Harpers Ferry National Park. If you’re a US history enthusiast, Harpers Ferry is the place to see. Or, even if you just have a mild interest in the historical significance, there is so much more to experience. Harpers Ferry is the site of the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers. Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia all meet at Harpers Ferry. Four national parks and three national trails all convene at Harpers Ferry. And, it is the halfway point on the Appalachian Trail.

Santarém, Portugal. Little did we know what it would take for us to “walk” from the Santarém Train Station to our accommodations. Geography makes a difference, it almost did us in.

2023 – I’m not a big fan of New Year’s Eve and all that it entails.  I’d much rather snuggle up for the evening with the one I love most, with a big bowl of popcorn and watch a classic movie, such as the one I share every year at this time, “When Harry Met Sally.”  Post a comment and tell us how many times you’ve seen Harry and Sally find their way to each other.  As we move forward in to a new year filled with hope for new beginnings and world-wide healing, we once again share this post.  Cheers!

I wrote this piece in 2020 but it still seems quite relevant. Once again, I’m hoping for a white Christmas, but since it’s unlikely to happen I’ll be at peace with the beauty of twinkle lights, the creativity of our spirited neighbors and beautiful music. With that being said, I decided to pull this piece from the archives, update it a bit, and publish it once again.

Evora, Portugal. After spending four lovely days in Setubal, we boarded the train bound for Evora. We had to backtrack to Lisbon and change trains at Oriente Station. It was an easy transition and a fairly short ride to Evora. It was our first foray into central Portugal, which is known for the region’s high temps. We had no idea just how high those temps could soar.

Setubal, Evora and Santarem. All three cities were new destinations for us while spending a month in Portugal. Each offered its own historic charm and hospitality. Our first stop was Setubal. We rented an apartment and spent four easy carefree days relaxing before adventuring further.

If it’s Monday, then it’s market day in Espinho.  And what better way to get to Espinho than by train and a good long walk along the coastal boardwalk.  It all makes for the perfect day.

• This post has been updated and newly published based on our return to Espinho in 2023.
• This post includes an in-kind collaboration

Cartão de cidadão. Or, citizen card of Portugal. This is a little story about how I applied for my Portuguese citizen card – citizenship – through family linage.

If you’ve been with us for a while, you know we spent the month of October 2023 in Portugal. We visited Setubal, Evora, Santarem, Espinho and Porto. A few places were new destinations for us and we’ll be writing about them and offering highlights, photos and travel tips. For Espinho and Porto, we’ll be updating our previously published content and sharing the best of our travel tips.

Annapolis, Maryland, the state capital, is a lovely historic coastal city located on the Chesapeake Bay. As it happened, we needed to file a few documents with the Secretary of State. Rather than mail the documents, we decided to make a day of it in Annapolis. Stay tuned because we have a story to tell about those documents, and it will be a good one.