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Hungry Like the Wolf: My Search for the Best Black Forest Cake in the Black Forest!

by Sandy
written by Sandy

Exploring the Black Forest requires stamina, y’all!  You have to park the car, get out of the car, walk through insanely picturesque villages and towns, sometimes strolling beside — gasp! — spectacular riverbeds, get back in the car and then drive to the next dazzling destination. Nightmarish indeed!

How’s a girl supposed to find the staying power to manage such Herculean feats?  By eating Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte of course! That’s right, y’all.   While driving the famed Fairy Tale Route, I began a crusade to find the best Black Forest Cake in the Black Forest!

At this point, you might be asking yourself, Sandy, why do they call it Black Forest Cake?  Excellent question!  So, before I reveal the results of my

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BeethovenBonnComposersDrinkEatGermanyIconsRoad TrippingWestern Europe

Beethoven’s Bewitching Bonn!

by Sandy
written by Sandy

Germany is celebrated for many things.  From fairy tales and fast cars to castles and classical music, you’re spoiled for choice on where to begin your German adventure and what to include. So spoiled, in fact, that designing an itinerary that covers everything you want to see, taste and experience can be a serious dilemma.

The solution?  A kick-ass road trip!

Late summer and early fall are my favorite times of the year to visit Europe. The crowds are leaving, the temperatures are cooler and, historically, the rates are a bit more favorable. Unsurprisingly, I want to cram as much as humanly possible into the two months I’ve allotted for my latest German adventure, chronicling my antics all along the

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CastlesIconic LandmarksLisbonPortoSintraWestern Europe

Castles in the Sky: Your Fairytale Guide to Portugal!

by Sandy
written by Sandy

Castle, castle, fortress, castle. Swoon!   Hopping from castle to castle is enough to get any traveler excited.  Throw in mind-blowing medieval villages bolstered by staggering cliffs wrapped up by spectacular, sweeping views in every direction and I👏🏻am👏🏻 all👏🏻in👏🏻!

Scattered across lush grasslands, jaw-dropping seascapes and dramatic limestone outcrops, Portuguese castles comprise a small but important part of the historical heritage of the country. Did you know that there are more than 150 castles in Portugal? Well, there are.  And to visit even a handful of them takes a bit of planning.  By now, you might be asking yourself, “Which ones are ‘worth’ it?”

The answer to this question, of course, is that it depends.   How much time are you

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DrinkEatFranceParisShoppingThe MaraisTravel TipsUNESCOWestern EuropeWorld Markets

How To Spend a Perfect Day in The Marais

by Sandy
written by Sandy

Vibrant and bustling, Paris is, in every sense of the word, monumental.   Paris is also arguably the most beautiful city in the world.  With two World Heritage sites, 141 museums, over 450 parks and gardens and at least 170 places of worship, it comes as no surprise that Paris tops most every traveler’s list.

Truth:  The first time I came to Paris, I was overwhelmed.  The Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, Notre-Dame and the Louvre were all great places to start!   But, because each new neighborhood also came with new, exciting discoveries, I left Paris that first time feeling sad that I ran out of time to explore deeper.

Fast forward 20-something years. Countless returns later, I’ve grown to

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BelgiumBrusselsCustoms, Traditions and SuperstitionsTravel TipsWestern Europe

Get Lucky: The Right Way to Rub a Statue

by Sandy
written by Sandy

People build statues of heroes. The Greeks built statues of Hercules and Adonis.  The British built statues of Nelson and Churchill.  The Egyptians, Colossi of Memnon.  We Americans build statues of our heroes, too.  Like George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King, Jr.

Heroes usually only get statues when they’re dead.  And, when a person travels hundreds or thousands of miles to see a statue, sometimes looking isn’t enough. Sometimes, he or she wants to touch it.  And it’s always lucky to touch a hero statue.

But should you?

The short answer is most of the time.  As long as you are respectful of local customs and traditions and it’s not prohibited by local law, I say do …

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