Travel and Leisure

Tomar: Portugal's Magical and Wondrous Town

You will feel the life, spirit, and history of Tomar Portugal the moment you walk its streets. Follow along with the River Nabao which runs through the narrow streets of Tomar, across ancient bridges, as you make your way to the beautiful churches found here with wondrous statues, ceiling pai Read More

10 Things to Know About Okinawa, Japan Before Visiting

You’ve probably seen picturesque scenes of the island, the sandy beaches, and big blue skies. Often cited as a paradise island, Okinawa is a popular tourist destination and famed for showing a different side of Japan. If you’re thinking of heading there, here are some things about Japan& Read More

The Portuguese Early Gothic Style of the Alcobaça Monastery

In the heart of the Oeste Subregion in Alcobaça lies a medieval monastery that embodies everything beautiful about the Portuguese early gothic style, the Mosteiro de Alcobaça. Admiring this grand structure from the outside, ancient stories of love and tragedy are visible in the origina 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

Wondrous Juneau, Playful Whales, and the Defiant Inside Passage

It was the northernmost journey's end of our Alaska Inside Passage cruise and the 2nd most remarkable destination of the trip: only behind Canada’s Yukon Territory. It was the serene, surprisingly temperate, and nature-filled Juneau Alaska. Juneau is a magnificent panorama of natur Read More

Thimphu, Bhutan: Where the Happiness of Shangri-La Resides

It was a cold morning in February recently when I boarded my flight to Paro to reach the capital of Bhutan, Thimpu, for a four-day visit. While I was booking my trip, I realized that there were not too many flight options available to Paro. Instead, the list of possibilities was restricted to j Read More