travelers knew it, had come to a standstill. We were able to take several day trips […]
It’s been a while since I’ve written anything here; on Feb. 11 to be exact when I posted about a few love songs for Valentine’s Day. For those who are concerned or curious, I have been writing. Just not here. I’m a contributor on Medium, where I’ve had about five posts in recent weeks. I […]
With Valentine’s Day around the corner, here are a few love songs that I have enjoyed through the years. The Bee Gees’s last Top 10 hit in the U.S. was “One” in 1989, reaching No. 7 on the Billboard chart. The song was written by the Gibbs brothers, one of the greatest songwriting teams in […]
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame recently announced the nominees for the 2022 class. Now fans can vote for their favorite five artists for inclusion in the hallowed hall. This year’s nominees include Fela Kuti, Dolly Parton, Carly Simon, Lionel Richie, Judas Priest, A Tribe Called Quest, Dionne Warwick, Pat Benatar, Eminem, Rage Against The Machine, New York Dolls, Kate Bush, MC5, Eurythmics, DEVO, Duran Duran, and Beck. According to […]
I’m back to writing again on a daily basis. Since my last post, I’ve written more than 15,000 words on my next novel. I guess you could say I got back in the groove. I’ve always said and advised others that the best way to write a novel (or nonfiction) is to do it on […]
Last November I had an ill-fated experience with National Novel Writing Month, throwing up my hands and giving up after a week or so. I only wrote about 5,500 words that had little direction, almost reading like a stream of consciousness. I opened the file again this morning and began reading and revising. It wasn’t […]
