Travel Tips Archives - Page 2 of 4

October 17, 2018January 17, 2020

Visiting Sweden: The Swedes really know how to do museums

Carriage in the Royal Armory Museum in Stockholm, Sweden

The Royal Armory in Stockholm is a relatively small exhibit of royal coaches and some artifacts in the basement level. But the Swedes really know how to do museums. The display formed a story, telling of a reputed love affair between Marie Antoinette and a Swedish count, Axel von Fersen. Apparently recently decoded letters between …

Continue reading "Visiting Sweden: The Swedes really know how to do museums"

October 14, 2018January 17, 2020

Scandinavia: Pricey Provisions & Puzzling ‘Pantsdrunk’ People

You should know one thing before traveling to the Scandinavian and Nordic countries – Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Iceland. It is expensive. That is, unless you don’t think $27 hamburgers, a $3 chicken wing and $10 drafts are expensive. But at least the taxes are high. You could try to do it on the …

Continue reading "Scandinavia: Pricey Provisions & Puzzling ‘Pantsdrunk’ People"

October 8, 2018January 23, 2020

The Special Effects in Norway are very well done

We are certain we will never see anything more incredible than the Northern Lights. We’re 200 miles above the Arctic Circle in Norway, near a little town called Tromsø. The night was very overcast and rainy. We were certain we would not be seeing anything more than the glare of the city lights off the …

Continue reading "The Special Effects in Norway are very well done"

October 3, 2018January 17, 2020

Weather-beaten, scarred, scary-looking … and an artifact

One of these two is a weather-beaten, scarred, scary-looking old head. The other is an artifact on display in the Viking Ship Museum. The museum in Oslo, Norway, features a small but impressive collection of artifacts from the viking era. The highlights are three preserved viking ships. The museum is thoughtfully laid out to permit …

Continue reading "Weather-beaten, scarred, scary-looking … and an artifact"

May 3, 2018January 17, 2020

Your horse will think you’re crazy

The Tiger's nest

Continue readingYour horse will think you're crazy

May 2, 2018March 5, 2020

Beautiful Bhutan and the Madman’s Penis (Yes, Really)

In my opinion, Bhutan is pretty much idyllic. It’s what I imagine Tibet could be. Except for the Bhutan penis art ... but more on that in a minute. Schools and universities are free. Health care is free, even for tourists. Plastic bags are banned. Recycling is required. Post continues below Archery - one of …

Continue reading "Beautiful Bhutan and the Madman’s Penis (Yes, Really)"

May 2, 2018January 17, 2020

Himalayan Holiday: Briefs from Bhutan

Some more tidbits from our travel to Bhutan: The sandwiching influence of the world’s two largest emerging economies, China and India, is felt in all the Himalayan countries. In Tibet, the Chinese influence is a given. But in Nepal, its government tries to leverage the two giants, India and China, against each other to its …

Continue reading "Himalayan Holiday: Briefs from Bhutan"

May 1, 2018February 15, 2020

China: Jinshanling section of the Great Wall

If you travel to China, the Great Wall of course is a "must see." It was our first visit to Beijing and we had read about the crowds at the other sections of the wall. So we booked a guide to take us to the Jinshanling section and we were not disappointed. Beautiful sections of …

Continue reading "China: Jinshanling section of the Great Wall"

April 30, 2018September 26, 2019

Visiting Nepal: Washing the Dead in Kathmandu

The dead bodies were lined up along the Bagmati River. They were placed with care in the ancient and sacred Pashupatinath Hindu temple complex, a UNESCO World Heritage Site dating to 400 BC. Nepal is more than 80 percent Hindu. The dead were on bamboo stretchers, wrapped in sheets and covered in marigold-colored cloths. One …

Continue reading "Visiting Nepal: Washing the Dead in Kathmandu"

April 29, 2018January 17, 2020

Nepal Travel: navigating the hairpin-turn cliffs to Kathmandu

Three years after the April 2015 earthquake disaster, Nepal looks like a mountainous, tropical version of London after The Blitz. Nepal travel offers a stark reminder of how long the recovery from such a disaster can last ... long after the news of the disaster has fallen out of the international headlines. The main road …

Continue reading "Nepal Travel: navigating the hairpin-turn cliffs to Kathmandu"

Category: Travel Tips