Seeing White in GreenlandOriginally uploaded by Far Flung Traveler I won first place in a Flickr photo contest with this image today. I took this photo a few years ago while on the way home from Iceland. The captain announced that we were flying over Greenland, but the view out my window was a vast…
The hot topic on my most recent Continental flights was, believe it or not, Coke Zero. I happened to spy one on the drink cart as it came down the aisle of the Embraer Jet. The flight attendant told me that thee cart is stocked with only one can per flight. On my return flight,…
Many of the 19 Native American pueblos in the state of New Mexico welcome visitors (with some restrictions) to witness everyday pueblo life and even special ceremonies. Three King’s Day, which falls each year on January 6, is also know as the Feast of the Epiphany, the traditional Catholic celebration of the three wise men’s…
Portugal has the worst drivers in all of western Europe, or so everyone keeps telling us. So, what did we do? We rented a car for the weekend to head north up the coast to Porto. Without the time constraints of a bus or train schedule, we were able to see many things in a…
Portuguese bullfights differ from those in other countries in two major ways. First, the star of the show is not the matador, but a horseman bullfighter, costumed as an 18th-century nobleman, with a plumed hat and embroidered coat. Second, and most importantly, the bull is never killed in the ring thanks to a decree made…
Where has pasteis de Belem been all my life? The fresh, hot custard pastries sprinkled with cinammon and powdered sugar at the Antiga Confeiteria de Belem were a delightful treat after walking along the shore of the Rio Tejo (Tagus River) in the Belem neighborhood of Lisbon. Although they are sold in bakeries across Lisbon,…
Trains leave Rossio station in Lisbon every 20 minutes for Sintra, a UNESCO world-heritage town blessed with stately manors and hillside palaces and castles. There’s just not enough time in a day to see them all. Even in October, the crowds were as thick as a bees in a hive. The best way to avoid…
I have come to Lisbon, and Portugal in general, with no expectations and no agenda. I spent the first day wandering the steep cobblestone streets up and down the seven hills that make up the city. With me are Chris, who has a fever, and Lauren who is coming down with a sinus infection (I’m…
Puerto de la Cruz is the second largest city on the island of Tenerife. It is a picturesque port town on the north shore with cute shops and good restaurants, as long as you wander off the main boardwalk, lined with high-rise hotels and cheesy “handicrap” (as opposed to handicraft) stores. The further west in…
Tucked in a corner of the island not visited by most tourists you’ll find the tiny seaside villages of Bajamar and Punta Hidalgo. They are both one hotel kind of towns that time forgot. In Bajamar, older men chat on benches in front of the tiny church, people walk their dogs or stroll along the…
