Perhaps you already heard some fado and did not know it. Fado is a type of singing that originated officially in the 1820s, though its origins may extend further. This type of singing is known for its melodious, melancholy, and expressive style. In fado, the musician will sing about the hard realities of everyday life, with a balance of resignation and hopefulness that a resolution to its torments can still occur. The Portuguese word, "saudade" best describes the longing or feeling of loss. The loss is generally permanent and long term. The fado singer is often accompanied by one or two twelve strong guitars, one or two violas, and a small 8 strong bass. From Portugal Online: There are two basic styles of fado: Lisbon Lisbon fado is the more well-known of the two styles. This ... read more

My last visit to Lisboa, or Lisbon was right after 9-11. I spent most of my time in Portugal playing golf on the Algarve, and just a few nights is Lisboa. I hope to learn more about this very underrated city and country during my visit. One thing I learned on my first trip: Do not try to use Spanish, in hopes that the Portuguese will understand. English works better! Lisboa is the capital with just over half a million residents, though the city seems much bigger to me. In fact, the metro area is closer to 3 million people. Lisboa's urban area is the largest in the EU and continues to grow each year. Yet Lisboa only gets about 140,000 tourists annually. The city boasts 290 days of sunshine annually! Seafood is a big deal ... read more

Since I decided to use Munich as my "base" for this trip, I decided to spend two nights here. Needless to say, I have always enjoyed my trips here, beginning in 1971 for my first Oktoberfest, and a few more times in the last decade. First, a bit of history. Munich was founded in 1158 and in 1175 the small city, with Marienplatz at the center, was fortified with protective walls. By 1330, Munich had outgrown the fortifications. The walls were expanded, and eight city gates were built, three of which still stand today. Munich was further strengthened in the early 1600s, but by the 18th century, the walls were seen as useless and destroyed. The main sights of Munich remain in a centralized ... read more

Hints from Fodor's: Hint #1 When planning multi-stop tours, the most important thing is to allocate enough time to fully experience each destination. This can vary by city, but at an absolute minimum, you should plan for two full dawn-to-dusk days in major capitals—ideally more. Travelers benefit from time to shed the underlying anxiety of intercity travel and fully immerse themselves in their temporary provenance. I once heard of some travelers who took a day trip to London from Paris just because they wanted to see the city. They spent five hours traveling between them and only a few hours on a bus tour of one of the world’s most fascinating cities. They could certainly say they had “seen” London, but it is debatable whether they actually experienced it. When I make several stops, other than ... read more

If you love Halloween, history, costumes, and great makeup artists, Salem is a trip you must make at least once in your life. After spending most of the day in Salem, I took the train back into Boston for their famous celebration. Happy Halloween!!! (Written a few Halloween's ago) A few years ago, in a land, far, far away. . . . . Not Oregon and certainly not the cigarette, but Salem, as in Massachusetts is my destination. Salem is a big tourist destination for the entire month of October for their Halloween festivities, and the witches. Witches you say, perhaps due to the Salem witch trials back in 1692. Even the cop cars here have witches as part of their logo. The local high school team carries the nickname of "The Witches." And I would ... read more