Tag: travel
-
The Benefits of a Staycation with (or without) Friends
Staycation – a vacation spent at home or nearby. I could take a staycation anytime. All I need to do is clear my calendar for a day, a couple of days, or longer. But I don’t. Day by day passes, and my daily routine overshadows ideas to investigate a temporary museum exhibit, explore a park,…
-
To Market, To Market, a Mexican One
My husband Steve and I enjoyed Ajijic, Mexico, hospitality for two weeks. We wandered city streets, savored local cuisine, window shopped, purchased a couple of keepsakes, and relaxed in the near-perfect climate of warm, sunny days. My knowledge of Spanish is almost non-existent, yet I wanted to absorb some local atmosphere and way of life.…
-
Musings on a Mexican Interlude
Most folks I told I was going to Mexico never heard of Lake Chapala, a region in the middle of the country bordered by mountains. Ajijic, where my husband and I are staying, is not only unknown to many travelers, most of whom gravitate to coastal resorts such as Cancun and Puerto Vallarta, but difficult…
-
Clueless on the Mexican Boardwalk
I felt hot, sweaty, and exhausted after spending hours in the Mexican sun. I tried to stay in the shade and undercover, but the searing heat and the sun‘s southern rays pierced my pallid North American winter skin. Seeking relief, I strolled into a store on the Malecon – the Boardwalk – presenting a particularly…
-
Celebrating the Season In the City
The City – New York City, the Big Apple, the island of Manhattan. The Sunday before Thanksgiving hub and I drove into Manhattan, a challenging, demanding, wearying experience, one we would not normally, usually, when in our right minds, undertake. But our Florida family was staying in the Big Apple for a few days, and…
-
Long Day’s Journey through the Night
The holiday season stirs memories of seasons past. This is a story of one holiday trip my family experienced years ago. Disclaimer: No apologies if family and friends who accompanied me on this journey challenge my version of events. Hour 1 Christmas vacation offered a perfect time to visit aging relatives and younger cousins in…
-
Off Season Travel an Ideal Senior Activity
Morning in upstate New York, end of October. Photo by Meryl Baer In much of the Northeast by the end of October leaves fall, tourists vanish, and a calm creeps over towns and tourist sites. The off-season reigns. Too late for vibrant, picturesque landscapes, too soon for ski and snow activities, visitors are sparse. There…
-
Summer Sticks Around and Covid Comes
The unofficial end of summer came and went, but the sun gods did not receive the memo. Persistent, oppressive heat remains in my corner of the world, placing a damper on my desire to attack outdoor activities. I spent the Labor Day weekend in the Sunshine State on an exhaustive whirlwind of family activities, immediately…
-
Touring the Edge of Two Worlds and Seeing My World a Little Differently
I spent two weeks touring Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, three small countries that were part of the Soviet Union during most of the 20th century. All three threw off the Communist yoke and declared independence in 1991. Today these Northern European states sit on the edge of two worlds – the West and the East, democracy…
-
Things I Liked and Things I Did NOT Like About My Baltic Overseas Adventure
My destinations? Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, located on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea in northern Europe. The three countries are emerging from the shadow of their 20th-century past as unwilling republics of the Soviet Union. They became independent in 1991 as the Soviet Union collapsed. All three countries turned westward and established democratic…