Activities/Experiences

Cruise Port Le Havre – Private Tour Normandy – American & Canadian D-Day Sites

5 Comments / Activities/Experiences, Cruise / By philatravelgirl

Last year in advance of the 75th Anniversary of D-Day this week, I had the opportunity to visit the Normandy region with fellow cruise ship passengers when the ship sailed into the port of Le Havre, France. Our private tour Normandy with Brigitte (Bridget) of Unforgettable Normandy included a split of Canadians and Americans so …

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British Airways i360 Brighton – Best Views of Brighton – Beach, Pier and City

3 Comments / Activities/Experiences, London Sightseeing / By philatravelgirl

In the distance, I could see a concrete pole across the road that looked out of place here in the seaside town of Brighton, just an hour outside of London by train. A few minutes later when I looked, I saw a glass orb encircling the pole and inching upwards quite slowly. This was the …

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The Chicago Green River Celebrates St. Patrick’s Day – Everyone’s Irish for a Day

2 Comments / Activities/Experiences, Chicago / By philatravelgirl

This past weekend, Chicago continued its tradition of dyeing the river green to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. It’s part of a larger celebration with multiple parades and informal pub crawls. I was lucky to experience this tradition a few years ago while attending a travel writers conference. While I was excited to meet so many …

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Bruges Belfy Climb – 366 Steps to Climb the Bell Tower with Music

Leave a Comment / Activities/Experiences, Bruges / By philatravelgirl

366 stairs to the top. I’m not quite sure what I expected at the Bruges Belfry Climb of the bell tower but once I started, I had to finish. The Belfry of Bruges is a medieval tower in the center of town and was featured in the classic dark comedy In Bruges (2008). Overlooking the …

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Choco Story Chocolate Museum in Bruges – From Bean to Bar and Beyond

Leave a Comment / Activities/Experiences, Bruges / By philatravelgirl

As if nearly 90 chocolate shops in Bruges wasn’t enough….there’s Choco Story which is a CHOCOLATE MUSEUM in Bruges. A museum dedicated to the origin of chocolate around the world and in Belgium. If there was any attraction that had my name written all over it – it was this! As part of my combination …

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Quirky Museum – Friet Museum Bruges (aka Museum of French Fries)

1 Comment / Activities/Experiences, Bruges / By philatravelgirl

If you are reading from the U.S. this week, I’m sure you’ve seen or heard the soundbite “…eat only six French fries as a portion” – yes, we all laughed because who can only eat six individual fries? I know that fries aren’t quite healthy but they are really tasty and that matters (in moderation …

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Bucketlist London New Year’s Eve Fireworks from Waterloo Bridge “Pink Area”

6 Comments / Activities/Experiences, London, London Sightseeing / By philatravelgirl

New Year’s Eve has never been my favorite holiday. The forced “fun”and thinking that life changes at midnight wiping the old year’s slate clean and offering a tabula rasa isn’t quite realistic in my experience. As I entered my 40’s, I settled into my single girl comfort (after work) of the couch, pizza and wine …

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Cotton & Reed Rum in D.C. – Rum Tour, Tasting and the Pina Colada Song

1 Comment / Activities/Experiences, D.C. / By philatravelgirl

Rum and Me – we had a bad time together on Spring Break in Cancun, Mexico many years ago. So I’ve avoided rum in its various forms and flavors around the world for decades. Even the pina colada was off limits which was a shame because it’s a tasty rum drink on the beach or …

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Review – The Lights Festival in Philadelphia – Lighting the Night Sky with Wonder

3 Comments / Activities/Experiences, Philadelphia / By philatravelgirl

I’m not quite the “festival in the field” kinda of girl – it doesn’t matter which field or what festival, chances are if there are porta potties, there’s a high chance that I’ll say no. Festivals all day in the sun just sound exhausting with lots of downtime, too many people and traffic aggravation – …

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Oddly Cute – Visiting an Ostrich Farm in Oudtshoorn, South Africa

1 Comment / Activities/Experiences, Africa, South Africa / By philatravelgirl

There is usually one stop on the tour that you think “really? this is a worthwhile place to visit? or wow, just another shopping stop for the tourists” (think that diamond store stop – really, who is buying diamonds on vacation at the tour stop?). When I saw that the Ostrich Farm was a stop, …

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