Old Belem to Seaside Sesimbra
Our tour of Azeitao and Arrabida began with the arrival of our guide, Vitor Martins in his midnight blue Mercedes. Lisbon is a welcoming city, but the personable Vitor, who speaks four languages and is an expert driver, takes you to the next level. He knows Lisbon, its history, its neighborhoods and its surroundings. Vitor suggested an optional first stop at Lisbon’s most renown coffee house, ‘Pasteis de Belem’ — known for their delicious custard tartlets sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar. We agreed, of course. This establishment has been in continuous operation and...
Read MoreWandering the Streets of Old Malaga
Malaga is an old port city with some 3,000 history since the Phoenicians landed and used the harbor for salting fish. They were followed by the Greeks in the 6th century B.C., then the Romans who ruled for six centuries, and under which Malaga prospered as a trading post. Today it’s a city rich in historical references, but its also a lively city with a modern and artful edge to it. With layers of history and culture waiting to be discovered, or absorbed in a meandering way by the fortunate traveler with a bit of time, the old city center is a joy to explore on foot. There is the...
Read MoreMoscata–Malaga Wine–Cleopatra’s Wine
Moscata, Moscatel, Muscat of Alexandria, Malaga Wine — there are many names for it. Originating in North Africa, it is a white wine grape of the muscat family. It is an ancient wine — one of the oldest genetically unmodified wines still in existence. Cleopatra drank it, ancient Greeks and Egyptians cultivated it, and ancient poets and bards celebrated it. In the 17th and 18th centuries Malaga Wine had become a booming industry. In the 19th Century during prosperous times in Malaga, the sweet Malaga wine was the favorite of English Victorian ladies, and the wine export trade became big...
Read MoreWelcome to Malaga—Moscata de Alexandria
Arriving Malaga in the evening via a low-fare flight from Amsterdam, the taxi deposited me a distance from my hotel, pointing me down a broad marble-paved pedestrian street that appeared to be the scene of a big party. It turned out that Avenida de Larios was a main street through town center, and the crowds were celebrating the last day of Carnival celebrations in Malaga. Once in my room on the third floor of a traditional building, I could enjoy the crowds below and from my little Spanish balcony nearly touch the tall structures of LED lights that added to the festive ambiance. This being...
Read MoreSicily Travel — a Sicilian Idyll
Winter in Italy and Sicily in 2012 was called the Grand Gelé, or the Big Freeze. One of the coldest winters in modern Italian history – the canals in Venice froze – didn’t deter our Sicily travel plans. One advantage of traveling in Winter — you have the attractions all to yourself. These images are impressions of our road trip circumnavigating the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea — Sicily. Taormina—tourist delight Perched atop a lofty hill overlooking the Ionian Sea is the lovely town of Taormina, the first stop on our Sicily itinerary. Mt. Etna … on the road to Siracusa After...
Read More
