Europe

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Moulin Rouge, Paris France

More Than Crepes and Towers: 6 excursions to take near Paris, France

If it’s your first time visiting Paris, I envy you. If you’ve been many times, I envy you too. Ah, the city of Love. There’s none other like it. I could spend days roaming the museums, monuments, and streets of the 1st arrondissement. It’s so iconic, so beautiful you actually have to breathe deeply to steady yourself as you take it in. Paris is the kind of place you want to absorb into your being. Just having been there, you’re...

Seville, Spain

Top 5 Cities in Spain are just a Train Ride Away

Spain is a country of many unique cities, each with its own distinctive character and history. Lucky for us, they’re also one of those countries that make it easy to city hop and see various places while enjoying their great food, art, architecture, and culture. My daughter, Autumn and I went to see what it was all about. Here are five places we visited without ever renting a car. 1. Madrid The beauty I saw in Madrid came from this...

Bruges, Belgium waterway

10 Reasons Bruges, Belgium is Worth Visiting

Somewhere in between the Netherlands, France, and Germany lies the city of Bruges. This little canal city is especially unique because it takes on many of the best characteristics from each country surrounding it. Not only that, but it is also one of the best-preserved medieval towns in Europe, and it’s just a few hours drive outside of Amsterdam, Frankfurt, or Paris. Culture, Art & Architecture Bruges’s entire egg-shaped historic center is a UNESCO World Heritage site deemed to be...

Stonehenge, London, England

How to enjoy Stonehenge despite the crowds

For years, I fantasized about going to Stonehenge, standing among the stones, and receiving a message from the universe. I did go, but it wasn’t what I expected. It started with the tourist bus I took to get there. Is this really how people get to Stonehenge? I wondered. It turns out it was, me and a few thousand other people every day. Before I even got near to the famous place disappointment overtook me. It’s the standing rock version...

Rene at Niagara Falls, Canada

10 Tips to Travel More on a Budget

I’m always looking for a way to travel more, but as someone who hasn’t always had a lot of money, I’ve had to be crafty. These ten tips help me travel more affordably. I hope they allow you to travel more too. The biggest thing that makes travel a reality for me is flexibility. I’m as flexible as a contortionist when getting a deal on travel. I have a long list of places I want to go, so I’m ready...

van Gogh graves in Auvers, France

What van Gogh saw: 5 Nights in France

I had five nights in France, and I went on a quest to follow in the footsteps of Vincent van Gogh and see what saw that inspired his paintings. I’ve long been intrigued by the troubled painter and I figure I may understand him better by seeing some of the places he lived and worked. Here’s what I found as I traveled through Paris, Arles, St. Remy, and Auvers to see the places that inspired van Gogh’s most revered art....

Bones in the Paris Catacombs

What It’s Like Exploring the Paris Catacombs Alone

Visiting the Paris France Catacombs is likely among the most morbid and scary tours you will ever go on. I had no idea what I was in for – especially because I did it alone – which I do not recommend. The Paris, France Catacombs are an ossuary created in the tunnels of former quarries in the late seventeen hundreds outside of Paris. Fun fact: An ossuary is a container or room to place the bones of dead people. This...

Sculpture of a nude female with her head thrown back and wings stands abover a series of colorful masoleums