Experiencing local events can be such a cultural window into the different towns and countries we have visited during our travels. Although we were in Lisbon on Freedom Day - the anniversary of the April 25, 1974 Carnation Revolution - it was not the massive celebration that we experienced on Friday evening at the Feria de Abril in Sevilla, Spain - with one million of our closest friends.
Experiencing Italy for the first time by spending five days in Florence was fabulous! Emerging from the train station - we chose to fly into Rome and ride the high-speed train to Firenze Santa Maria Novella - we were transported into a historical time machine. Not that Florence lacks modern conveniences, but immediately visitors are surrounded by buildings, streets, cathedrals and statues that are many centuries old.
To timeshare or not to timeshare - that can be the question for many weary vacation travelers who get caught up in the discounts that are offered for “only one hour of your time.” We did make an initial timeshare purchase when our daughters were young, but this is certainly not an endorsement for anyone to invest in timeshares. We purchased ours before the popularity and ease of finding great travel accommodations through Airbnb or Vrbo. Having said that, we have enjoyed this means of sharing time with our daughters (and now son-in-laws as well) in a more expansive living space when we vacation together.
One of the most beautiful destinations in the world: Sedona, Arizona! How blessed are we to have a home a three and a half hour drive from a place that has become one of our favorite vacation locations! Living in such close proximity, we can attest (by way of a cliché) that winter, summer, spring or fall - Sedona really has it all!
