Category: Travel Planning: What to Do
Travel Planning and Travel Stories; What to Do + Activities
-
We were awaken by the first call to prayer of the day. A man’s voice echoed through the loud speakers but we still got up later than expected. The staff at Les Mimosas still served us the free breakfast of hard-boiled egg, bread, butter, coffee and orange juice. We checked out, sad that we didn’t…
-
As soon as we drove away from the city, the landscaped changed. Olive trees lined the highway and dry, earthy dust covered the air. We arrived in Bizerte after an hour, parked our car in front of the municipal building and walked to the Old Port. Bizerte sits on a canal that links the lake…
-
We arrived in Tunis-Carthage airport after a connection in Paris minus the Dr.’s backpack. We originally planned to start our drive to the north of the country without stopping in Tunis, but this setback, although minor, was still annoying. We took care of everything first: filed a claim for lost luggage, exchanged our dollars to…
-
At first I doubted that my body could do a second bike tour–cold and wet while fighting strong winds and pedaling downhill. When I saw the itinerary—fifteen miles from Glencolumbkille to Maghera Beach, passing through Glengesh Pass—I was prepared to accept the helpful van rides along the bike route. But it was probably our guide…
-
I’ve always been turned off by tour guides because from what I’ve experienced, they talk like broken records and they really just do it because it’s their job. Enter Sean Mullan of Walking and Talking in Ireland. He has been walking the walk and talking the talk for about five years, and it showed. Tours…
-
We spent our first night in Ballycastle. During dinner, Ian from Irish Cycle Tours stopped by to introduce himself. The next morning, after my first Irish “brekkie” of bacon, eggs, grilled tomatoes, and black and white pudding, we biked from Ballycastle to Portballintrae and made our first stop at the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge off Ballintoy.…
-
After a couple of hours of sleep in a hotel in Dublin, we set off for the Mourne Mountains in Newcastle. Martin McGuigan met us for tea and sandwiches to talk to us about Walk on the Wild Side and to tell us about the day’s itinerary. He has been running his company for about…
-
It took a lot to convince the Dr. to take the tram to Roosevelt Island with me–like a homemade lunch and dinner kind of a promise–but he finally relented one hazy Saturday. From 59th Street and Second Avenue, we boarded the tram using our Unlimited Metrocards. The tram runs on a much slower schedule on…
-
I opened my eyes when the subway crossed the Brooklyn Bridge. The sky had that blue morning glow tint with the sun rising behind one of the old warehouse buildings. I wondered how many New Yorkers have not seen this sight. I checked my phone and saw that it was only 5:15am. We’ve been on…
-
I’ve wanted to visit the library on 42nd Street ever since the map room was renovated. I finally got a chance to stop by one Saturday. Past the security guard and to your right in Room 117 is the Lionel and Princess Firyal Map Division. The entire library is already quiet, but walking in the…
-
For non-New Yorkers, here’s a quick lesson about my city. New York City is made up of five boroughs: The Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan and Staten Island. In my quest to eat more often outside of Manhattan, Staten Island is the least represented on this site. Although it has the most suburban feel in all…
-
We woke up early on Saturday to catch the 9am Metro-North train from the Harlem stop up to Poughkeepsie. I bet it was a beautiful two-hour ride, but I was catching some Zs the whole ride up while the Dr. studied for his board exams next to me. In the Poughkeepsie station, we stepped out…