If you are considering a trip to Europe, a place that will surprisingly enhance your travel experiences, Romania is the place. I visited my Baltimore Ravens/Annapolis buddy, Dirty Pat and Mrs. Pat when they were in Bucharest doing a yearlong sabbatical in 2019. I spent an enjoyable week there. MSN Explore says: Bucharest is often overlooked as a tourist destination. It's one of the largest cities in the European Union and is growing in popularity with travelers seeking out unique experiences and a destination that's still relatively low in traffic. Bucharest was once nicknamed "Little Paris," and the area has been inhabited for over 2,000 years. It's far removed from the highland mountains that characterize the center of the nation, providing a different kind of experience compared to the rest of Romania. Romania is a former ... read more

The proverbial "bucket list" sounds so final, like time is drawing near to leave this earth, as Jyaaack and Morgan portrayed in the famous movie. People often ask me about my own bucket list, and I prefer to call it my Water Pail list. And I have done this for many years now. It sounds less "final." Having any type of list puts undue pressure on oneself. When I started traveling, I did not have specific goals in mind. I just wanted to see and learn as much as I could. And I have, without the pressure of a list telling me where to go. Though I did visit rather touristy places, my favorites always remain Angkor Wat in Cambodia, and the Amazon Rainforest. I see another danger, the anxiety or depression that comes with getting ... read more

Everyone knows Dr. Oppenheimer taught Physics at UC Berkeley. Several scenes in the movie were part of my own experience at Berkeley. Photo 1: Edwards Field is a track only facility on the west side of the campus. I remember attending track meets, playing soccer on that field and running the steps during a PE class. Several world records were set there. Photo 2: This archway over Strawberry Creek separated the Faculty Club from the science area of campus. I walked through this archway almost every day that classes were held. Photo 3: LeConte* Hall, home to the physics department, also housed many of Berkeley's other famous profs, such as Nobel winners Saul Perlmutter, George Smoot III, Charles Townes, Luis Alvarez, Donald Glaser, Reinhard Genzel, Owen Chamberlain, Ernest Lawrence. You probably recognize some of the names. ... read more

(From Max My Money): Some experiences are so emotionally heavy that they’re best left in the past. One commenter advises against revisiting Auschwitz in Poland, despite it being an educational and historical experience. The toll it takes on a person’s emotions is not to be taken lightly, with the commenter describing the visit as haunting and something they never want to relive. I decided not to visit Auschwitz, Dachau or Birkenau. Why? I visited Dealy Plaza and the Texas Book Depository some years ago when I was in Dallas for the NCAA Final Four and a Springsteen concert. It was such an emotional visit, I decided these places should not be on my travel radar. I could not visit the death camps, nor could I visit the MLK Memorial at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis. But ... read more