A maturing couple who believe getting old is all in the mind!
Vatican City is an independent walled-off city within Rome that is about 110 acres and has a population in the 800s. Itis an “ecclesiastical” state ruled by the head of the Catholic Church-The Pope. We decided to take a 3-hour tour, to skip the huge lines that form, of the Vatican Museum, the Sistine Chapel and St Peter’s Basilica.
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After our first two nights in Rome where we “suspended” our vegan diet to try some traditional Italian dishes (mainly pasta and pizza) we decided that we needed to get back on track. Researching Happy Cow we found a surprisingly limited number of vegan eating options in Central Rome. After bit humming and hawing we decided on trying a restaurant called Ops! which was located about 2.7 km (1.7 miles) from our apartment.
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For our stay in I had organised for us to stay in a one-bedroom apartment in Rome’s trendy Monti district, which I booked through AirBnb.
Centrally located, Monti is a short walk from the Colosseum and Piazza Venezia. It’s possible to walk almost anywhere from here. It was also close to several metro stations and the central train station – plus plenty of shops and good restaurants.
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There are some iconic things to see and do in Rome, one of which is the Colosseum. So, I explored the Internet and found some combination tours of the Colosseum and Roman Forum. So, we settled for a 3 hour guided tour – well worth doing if nothing more than to skip the lines at the entrance!
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Crater Lake is a must-see landmark during any trip to Southern Oregon. There are two ways many people enjoy the lake–one is to drive the 33-mile Rim Drive and stop at the many vista points overlooking the water. The other is to make the one-mile hike down a switchback trail to the water’s edge.
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As we plan to spend time outside this summer we should be conscious of the danger from over exposure to the sun’s harmful rays. There is a new 2019 report from Consumer Reports on the best sunscreens. The advice is cover up when possible, stay in the shade, apply sunscreen frequenty and use sunscreens with a broad spectrum and an SPF of at least 30.
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Valencia is one of those cities I have driven by and flown through several times, always meaning to visit. During our most recent visit to Spain we had a few hours to kill before catchign a flight from Valencia to Rome so we thought we take a quick trip in the heart of the city to see what it was all about.
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I am always on the lookout for unusual places to stay on our travels around the country and on one such road trip we were heading from the Grand Canyon eastwards towards Louisiana and I decided to book us in for a couple of nights at Kokopelli’s Cave bed and breakfast in Farmington, New Mexico.
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There are plenty of great options for vegans in the City of Portland. Having had a hearty breakfast earlier in the day we were on the lookout for a place for a light lunch before setting out on our journey back home to Bend, Oregon. We decided to try out Rabbits Cafe set on a quiet street east of downtown across the Willamette River, just a block and half from E Burnside Street.
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As my life is changing we have been traveling mostly now for pleasure and hopefully retirement will be upon us soon. The sooner the better. We’re hoping to do a lot of traveling when we’re finally done with work. We don’t have a huge bundle of money to splurge on long, luxurious journeys so we are definitely thinking of spreading our money out and traveling on a budget. So, during our recent visit to Portland, Oregon I booked us into the Travelers House Hostel, a low cost accommodation option on Portland’s east side.
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One of Portland’s nicknames is the City of Roses, and this town has long been an incubator for the scented beauties. Nearly a century ago, a farsighted citizen convinced the local government to set up a rose test garden during World War I to preserve the species of European roses that might be decimated by the bombings. This amazing garden and its stunning floral displays continue until this day.
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Central Oregon’s Smith Rock is one our favorite places to visit in the whole State. It is truly majestic and a true spectacle of nature irrespective of what time of year your visit. If offers some wonderful hiking and mountain bike trails of various lengths and physical ability. There are 12 official trails in the park and many more if you extend your trek into the adjacent Bureau of Land Management (BLM) areas.
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The Grand Floral Parade is the centerpiece of the festival and the second largest all-floral parade in the United States after the Tournament of Roses Parade. More than 500,000 spectators line the route, making this flower parade the largest single-day spectator event in Oregon.
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Central Oregon has many beautiful places to visit and there are some fabulous hikes just a few minutes from downtown Bend. One of our favorite places to visit is Tumalo Falls.
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I have always loved the French Riviera, especially the part of the coastline from Cannes to the Italian border. Traveling along this coast, just before hitting Italy, is the tiny independent city-state of Monaco. We were lucky enough to spend a day exploring Monaco and we were fortunate enough to have spectacular weather.
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Using the Happy Cow app on my phone I had tracked down Broadfork, a vegan cafe a block or two away from the Seattle Center. They say they a farm-to-fork restaurant offering food that is both and vegan – so I thought I would give them a whirl!
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We are always on the lookout for new places to eat when we travel to Portland, Oregon – which happens frequently through the year. One place that has been on my list is Bye and Bye on Alberta Street. It is a real treat to find a bar that serves a totally vegan menu – saves having to ask a lot of questions when ordering our food!
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Of the many castles still around in the UK, Warwick Castle is the closest to my heart. I spent four of my most formative years at the University of Warwick – which is actually closer to the city of Coventry, but still I spent a lot of time in the town of Warwick and the castle was a constant backdrop to many of my happier memories of my youth.
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During our last visit to town I had got us tickets for the Sunday matinee showing of the musical Hairspray ( the Festival does many non-Shakespeare plays). So, we needed to find somewhere to grab a bite to eat before our show. Pangea is a small cafe / restaurant along Ashland’s High Street serving soups, salads, wraps and paninis
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Established in 2011, Ruby’s is nestled away from Ashland’s busy high street on the border of the Historic Railroad District. They feature a wide variety of breakfast burritos and eclectic lunch sandwiches, including many vegetarian, vegan and gluten free options. Ruby’s also offers locally roasted organic coffee, espresso and a large selection of house-made refreshments (as well as beer, wine and cocktails).
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Over the years we have stayed at several hotels and campsites, but in recent times we have preferred to find somewhere to crash out on airbnb.com. The most important factor for us is being able to walk into to town and the Shakespeare playhouses as parking can be a bit tricky.
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