We toured Madrid from the open top of a Hop On Hop Off bus, our favorite way to get an overview of a new city. Tickets start at $27.50.
Riding Lisbon’s Famous Tram 28
No trip to Lisbon is complete without a ride on iconic Tram 28, an old-fashioned tram that takes you through the city’s most famous neighborhoods in a vehicle so narrow it almost brushes the historic buildings.
The classic yellow trams retain original 1930s features like brass dials and polished wood interiors. It squeezes in and out of unimaginably narrow alleys.
It’s a great introduction to the city, and a unique experience no one should miss!
The Rain Stopped. Time to Explore Lisbon!
Bob bops around Lisbon, noticing lots of tiled architecture, inviting plazas, historic statues, interesting shops (including sardines, an apparent Lisbon delicacy!), colorful pottery, the obligatory cathedral or two, hilltop vistas with strolling musicians, an art museum, and more.
Info:
Taking a Tour to Sintra, Portugal
Bob took a bus tour to Sintra, a UNESCO World Heritage site north of Lisbon, Portugal, that hosts the National Palace and many other magnificent 19th and 20th century royal residences in the Romantic style. Come along and find out what is special about this charming coastal town.
Sintra is a pioneer work of European romanticism, bringing together incredible botanical richness and a diversity of monuments and buildings from a long period of history. Bob’s favorite was a deep, winding stone well called the Quinta de Regaleira.
INFO
An Independent Guide to Sintra
Sites and Attractions in Sintra
UNESCO World Heritage Site of Sintra
Map
Up Up and Away!
Messy Suitcase visits Buda Castle in Budapest. Check out the amazing city panorama!
Hamlet in Prague
We went to a fascinating art exhibition called “To Be or Not To Be” the Clam-Gallas Palace in Prague’s Old Town. The first is called Hamlet, and the bust is a study of the contrast and struggle between life and death. The last image in this series has the names of the artists.
Paratrooper Heroes in Prague
We just visited a Czech Orthodox cathedral where seven Czechoslavakian paratroopers hid after assassinating Himmler’s sadistic right-hand man, Reinhard Heydrich, in Operation Anthropoid in 1942.
They resisted proudly but paid with their lives, as did their collaborators and many others. The attack set off a wave of far-reaching recriminations . I have never seen such courage on display.
Don’t miss this free museum when you are in Prague! Learn more at https://prague.eu/en/objevujte/national-monument-to-the-heroes-of-the-heydrich-terror-narodni-pamatnik-hrdinu-heydrichiady/
Lisbon: Boat Tour on the Tagus River
Lisbon’s lovely Tagus River beckoned, so of course Bob hopped on a boat! He was a little underwhelmed.
It was a fine tour, nothing spectacular. Bob enjoyed a relaxing couple of hours seeing Lisbon’s main monuments, such as the 25th of April Bridge, Praça do Comércio, and the Tower of Belém, among many others. The one-and-a-half-hour round-trip tour cost 26 euros, or about $28 US. You can also choose to go just one way for less.
We don’t recommend it if your time in Lisbon is short.
Info:
A Mexican Mega-Resort Experience, Part 3: Even More Vidanta
Want to feel like you’re rich and famous? Come with us on Part 3 of our tour of a Mexican mega-resort, the luxurious Vidanta Nayarit on the west coast of Mexico.
We’ll tour more of enormous Vidanta, including La Cantina, Gong, and other restaurants; the Grand Bliss; the Mayan Palace; walking on the boardwalk pathways that connect the resort; the Plaza marketplace that carries everything you need (groceries, bakery, froyo, flip flops, sunglasses), and everything you don’t ( gourmet chocolate, jewelry); the Sanctuario entertainment hub; and many other parts of this breathtaking resort.
Want to see what you missed? Part 1 took us from arrival at Puerto Vallarta Airport, through transit to the resort, and the check-in experience.
In Part 2, we took an early morning tour of Vidanta’s Grand Mayan Hotel and beyond, including breakfast, restaurants, beach, pools, fitness center, a lazy river, and the sky dream gondola. Soak up the lifestyle of the rich and famous!
Thanks for joining us on this three-part tour of this Mexican mega-resort!
INFO
A Mexican Mega-Resort Experience, Part 2: More Vidanta
When we bought a fractional ownership at Vidanta Resort in Mexico, we had no idea the world of luxury we would soon encounter. We’re a middle-class family, not accustomed to the perks of the super-rich that we find at Vidanta. If you’re like us, you’ll enjoy taking me take a three-part tour of this Mexican mega-resort, and spend a few minutes feeling like one of the rich and famous.
In this Part 2 of our Mexican Mega-Resort Experience series on the Messy Suitcase travel channel, we’ll take an early morning tour of Vidanta’s Grand Mayan Hotel and beyond, including breakfast, restaurants, beach, pools, fitness center, a lazy river, and the sky dream gondola. Soak up the lifestyle of the rich and famous!
Part 1Â took us from arrival at Puerto Vallarta Airport, through transit to the resort, and the check-in experience.Â
Part 3 – coming soon! – will feature a tour of more of the enormous Vidanta, including La Cantina, Gong, and other restaurants; the Grand Bliss; the Mayan Palace; walking on the boardwalk pathways that connect the resort; the Plaza marketplace that carries everything you need (groceries, bakery, froyo, flip flops, sunglasses), and everything you don’t ( gourmet chocolate, jewelry); the Sanctuario entertainment hub; and many other parts of this breathtaking resort.
