Let’s get started with the first post about a 2025 trip to Sicily… been hard to find the time to write, as always! So once again I helped train a new guide for Rick Steves’ Europe & found myself in awe… mainly because the whole island resembled southern Spain so much. I fell in love with Trapani at first sight because it felt like Cádiz to me!
Read More »sicily: trapani
I’ve already written about Semana Santa in Sevilla & shared some of my favorite moments, so is there a need to write more? Of course! Each year brings new emotions as well as new ways to enjoy Holy Week, & 2026 turned out to be super special. Here’s why…
Read More »sevilla: semana santa 2026
Not originally included in Operación Verano Fresco, the excursion to Bremerhaven was a last-minute decision… thinking we’d have a quick look around & return to Bremen for the city hall tour. But we soon realized that the city had so much to see & decided to forfeit our pre-paid Rathaus tickets. That beautiful waterfront, a preserved trading ship from 1380, a World War II U-boat & an emigration museum kept us busy all day!
Read More »germany: bremerhaven
Part of the digital library maintained by the Universidade de Coimbra, the Mapas Nabais Conde collection houses a treasure trove of country-themed background notes published by the U.S. Department of State in the 1970s, official government cartography from Portugal just after the Carnation Revolution, & UK gems like this 1953 map of Gibraltar.
Read More »found: gibraltar survey map
Not every day can we celebrate the 500th anniversary of one of the most important royal weddings in European history, but this historic event is made more special because part of the story took place in the small town where I live!
Read More »el pedroso: royal wedding