In 2011 I spent Christmas in Italy during a break from teaching English in France. After two weeks of train rides between Milan, Venice, Florence, and Rome, I was…
The words “budget-friendly” and “Venice” don’t often appear together. The city is known for being pricy, which can be challenging for frugal travelers. Not all is lost, though –…
It was Dan’s idea to go to Tavira. While I was busy planning seaside cliff hikes further west along Portugal’s Algarve coast, he read about it in one of…
Lisbon, you beautiful, glowing sun goddess. Lisbon, you poetic and noble land mermaid. Lisbon, you perfect sunflower. My smitten feelings for Lisbon reminded me a lot of Leslie Knope’s…
The Algarve is Portugal’s southernmost region, known for rugged cliffs, beautiful beaches, and seaside fishing villages. When we started our trip planning, we knew we wanted to visit the…
I’m going to preface this post by clarifying that I don’t dislike Paris. I’m as big of a sucker for the Champs-Elysées and Montmartre as anyone. I’ve had the…
The small, beautiful islands of Murano and Burano make for a perfect day trip from Venice. Getting there is half the fun: just hop on a Venetian motorboat, or…
