This is a trip my traveling buddies and I have talked about for years. I always thought it was too expensive, and I wasn't sure that I'd like being on a boat for days. Covid changed that. When we booked this trip through Overseas Adventure Travel 2 years ago, it was Covid times and prices were way down. That helped and the 'why wait' feeling has been coming on a lot these days. Covid taught us that you never know what's going to happen next so use each day to its fullest and take advantage of each opportunity when it comes along. So, here I am leaving on the Ultimate Galapagos & Ecuador's Amazon Wilds trip tomorrow. Terry, Cheryl, and Naomi are my travel buddies this time. We'll be missing you, Roberta, Sandy, Ruth, Carol, and ... read more

Granada was our last sightseeing city. We walked the streets of Old Town, spending more time in the shops and less in the cathedrals. This time we explored without a guide, as we had in the other cities. Granada a beautiful city. With the snow capped Sierra Nevada mountains and the Alhambra, as its back drop, and the narrow cobblestone streets, the photo ops were endless. We spent time in the Alcaiceria, once a silk market, but now full of souvenir shops; it reminded me a little of the souk in Israel. Taking a break from walking in a Morrocan style tea shop on the Rua de Casas de Cha, was delicious... the tea of course but also the crepes and baklava style pastries. We walked through the Albayzin, with winding narrow streets of the Moorish ... read more

I'm falling behind on writing these posts because the days are so full that I'm too tired at night to write. So a quick summary of our day touring Seville, which is fine also cause I didn't love it. We had a half day walking tour set up to see the Royal Alcazar, a place/fortress built in 10th century by Moors and rebuilt by Peter 1 and later others. It's a copy of the Alhambra built by 5000 workers. The thought running through my head was why did anyone need all this? Then we walked through what was oncevthe Jewish Quarter, home to 5000 Jews in the 1300's but is now called Barrio Santa Cruz or Holy Cross ( not so subtle a change) and heard the story of Jews who lived there so the religious ... read more

Walking on the beach, looking over tall cliffs onto aqua colored crashing waves, and walking where the early explorers went to school...what more can you ask for in a day? Throw in some fishing boats, a lighthouse or two, and a fortress and that was our day. We started our exploration of the Algarve in Salema, walking on the beach, looking for shells and admiring the colorful cliffs. It felt great to walk barefoot on the sand. Unfortunately it was more overcast than predicted, but I'll take that when it comes with 55-60 degrees. From there we drove to the Fortress of Aljuzar, originally built in the 10th century by Muslims. It was high on a hill, not far from private homes. Only parts of the walls remain but it was a good photo op...truthfully, every ... read more

Traveling with 8 friends, I arrived in Lisbon early yesterday. We've already seen and done a lot. First impressions: warm, friendly people, lots of sun and warmer than NJ, delicious custard tarts and ginjin (sour cherry liquor) and if you've seen one castle or palace, you haven't seen them all. On our first day after landing at 8am, we went on a walking tour of Lisbon with Pedro. We wondered through the historic and shopping neighborhoods of Baxia, Chiado, and Bario Alto. On our own we took the train to Belem to see the Jeronimo Monastery and Church. Too bad they were closed. We got to look at the buildings and headed back to the hotel via train and metro. Quite an accomplishment for having just arrived! We had dinner near our hotel. The Lisboa Plaza. ... read more