20 11, 2017

Travel Missteps: Strip now!

By |November 20th, 2017|Categories: Travel, Travel Missteps|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , |0 Comments

We had been traveling for hours in the cold. Over 4 hours to be exact. On trains, and metros, and taxis. We wanted to get into our comfy rented apartment and crash before heading back out to Munich's Christmas Markets. But it was December 23rd in Germany, and most everything would be closed for a few days over Christmas. So we dropped our bags at the entrance and went off in search of food and supplies. After getting plenty of provisions, we were ready to climb the 4 flights of marble stairs (luggage in tow). However, our German housekeeper was...quite

29 12, 2016

UNESCO World Heritage Sites

By |December 29th, 2016|Categories: Attractions & Sights, Travel|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |0 Comments

"Heritage is our legacy from the past, what we live with today, and what we pass on to future generations. Our cultural and natural heritage are both irreplaceable sources of life and inspiration." - UNESCO There are thousands of world heritage sites. I've been to 30 of them: Salzburg Austria Historic Centre of the City of Salzburg A turtle in Belize Belize Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System Ramses Temple at Abu Simbel Egypt Ancient Thebes with its Necropolis Historic Cairo Memphis and its Necropolis – the Pyramid Fields from Giza to

14 11, 2015

The History of the Christmas Nutcracker

By |November 14th, 2015|Categories: Buying Guide, History, Souvenirs, Travel|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |0 Comments

Nutcrackers at a German Christmas Market. Nutcrackers in some form have been around since ancient times. However, they were much different in design and from from what we consider the Christmas Nutcracker. Those didn’t appear until the mid 1700's when many Germany mines had shut down and the workers had to figure out other sources of income. They turned to the abundant forests and their woodworking skills to craft dolls, toys, Christmas Pyramids, angels, and nutcrackers. The first nutcrackers were made to look like authority figures such as kings or soldiers. These “nut cracking” officials symbolized the