RUSSIA BY LAND, NOT BY SEA. SEVEN DAYS IN MOSCOW & SAINT PETERSBURG with ALEXANDER+ROBERTS, Sept.7-14, 2018 (Photos by the author unless otherwise noted. Click on them to enlarge and read the captions, and use your forward arrow to scroll through each group. A link for comments is at the end of the essay). When I…
All photos are by the author. They cannot be appreciated fully on a cell phone so please open the post on a laptop or other large device. Click on the photos to enlarge them and read the captions. Use your forward arrow to scroll through groups of photos. CUERNAVACA HAS A SPECTACULAR NEW MUSEUM. The…
Photos are by the author unless otherwise noted. They are best viewed on a laptop or device other than a phone. Click on a photo to enlarge it and read the caption, then use your forward button to scroll through the set. I chose this tour because others I looked into were much shorter or […]
THE NATIONAL CHERRY BLOSSOM FESTIVAL, WASHINGTON D.C., April 10-15, 2018 (All photos are by the author. Click on them to enlarge and read the captions). Washington DC is always a delight for travelers, but so much more so during the annual cherry-blossom festival. The problem is knowing when to book your hotel and flight, less of…
La Quema de Judas, or the Burning of Judas, is an ancient Mexican custom brought by the Spanish colonizers very early in colonial history. The custom is practiced in other Catholic countries and is a scapegoating ritual commemorating Judas’ betrayal of Christ. It takes place on Sábado de Gloria or Holy Saturday, before Easter Sunday,…
Inexplicably, I had not been back to Mexico City in over a year despite its abundant attractions just 90 minutes from my home in Cuernavaca. Finally longing for some urban novelty, I decided on a two-day sojourn in the capital. Those who have been to Mexico City many times and visited the major museums can…
The revised U.S. State Department international travel advisory for Morelos State (Nov.15, 2018) is unjustified with respect to the state of Morelos where I have led more than one hundred tour groups and where I live in retirement. https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/mexico-travel-advisory.html Mexico’s overall status is arguably fair, Level 2: “exercise increased caution.” But the advisory for the…
(All photos by the author except those of the Farmers Market. Click on a photo to enlarge and read the caption, then scroll through a photo series using your forward arrow). What with budget cuts and earthquake recovery, cultural life in Cuernavaca had gotten rather meager. It wasn’t the monotony of one beautiful day after…
On September 19, 2017, an earthquake struck Mexico causing severe to moderate damage in Mexico City and the states of Puebla and Morelos. The estimated 7.1 Richter-scale quake damaged about 150 thousand homes, some completely destroyed. Government sources confirm 366 lives lost, including 225 in the capital and 74 in Morelos. Mexican first responders, the army,…
A TAUCK TOUR OF YELLOWSTONE & THE GRAND TETONS, August 22-30, 2017 (Photos not otherwise credited are by the author. Click on the photos to enlarge them and read the captions, and scroll through a series using your keyboard arrows. Feel free to comment or correct any errors). I had marveled at magazine photos of…
