I was ecstatic that Portugal was the warmest place of all our port stops. Unfortunately our time at these places was brief so the blog is mostly about the pictures and not so much on profound experiences I've had with this country. Sao Miguel, Azores The island of Sao Miguel was our first port stop and break from crossing the Atlantic. Ponta Delgada was a cute town with black and white mosaic cobblestone streets. I can understand now where the black and white style of the Serenado Square in Macau came from. It was a quick coach bus tour of the [View Full Entry]

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Many would probably shake their heads at me … first the Mexican all-inclusives, then the Vegas trips… and now cruising. I was initially skeptical and would sneer at those who chose these travel options. Its still true that I don’t believe that you have “seen” Europe by cruising alone but it’s a great way to have a tastes of Europe and determine what you’d like to see more of the next time you go back (on your own). Having said that, it is a relaxing way to travel that involves not living out of your suitcase/backpack, fantastic food, 300 thread co [View Full Entry]

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Spokane seems like an odd road trip destination from Calgary but the tax-free shopping (for out of state residents), restaurant variety, charming historic Downtown core & Washington Wineries has its appeal. We didn't get a lot of studying done this past weekend but Keely got some real life experience for her upcoming Criminal Procedure exam when her car trunk was opened and searched without consent by US Border Patrol. The two border patrol guards must have overheard our jokes & comments about trunk capacity while idling in line. Their good cop-bad cop approach didn't phase us and we we [View Full Entry]

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The weather let up for a few days in Phoenix while we were there allowing us to take advantage of mini-skirts (and possibly the only clean laundry we had left in our luggage). The sight of two females in their 20s was an unusual sight at touristy attractions frequented only at this time by families or retired seniors. We got some shifty looks and most probably wondered why we weren't contributing to society through school or work. Kartchner Caves The caves were only a few hours from Tucson and we headed south to visit this attraction before heading back north to [View Full Entry]

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(Note: This blog is a little late, but its better than never... especially when it has to do with food!) I'm not sure how food became such a big part of my travels... but food was definitely a focus on the Arizona trip with Keely and I sometimes having first and second dinners depending on the number of eateries we wanted to hit up on any given day. I'm not a restaurant reviewer but here's a list of the restaurants/fast food places we obsessed over on the trip: Cracker Barrel I've been intrigued about this southern comfort food restaurant since my [View Full Entry]

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There was certainly a wild west theme with our visits on this trip and we were trying to figure out ways to incorporate "Giddyup!" into normal conversation similar to the "meow" scene in Super Troopers. Old Tucson Studios, Tucson Wild West theme park and working movie set. Having not watched any western movies, the only movies I recognized that were filmed at Old Tucson Studios are 3:10 to Yuma & Little House on the Prairie. This place was pure cheese and I loved every minute of it. Well, actually thats a lie. I was excited for the PG-rated burlesque show called [View Full Entry]

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Tubac The area was originally an Indigenous settlement that was later overtaken by the Spaniards. Nowadays, its a charming area with an artist colony featuring paintings, sculptures, pottery and other delights. I found a great local pottery shop and met the potter herself who was proudly emphasized that all of her wares were still made in the U.S. Keely also found a great colorful desert scene painting that she thinks would be perfect for her bathroom. I'm not sure however how a cactus is perfect for bathroom walls... Nogales Keely could tell we were approachin [View Full Entry]

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Most people why I would start the trip in Palm Springs since I didn't golf nor was I retired. We made the best of it crashing hotel pools, outlet shopping and eating at dives and delis. Dives & Delis Sometimes the best food comes from the most unlikely of places. The Crazy Coyote Taco stand was located near the turn off for the Cabazon Outlet Mall. I initially made fun of it since they had large dinosaur statues in front of the building - similar to the ones in Drumheller. Dinosaurs don't really have anything to do with Mexican food... but [View Full Entry]

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Santiago de Cuba was a 3 1/2 hour drive from Guardalavaca, but well worth the long trip. The city is rich in history and colorful architecture. What the city lacked was product advertising. Surprisingly, I found it refreshing not to be bombarded with product adverts or Coke/Pepsi/Frito-Lays advertisements in the smallest rural of tienda stores or gas stations. Instead, your eyes were drawn to the over abundance of socialist signage on billboards, and other visible public spaces. While the larger signage containing striking black and white block print images of Fidel or Guevara wa [View Full Entry]

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Canadians make no attempt to hide the fact they live in cold weather conditions. It actually seems like a pissing contest at times to note who lives in the colder climate. This recently happened to me during my first visit (ever) to the next door province of Saskatchewan to visit Saskatoon. When travelling abroad, I smugly tell other travellers that it's normal to have temperatures dipping to -20 Celcius. This seems to be the mark where residents will plug in their cars at night so they start in the morning, others will break out the long johns and Sorel winter boots [View Full Entry]

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