Bicycling European Cities

About four years ago I decided to renew my interest in bicycling. Got a new bike. Got the wife one. Started riding the greenways and bike paths in northern Georgia. Then it occurred to me to incorporate it into my work travels. Many European cities have guided bike tours. I've now been on four with a tour in Madrid Saturday morning. The tour started at 10 a.m., which was a struggle for me as I had sampled the Madrid nightlife a little too hard on Friday night. Nevertheless, I persevered and make it to the tour company, Bravo Bike, on time. It was to be ... [Read More]

Sardines and Sangria

International press trips are highly coveted by those lucky enough to participate. One of the many reasons is the food and drink. Monday night, at a restaurant called El Lirio on the beach at Malaga, Spain I discovered how great grilled sardines can be. Tuesday night it was the El Agua restaurant with an incredible view of the 9th century castle Alhambra, Spain's most visited tourist attraction. Nearly as incredible were the seemingly limitless pitchers of sangria brought to our table. Time was seemingly limitless too as this dinner ran till nearly 1 a.m. Great food and drink, but the hours can be grueling. [Read More]

Time to get rid of my old bag

My primary piece of luggage seems to have more adventures traveling than I do..so it’s probably time I parted with my old bag. When I was in Hungary in February, it decided to stay an extra two days and have who knows what sort of adventures thanks to Malev airlines. Monday, when I arrived in Malaga, Spain, I discovered that my old bag had once again decided to leave me during a brief layover in Paris…it finally caught up to me in Granada, Spain on Tuesday evening after Air Europa tracked it down, about 24 hours after having to rush out and buy a couple days ... [Read More]

Budapest Distractions

Traveling behind the old Iron Curtain always has a bit of intrigue for me. Budapest, Hungary’s capital and economic center, is a beautiful city for the most part and oozes history. It also has the feel of one of those Radio Free Europe commercials I use to watch as a kid. It’s also one of those cities where I keep my wallet in my front pocket firmly gripped by my right hand. Visitors quickly learn that Budapest is the combination of Buda, the old part of town, and Pest, the current business center, divided by the Danube. Each has its charms and both share a propensity ... [Read More]