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Showing posts from March, 2017

A strong U.S. dollar can stretch your travel budget

Pack your bags and travel now while the U. S. dollar is soaring in value against foreign currencies. This Frommers' article discusses the strength of the USD vs. the euro, the English pound, the Japanese yen, the Mexican peso and the Chinese yuan. http://www.frommers.com/tips/money-and-currency/the-us-dollar-continue-to-soar-against-virtually-every-foreign-currency-cutting-the-cost-of-rooms-and-meals-abroad In this article from Mashable, it seems the U.S. dollar is the preferred currency even in the afterlife. http://mashable.com/2017/03/30/usd-hellnotes-malaysia/?utm_cid=mash-com-Tw-main-link#km0F8n1Nmaqf

Mararison Island Getaway

There has been a lot of buzz lately about Mararison Island. For good reasons. How can one not rave about the crystal clear waters around the island and the long stretch of beach with nary a soul? Or the opportunity to take a hike up the hills for a panoramic view of the "land where the mountains meet the sea"?  We docked by the pile of ginormous jackstones which serve as breakwater for the island. Someday these will be properly redistributed so the beach will be well protected and halt the sea's reclamation of the beachfront.  The sea was calm in February when we visited Mararison. It didn't rain though the sky was heavy. And as it was low tide, the curving sandbar, Kawit, was visible from our open cottage on the beach. The hut rental was P300. After leaving our things in our cottage, we went in search for grub. We found fish and vegetables for sale just a short distance from the beach. And we were pointed to a

Pictures from Verona

"Pleasant Verona! With its beautiful old palaces, and charming country in the distance, seen from terrace walks, and stately, balustraded galleries. With its Roman gates, still spanning the fair street, and casting, on the sunlight of to-day, the shade of fifteen hundred years ago. With its marble-fitted churches, lofty towers, rich architecture, and quaint old quiet thoroughfares, where shouts of Montagues and Capulets once resounded....."  Pictures from Italy, Charles Dickens, Chapter 8 The walls of Verona When Romeo was forced to leave Verona, he despaired: "There is no world for me outside the walls of Verona, except purgatory, torture, and hell itself. So to be banished from Verona is like being banished from the world, and being banished from the world is death."   Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare Arena di Verona Still standing since the first century AD, the Arena no longer hosts gladiator fights but it still draws a crowd. It is the v

Florida Road Trip

Miami Beach South Beach

A look inside the Arena of Verona

Cube Houses of Rotterdam

8 hours in Bologna

Basilica of San Petronio and Piazza Maggiore

European Parliament votes to end visa-free travel for U.S. citizens

The European Parliament has voted to end visa-free travel for U.S. citizens after the U.S. failed to agree to allow visa-free entry to five members of the European Union namely, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Croatia, Poland and Romania under a visa-free reciprocity agreement. "The vote urges the revocation of the visa-free scheme within two months." The European Commission has been given two months to take legal steps to require visas for U.S. citizens entering the EU. The Commission, for its part, advocates "continued engagement and patient diplomatic contacts".  How would this affect travel plans to Europe if the visa requirement is imposed? It will certainly add an extra inconvenience, acquiring a visa. How easy would it be to get one? How much will it cost? What is the duration of the visa? So many questions yet to be answered. If you're planning on traveling this summer to EU countries, you might want to hold off getting your ticket until the visa issue has been resolv