Afghanistan is Tough…Just Try Making a Cellphone Call After 5 pm
Afghanistan is a tough place. Try using your cellphone after 5 pm. A story in today’s WSJ described the stranglehold that the former rulers of the country, the Taliban, have on the public’s cellphones. They’ve issued edicts to all of the cellphone companies in parts of the country to turn […]
Some of My Favorite Places
Here are some great places I visited last year. Nelson New Zealand: Arts town with nice layout, right next to Abel Tasman wilderness some of the nicest hiking and beautiful scenery anywhere. The seaside city of Granville, in Normandy, offers a truly French beach experience, with tides that stretch out […]
Dinner and a Movie By Myself: What a Treat
Last night I did something I haven’t done in a while. I stole away to Amherst for dinner and a movie by myself. I strolled down the streets of this town, where in the 1990s I sold newspaper advertising, and saw all of the new businesses who have taken up […]
Jamie Oliver Knows What They Should Be Eating
Jamie Oliver clearly has good intentions. The celebrity chef visited Huntington West Virginia, a city that has been ranked at the very bottom of the scale in healthy eating across the US. He makes a bunch of mistakes, calling every woman ‘hon’ and pissing off a local radio station DJ […]
Warming Up in the Hot Springs
Everywhere in Furnas are bubbling, superheated hot springs that both entertain and provide relaxation for locals. People come from around the world to see them and there’s a big hotel in the center of the town where guests go to swim in orange colored, iron-laced waters. The waters of the […]
Here’s Your Chance at a New Career!
Our established and popular four-year-old cafe is for sale! The demands of our travel website has made operating our cafe difficult, but we’ve built a loyal clientele and believe the business is sound. We are looking for a person who can continue our success in the prosperous village of South […]
Azores Facts from Guide Luis Daniel
However exciting travel may be, there is nothing better than that first night back when you sleep in a very familiar bed and wake up to the sounds and smells you’re used to living with every day. No hotel room can be as good as one’s own bed! A few […]
Vegetarian Food in the Azores: Rotas Satisfies, Big Time
After a week of endless varieties of fish and beef, we need some serious veggies. A local told us about the only vegetarian restaurant in all nine islands, it is called Rotas. We looked it up, booked a cab, and were soon enjoying some of the finest stuffed mushrooms we […]
He Got His Start Washing Dishes in Lisbon
Like many chefs, Joao Rieff got his start in a kitchen as a dishwasher. After earning a degree in economics in Lisbon, he followed the trail through many mainland kitchens and worked for a time in the Hotel Meridien in Paris. Through all of the years of cooking in New […]
Rain Slicked Runways and Foggy Roads: Don’t Look Now!
I sometimes actually say prayers when I’m taking off in a plane. The other night we took off in a 67-seat ATC turboprop plane for a short flight from Santa Maria to Sao Miguel. It was that old story ‘rain slicked runway’ and I kept imagining the headline about how […]
All the Way to the Azores, the Health Insurance Myths Prevail
We asked many people we met about the health insurance system here in the Azores. This topic has come up more than a few times, as the locals here quizzed us about what is going on the US with health insurance. “Is it true that people are allowed to die […]
Using Ancient Machinery, Teamakers Thrive Here
Rows of tea at the Gorreana Tea company. We learned about how tea is made and that in a climate like the Azores, a lot of rain is great for growing the leaves of Orange Pekoe, Pekoe and green teas. Some of the British tea manufacturers who were doing business […]
Optimistic and Upbeat, These Guides Showed Us Their Azores
A Cozido, boiled dinner, about to be unearthed in Furnas, Azores. Just like in New England, they have the same saying here in the Azores…”if you don’t like the weather wait a half hour, it will be different.” We joined three strapping young guides today and got a chance to […]
Santa Maria, Massachusetts? Well, Almost
We flew over to Santa Maria to continue our discovery of these nine Azores. We came upon a bronze statue of Columbus in the hamlet of Anjos, wearing his traditional funny hat, leaning into the wind in this tiny village by the sea on the north side of the small […]
Up From the Ground Came a Bubbling Hot Spring
I love it when a place surprises you, and you don’t have any pre-conceived ideas about what it will be like. It’s like going to a movie and never hearing any reviews or knowing even what the film will be about. That’s been our most excellent feeling about these nine […]
About to Land, then Swooping Back Up and Flying 1000 more miles
Our flight from Boston left on time and all seemed ok until we made our descent down to Ponta Delgada on the island of Sao Miguel in the Azores. The plane came down and then just as we were about to land swooped back up, because of fog that made […]
The Avalon Rides Again!
The Avalon rides again…happily, I am driving off to Boston/Logan airport in a newly inspected state certified luxury automobile. And for the next year, I shall not speak of buying a new car, I shall be content to drive this one now that it has passed this milestone/hurdle. I am […]