Granada was a surprise. Since I don’t like to read history and Bill doesn’t want me reading ahead about where we are going. I have the tendency to want to do everything I see that looks like a point of…
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Eco-tourism is what brings nearly 200,000 tourists annually to Mindo, usually to decompress after visiting the Galapagos. Eco-tourism is key to the beauty of this town located in the Mindo-Namillo Cloud Forest of Ecuador, a short 2.5 hour bus trip…
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Walking home to our apartment in Venice, we share a wave through the window with the owner of Baba, our local osteria. Leaving for a day of sightseeing, a cup of my favorite pistachio gelato awaits me despite the early…
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Thanks to President Woodrow Wilson, the National Parks Service in the United States is celebrating its 100 year birthday this year, 2016, although the first National Park to be designated as such was Yellowstone, which was so designated by President…
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When you tell someone you are planning a visit to the San Juan Islands, it’s not uncommon for them to reply. “are you talking about Puerto Rico”? San Juan, Puerto Rico and the San Juan Islands are about as…
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It’s a city where anything goes, where everyone feels comfortable. A city of contradictions. It’s a city that’s part Left Bank, part island getaway. A town where tacky sits comfortably with tropical vegetation on the same barstool, Bacchus, blues…
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Santa Fe attracts over a million visitors each year. The downtown area draws people to the unique Indian and Spanish art, clothing and food that separates Santa Fe from other destinations. People flock to the impressive Cathedral Basilica of Saint…
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It is not often that a toilet and a tea ceremony form perfect metaphors for the culture of a country, but so it is in Japan. The toilet falls into the realm of delightful personal discoveries – albeit all of…
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This is our final day on the Dominican Republic and our final Impact Activity: Reforestation. Nineteen of us gathered on the bus. Many of us were sore from previous day’s activities, but here we were, ready to tackle another project….
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Imagine if your home had dirt floors. When it rained , you had mud. Disease was your enemy. Keeping your children healthy was your primary concern. Fathom Impact joins with local cooperatives to place cement floors into homes which…
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The great thing about a Fathom Cruise is trying to help others. Bruce and I signed up for three Impact Activities. Today was our first one, teaching English in one of the schools. We boarded the bus at 8:00 for…
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The Adonia arrived in Amber Cove at 11:00 this morning. The overcast skies highlighted the emerald green mountains. I had not expected the beauty I beheld as the ship snuggled alongside the cement pier. There are approximately 270 people aboard…
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Fathom is travel with a purpose. “Impact travel with Fathom provides the opportunity to build community with like-minded travelers, become immersed in another culture, and work alongside its people to create enduring social impact.” A few months ago, John…
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We chose Denver East, Strasburg, Colorado for a lovely, well-located campground with close proximity to many of the favorite places tourists want to visit in this popular, mountainous state. Situated on the plains which continue all across the Midwest, this…
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Lady Luck was with me when I won a raffle for an evening at Resorts Casino & Hotel in Atlantic City, along with dinner for two. Since I’m not a gambler, I requested an extension of my visit to two…
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Peterhof: The opulence, art and culture of Europe enamored Peter I. He built the palaces at Peterhof to rival the French Versailles. After Peter’s death, his daughter, the Empress Elizabeth greatly expanded the palace and the gardens. The gardens are…
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Sts. Peter and Paul Fortress and Cathedral Peter the Great ruled Russia from 1672 until his death, 1725. Peter realized that for Russia to become a great power, it needed a shipping outlet. At the time, Sweden had the most…
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At 450+ years, St. Augustine, Florida is America’s oldest city. There’s a lot to recommend a city that old — history, ancient (for the states) architecture, Spanish culture. And, of course, ghosts. A city that old has a lot of…
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For a day beneath stunning blue skies with the cooling sea breeze teasing aquamarine waters head to Dana Point Wharf for a whale watching adventure. It felt wonderful to leave the smoke-smudged skies from recent fires behind and to breathe…
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What do Bill Gates, Hillary and Chelsea, Martina Navratilova and Prince Charles have in common? They’ve all taken an Abercrombie and Kent safari in Tanzania. I figured that’s a pretty good recommendation. As little as five years ago, some Americans…
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