Returning to Bruges, Belgium on a Cold Day

Last year my daughter Andrea and I visited Bruges as part of our trip to see the tulips in The Netherlands. We had a fun and interesting time in this old city. This year as my wife and I were deciding where to visit in Europe, I felt like it would be good to take Silvette to Bruges as it had been such an interesting place to see. Originally I had thought we would go Friday, but the rain was…

Spying on a Sea Turtle in Tortuguero, Costa Rica

Having left our glamping site in Sarapiqui, Costa Rica, we headed out on a bus toward our next stop, Tortuguero. Unfortunately an accident on a narrow bridge stopped all traffic. After checking out the situation, our tour guide, Danny, told us we were to get out of our bus and start walking. Carrying all our luggage Danny led us across the bridge. There we saw a line of cars, buses, and vans waiting to cross the bridge from the other…

Discovering Amsterdam from Land and Canals

Amsterdam is the largest city in The Netherlands and has a rich history as an industrial and economic leader. This shows in some of the unique ways the city has reinvented itself over the years. While there is much to see in this city, we toured the city in an afternoon knowing we were missing a lot. To get to the center of Amsterdam from our hotel, we would normally ride the train and be there in ten minutes. This…

Exploring Angel Island

While visiting my daughter in San Jose, she decided we needed to explore Angel Island in San Francisco Bay. She and a friend had ridden bikes around the island and enjoyed it. She thought it would be fun for my wife and me to explore it as well. To get to the island was a journey in itself. We had to drive about a half hour north to catch the BART light rail system. After a half hour ride, we…