INSPIRATION & EXPERT ADVICE FOR INDEPENDENT TRAVELLERS
Across from Budapest’s Elizabeth Bridge is a stone staircase leading up to a large memorial for St. Gellért, Hungary’s first missionary. The statue’s location is not only dramatic in terms of amazing views, but is said to be where Gellért faced a sensational death. Legend has it that Gellért was either hurled off the hill...
Standing alone in the middle of a green meadow near Schwangau, Germany, is the pretty little Pilgrimage Church of St. Coloman. The church was named after an Irish pilgrim who, en-route to the Holy Land, is said to have rested and grazed his cattle here. St. Coloman is now honoured as the patron saint of...
Vancouver is one of Canada’s most beautiful cities. The city’s skyline is sophisticated and clean, its glass-walled buildings reflecting blues and greens from the surrounding ocean and mountains. This is the fantastic view we got to enjoy of downtown Vancouver as we sailed away on our Alaska Cruise. More British Columbia Destinations and Travel Guides...
Diablo Lake is just one of many beautiful stops along the North Cascades Highway in Washington, one of America’s most scenic drives. The lake is captivating, to say the least. The jade coloured waters are embraced by rocky mountains capped with glaciers. Diablo Lake’s beautiful colour can be attributed to glacial erosion. The surrounding glaciers...
Brunelleschi’s dome, and the cathedral it covers, is one of Florence’s most recognized landmarks. It dominates the skyline, still the tallest building in Florence over 600 years after it was built. At 45 metres wide, Filippo Brunelleschi’s dome is the largest masonry dome ever built. Its construction is unique in that it was built without...
On a clear day, the peak of Denali (formerly known as Mount McKinley) can be seen all the way from Anchorage, about 210 km away. Denali is the highest peak in North America at 20,320 feet (6,194 metres). The mountain is a giant block of granite, pushed up from the Earth’s crust during a period...
One of the best places to watch the sunset near our hometown of Edmonton, Alberta, is Elk Island National Park. We recently made the half hour drive, on a beautiful fall evening, specifically to watch the sunset. It sure did not disappoint! One lucky couple scored the coveted spot at the end of the dock,...
In Saint-Étienne-du-Mont, a church in Paris near the Pantheon, you’ll find a beautiful shrine dedicated to Sainte-Geneviève, the patroness of Paris. The remarkable golden reliquary you see here was used to hold the remains of Sainte-Geneviève, along with many important relics. The citizens of Paris would parade the relics from the church to Notre-Dame and...
Mike and I visit Lake Louise regularly, as it’s our favourite place to stop on a road trip in the Canadian Rockies or to have a romantic weekend getaway in Alberta. I always walk to the edge of the lake to take a photo with Victoria Glacier in the background, but this time I wanted...
What stands out the most from my 2006 visit to Milan, was the Duomo. For me, the inside was just a typical European cathedral, but the exterior really caught my eye. Even from a distance, the Duomo di Milano stands out from its surroundings, easily recognizable as a symbol of the city. I couldn’t wait...
As a lifelong resident of Alberta, and frequent visitor to Banff National Park, it’s very odd that I hadn’t visited Peyto Lake before now. Over the last few months, I was seeing so many photos of this beautiful lake on Instagram, that I decided we had to make a special stop on our way home...
The origins of Pompeii may be unfamiliar to most, but the city’s catastrophic demise is a story known around the world. Pompeii was founded by the Campanian Oscans in the sixth or seventh century BC. The city was built on prehistoric lava from the precariously close Mount Vesuvius. In 80 BC, Pompeii was captured by...
This photo of Elliott Bay was taken from the observation deck of the Seattle Space Needle. The bustling waterfront was calming down for the evening as the setting sun cast a warm, golden glow over the bay. Not only did we get to enjoy this peaceful sunset, but the Space Needle offered great views of...
In the centre of Athens, just southeast of the Acropolis, stands the ruined Temple of Olympian Zeus. In 1515 BC, Athenian tyrant Peisistratos laid the foundation for what he envisioned being the greatest temple in the world. Unfortunately, construction was abandoned five years later when Peisistratos’ son, Hippias, was overthrown in 510 BC. Over the years,...
Standing on the sprawling lawn of the Campo dei Miracoli, is a collection of some of Europe’s best Romanesque architecture, and one of the world’s greatest architectural blunders- the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Built on top of weak, unstable subsoil, with only a shallow three-metre foundation, the design of the cathedral’s free standing bell tower...
Matthias Church is understandably one of the main attractions on Castle Hill in Budapest. After all, it is one of Hungary’s most important churches. It has hosted many coronations since its construction in the 13th century, the most notable being the crowning of Franz Joseph and Elizabeth, as well as the last Habsburgs, Karl IV and...
Epidaurus was once celebrated as a place of miraculous healing, but these days visitors don’t come seeking a cure for what ails them, they flock to see the remarkable ancient Greek theatre. It’s hard not to let your mouth fall open when the theatre at Epidaurus first comes into view. I remember being shocked at...
Varadero’s white sandy beach was the perfect place to enjoy a quiet sunset, the evening breeze shaping the blue water into small, curling waves. Varadero is Cuba’s top resort community and occupies the 19 km long Peninsula de Hicacos. If you would like to experience more than just Cuba’s beaches, the resorts at Varadero offer...
One of my favourite views at the Palace of Versailles, is the one overlooking the Orangerie and Pond of the Swiss. The Orangerie was built by Jules Hardouin-Mansart from 1684 and 1686. The garden is flanked with a grand 100-step staircase and contains over 1,000 trees, some over 200 years old! There are orange trees from...
Just north of Place de la Concorde in Paris is L’église de St-Marie-Madeleine, or St. Mary Magdalene Church. When we first came across La Madeleine, as it is commonly called, we didn’t know it was a church because the building resembles a large Roman temple. There are 52 Corinthian columns that surround the temple, topped...
We are Rhonda and Mike, a Canadian couple who make it a priority to travel every chance we get!
We describe our travel style as "laid back luxe" and enjoy a mix of outdoor adventures and historic sites.
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