Sometimes compared to American blue music, the Fado song captures the essence of the Portuguese people more than any other music and offers a window into the country’s soul. This typically sad song is said to descend from African melodies, though there is no trace of the Fado song in African music nowadays. The music…
Porto is a fascinating city, full of vibrant neighborhoods and historic churches, palaces, and museums to explore. It is a colorful home base for our northern Portugal UnTour and a great launching point for exploring all of northern Portugal and even a little of Spain. Here are some excellent day trip options for you to…
Facebook is making some big changes, and it will affect how you interact with us and your other favorite pages online. It doesn’t come from nowhere. From the proliferation of fake news and the bots that helped spread it to the political ads placed by bad actors to the psychological profile data that was shared…
Love photography? Have a smartphone? Why not sign up for Instagram? It’s super easy to share photos from your trip to Europe in real time with family and friends back home. Instagram allows you to share publicly or only with those who follow you, and you can adjust settings so that you must approve any…
On the outskirts of Lisbon, the village of Sintra is so full of sights, it almost overshadows Portugal’s capital city. We based our central Portugal UnTour here for good reason! Here is a quick rundown of the town’s major sights. The Palácio Nacional Formerly a summer haven for the royals, the palace dominates Sintra. It…
This is part one in a series on the ancient Etruscan civilization that inhabited central Italy from the 8th – 4th centuries BC. Planning our trip to Italy last May, I became interested in the historical finds of the Etruscans, who thrived during four centuries BC and contributed heavily to Roman civilization. The Greeks regarded…
Set dramatically on the banks of the Douro River, Porto is one of Portugal’s most beautiful, charming, and picturesque cities. It was a natural for our Northern Portugal UnTour. Here are some of our favorite sites in town. Cais da Ribeira The Ribeira District is teaming with restaurants, bars, and street life. This charming and…
Swiss guests on the Heartland or Oberland UnTours will certainly visit the town of Lucerne during their stay. And Lake Lucerne is one of its star attractions. There are many ways to explore it. Whether on a historical steamboat, a comfortable yacht, or a modern catamaran, guests can glide over the waters of Lake Lucerne…
In the 18th century, overcrowding in the old town became intolerable and building started in the area to the north, and called the New Town. It is considered to be a masterpiece of town planning and is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Princes Street is a major shopping area and Princes Street Gardens are…
We can’t get enough of Switzerland around here, even 43 years after we ran our first UnTour there. The beauty of the Swiss Alps is a perennial wonder, and the Swiss Travel System is our favorite way to explore the area, using lift, boats, and especially trains to take in the most dramatic mountain and…