The oldest free public library in Scotland began as an attempt by Scottish Protestants to ensure their tenants were learned and could think for themselves. Today, Innerpeffray stands as a landmark for Bibliophiles and an important repository of Scottish history.
Angel Castellanos is a confident young traveler, so young in appearance you might not want to trust him with the family car. But when it comes to traveling in the digital age, his expertise is impressive.
It is surprising to find the towns of West Texas all are so different given that most of the immigrants came about the same time and from somewhat similar European places. That's not the biggest surprise, however.
History is on display in San Marcos, TX, including the history of Western film. The University of Texas-San Marcos houses a fascinating collection of pieces from the groundbreaking miniseries "Lonesome Dove."
San Marcos is unexpectedly interesting-a surprise because we didn't think Dick's Classic Cars would be the magnificent show it turns out to be, and we didn't realize the Commemorative Air Force Centex Wing would have such a moving tribute to Jimmy Doolittle, or that the town would have the largest collection of outlet stores in the United States.
This historic Texas town was settled by German immigrants. Today it's got a decidedly western character, and plenty of local characters.
Fun dominates this little town of 873 souls, a town that doesn't take itself too seriously, a town where locals regard the OST (Old Spanish Trail) Restaurant on Main Street as their office.
The Museum of Western Art is mostly why we chose to visit Kerrville on our 6-town, 12-day visit to the Texas Hill Country. It opened in 1983 at a cost of $2.5 million.
Kerrville strikes us as the least touristy of all the Texas Hill County towns. Its population of 22,000 just seems to want to go about its business and enjoy the good life.
Of all 6 communities we have visited in the Texas Hill District, Fredericksburg is the most German and therefore the best organized.
It was early in the year 1854 when the 3 pioneer families came, the attraction the abundance of cypress trees along the rivers. Shingles made from the trees could even be used to purchase land. They were hardy people.
The name Dripping Springs doesn't conjure up Texan grandeur. But it is what it is: the place where in 1854 Nannie Moss noticed that priceless commodity in a dry and dusty land-water-dripping from soaking ferns on their property and had her Eureka! Moment.
Bordeaux, France is the quintessential European city. It has a convenient On/Off Tourist Bus service, fantastic public transportation that comes along so frequently you really don't need to rent a car, and easy walking using the free tourist office maps or following, carefully, the tram routes that lead to destinations.
The up-and-coming city in southwest France has a history as a stopping point for religious pilgrims en route to Spain's Santiago de Compostela, but in its modern-day incarnation, residents say the city is becoming more fashionable than Paris – "Bordeaux is half the cost so twice the value."
Saint-Émilion, about 22 miles northeast of Bordeaux, is fun. Like Bergerac, it is a photographer's delight. It's on a hill so there's some walking, but nobody needed the Nordic walking poles.
We are now in Blaye on the north side of the largest estuary in Europe, the Gironde. Blaye fortress, is a 17th Century citadel and a UNESCO tribute to the military genius who designed it, the engineer Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban.
Cadillac is a working town of about 2,500 people. It has no real tourist traps. It is what it is – to us, an authentic, delightful, almost innocent town.
Good news, bad news. Bad news: Sometimes a port-of-call has to be suffered because the value lies beyond. Good news: Sometimes the shore excursion brings you to a destination so delightful you'd like the day never to end as happens in Uniworld's excursion to Bergerac on its Bordeaux cruise.
Castles and fortresses, vineyards and farmers' markets, history lessons made easy. And walking on cobbles: "nature's plantar physical therapy." It's all there on a river cruise around Bordeaux in southwest France.
We had thought our usual approach to a foreign European country would be a good start. Hello was bom dia. Excuse me was desculpe. Please could be faz favor. Thank you would be obligado/a. And goodbye adeus. Well… it's not that simple.
Eric and Nancy Anderson travel to a place few tourists -- and few Portuguese -- have ever heard of.
Eric and Nancy Anderson continue their Iberian journey, traveling from Portugal to the northern Spanish city of Salamanca.
When the Romans founded the city of Porto in 16 BC, they named it Portus Cale, from the Latin for "warm port." Eric and Nancy Anderson say the city's just as inviting today.
We have long wanted to sail Portugal's river of history, the Douro, but time constraints meant we skipped the Lisbon part of Uniworld's cruise and flew direct to Porto, the second largest city in Portugal.
Portugal's Douro River may not be particularly long, but it carries a history that covers the beginning of the port wine trade in the 1600s.
The pristine simplicity of Baja, the best part of Mexico, is hard to resist. There is a reason why a small boat cruise into the Gulf of California, aka the Sea of Cortez, is on many persons' bucket lists.
It might cost you more, but it's well worth it to purchase your cruise line's transfer from the airport. Otherwise, if you go your own way, you might find yourself waving goodbye to the boat as it pulls out of port without you.
At the bottom of 1,700-foot tall cliffs, lays the remnants of a leper colony and the priest who sacrificed his life to care for them. But to reach it, you have to ride a mule down the harrowing trail.
Maui offers a great mix of big-time resorts and sleepy bed & breakfasts, each with their own unique sights, sounds, and flavors.
Vacation deals abound in Hawaii, which continues to suffer from a decline in tourism in the wake of the powerful Japanese earthquake and tsunami. If you're planning a trip to Maui, here are 10 attractions our travel columnists say you shouldn't miss.
