Travel and Leisure

The Old and New of Klaipeda Lithuania

Downtown Klaipeda and Its Arts and Crafts Festival Feeling like a city that wants to desperately escape its Soviet past, Klaipeda, Lithuania has a mix of the old and new. The former Prussian capital retains its discrete German architecture in the Old Town coupled with the remaining tower of t Read More

How to Experience Italy's Amazing Amalfi Coast (or Driving Amalfi)

The Perilous Amalfi Drive We were cruising along the Amalfi Drive (formerly SS 163 Amalfitana or Strada Statale 163) on our way back from Amalfi; the village after which the Amalfi Coast is named. As we sped along the perilous road from Amalfi to Positano, we drove past a man who was par 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

Taipei, Taiwan: Facts, Travel, and Points of Interest

Taipei city is a modern metropolis located on the northern tip of Taiwan. As a capital city, Taipei is known as a prominent economic and cultural hub. This island has a lot to offer with years of contested and exciting history.  Being among the best in design and shopping to a city full of Read More

The Trees of Yosemite Valley

The most influential of the Valley trees is the yellow pine (Pinus ponderosa). It attains its noblest dimensions on beds of water-washed, coarsely-stratified moraine material, between the talus slopes and meadows, dry on the surface, well-watered below and where not too closely assembled in groves t Read More

Madeira: A Beautiful, Lush, Diverse and Fun Island

We were utterly unprepared for Madeira, at least from an automotive perspective. This unpreparedness was symbolic of the wonder of the Island of Madeira; let me explain. We rented a car, as we always do on vacation so that we could explore the island as it was meant to be explored. As usual, we rent Read More