Where to go to be in the know...about travel
If you visit the Ring of Kerry and Dingle Peninsula in southern Ireland be sure to visit the Foynes Flying Boat Museum in County Limerick. Here you’ll learn about the nostalgic era when Foynes was the center of the aviation world, from 1939 to 1945. Housed in the original terminal building, the Flying museum opened in 1989 and features the only full scale replica of a Boeing B314 in world.
With it’s Casas Colgadas, or Hanging Houses, and coloful old town center, Spain’s Cuenca is a great place to visit. But try to come during one of its popular festivals in either the spring or fall to experience something truly extraordinary.
In the small Spanish town of Cuenca, time appears to stand still, carved in stone atop a precipice 3,300 feet above a river gorge. That’s where you see the Casas Colgadas, or Hanging Houses, Cuenca’s most iconic image.
The Europeans love holding fests to celebrate both small and large events. November and December are big months for Christmas markets and festivals of all kinds. Christmas markets start around mid-November and go through Christmas and sometimes through to New Years. You can find Christmas Markets in all areas of Europe. They come in all shapes and sizes, but all have the traditional wood ornament and toy seller’s stalls, and all sell unique treasures from their part of the world.
Entering Barcelona on Carnival’s Liberty luxury cruise vessel, the hubbub of the city seemed like any other big city in the world: Crowded streets, people riding their bikes, vendors waiting for rich Americans to buy their goods, and dogs who like to dress up.
Fall is the time when Germany, from the biggest towns to the smallest villages, abounds with every kind of festival imagined. It is an ideal time to visit. There are wurst festivals, farmer’s markets, autumn markets, and, of course, the ever popular wine fests and Oktoberfests (beer gardens)!
