We recently visited Rio on a cruise. Arriving in March, we missed Carnaval, the massive street parade that puts Mardi Gras to shame. We visited Samba City, a collection of warehouses near the cruise ship port. It is where the floats and costumes are made, and the dancers practice their routines, for a year in advance. Our guide, Lia, was one of the dancers, but not Brazilian. She moved to Rio from…
Growing up near Niagara Falls, New York, I have always taken for granted that water sometimes creates a waterfall. It might even be massive, as the one on the Niagara river. But Karen and I heard tales of a waterfall that is over a mile across and higher than the one I know so well. It just happens to be near the confluence of the Iguazu and Parana rivers, where Brazil, Argentina…
Our good friend Warner was in charge of the itinerary for our last day in Como. He talked with staff at the desk of the Palace Hotel, where we were staying, and found a boat service that would take us around the lower part of Lake Como in an hour. He also arranged for us to have the boat drop us at Villa D’Este in Cernobbio, a short distance up the lake…
While on a trip to Lake Como, we decided to take a tour up the lake from our base in the city of Como. We talked with a guide we had used for a quick city tour. She recommended a fast boat up to Villa de Balbianello, a state preserve of Italy which has been a location for various films, and a short visit to Bellagio. She got our attention by telling…
On a recent trip to Lucca, Italy, we decided to visit local wineries one day for a tasting and lunch. We debated how far we would want to drive, and in an Internet search, discovered a number of wineries in the area. After reading the reviews we finally settled on two that were fairly close to each other, La Badiola and Colle Verde. The reviews indicated that either could serve a lunch,…