Posts Tagged ‘adventure’

MONHEGAN ISLAND, MAINE

Posted: September 27, 2026 in Uncategorized
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About 10 miles off the coast of Maine lies Monhegan Island, a small artists’ colony with about 70 year-round residents. For the most part, you walk the island. There are a few pick-up trucks that will carry your luggage to your hotel or rental. And there are golf carts for the older folks. But it’s an art and nature lover’s island.

Day trips from either Port Clyde or New Harbor, Maine, are the way most people go. But overnights are even better. Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to stay on this island for a week or more, and its rugged beauty is quintessential Maine.

It had been quite a few years since my last visit, but my daughter and I went this past July, to see her mom, who teaches art classes on the island in the summertime. Sure, there are a few more golf carts than before, and it seems that there are more people that have discovered this well-kept secret, but it’s still a very special place to visit.

The Island Inn, where I stayed.

Finding great food on Monhegan Island is not a problem, especially if you like lobster! A couple of the hotels serve dinner (BYOB…there’s no booze served on the island, though beer and wine are available in the grocery store and there is a brewery.)

Lobster at the Fish House.

If you like hiking, there are plenty of dirt roads and trails in the woods to walk, and the views on this island are really quite spectacular, especially if you get to spend the night.

Ice Pond. In the old days, when the water was frozen, they’d cut ice out of this pond and use it for food storage.
No deer on the island, but you will run into pheasants!

There’s also a crepe stand, something new since my last visit, and you can choose sweet or savory. I chose one with smoked salmon!

Hangin’ with the chef, who spends his winters in Morocco and summers here on the island!
Sunsets from the rocking chairs on the deck of the Island Inn, are spectacular!

For fancier fare, The Monhegan House reigns supreme for wonderful, thoughtful dishes. Here are a few…

My daughter and I stayed on Monhegan for just a few nights, but it was a wonderful, relaxing trip. If you’re planning a coastal Maine vacation next summer, be sure to include a full day (an overnight is better) on Monhegan Island! But do what I did, and bring your own martinis!

LAST STOP: LISBON, PORTUGAL

Posted: May 15, 2026 in Uncategorized
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Leaving Algarve, the southern region of Portugal, I was going to take a longer, more scenic route back north to Lisbon along the western shore. But I was getting tired of driving, having already put about 900 miles behind me, and I had almost 200 more to go via the most direct route, which would take about 3 hours. I decided to go direct, rather than add even more hours to my journey via the scenic route.

Fascinating to see so many stork nests on the transmission towers near the highway.

Once in the city of Lisbon, I just needed to navigate my little rental car to my home for the next 3 nights: the Altis Avenida Hotel. Once there, the valet would whisk my car away and I wouldn’t need it again until it was time for me to return the car to the airport a few days later.

The hotel was wonderful, with a room on the 6th floor, giving me a great view of the city.

So many interesting places were just a walk away from my central location, and I explored a lot on foot, despite the fact that there were some serious hills challenging my bad knees!

I was craving fresh seafood, and the hotel concierge told me of a place that was just a few blocks away: Ribadouro Restaurante Cervejaria. It totally hit the spot.

Welks and shrimp for lunch, with a beer to wash it down. Perfect on a warm, sunny day!
The selection of seafood was incredible!
My hotel was just a block away from the Hard Rock Cafe, a great stop for a refreshing gin and tonic…or two…

This was a wonderful cocktail that I came back for several times. As it turned out, my choice for dinner and drinks my first night was on the top floor of the hotel, at the Rossio Gastrobar. Great drinks and wonderful food…it got pretty crowded at night. The views of Lisbon from the open-air rooftop were amazing, with lively music, lots of couples, and even blankets and a dozen fire pits to keep guests warm on cooler nights. It became my last stop at the end of every day in Lisbon, and why not? My room was just an elevator ride away.

ALGARVE, PORTUGAL

Posted: May 6, 2026 in Uncategorized
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A look back at my 1000+ mile trip through Portugal continues…

The southernmost region of Portugal is called Algarve, and that was my ultimate destination after leaving the seaside village of Nazaré, driving through Albcobaça and Évora. It was about a 4-hour drive, not including stops (and missing exits!) I drove through miles and mile–wait, I was in Europe–kilometers and kilometers–with hectares and hectares–of vineyards and olive trees.

My 2-night stop was at the Westin Algarve Salgados Beach Resort, a beautiful property on the Mediterranean. And although my room was fantastic and the grounds were impeccable, there were a few maintenance issues with my room. And for food, only the lobby bar area was open my first night. Sadly, although we were far from the busy season, it was clear the staff was completely unprepared, perhaps even untrained.

Albufeira

The old town of Albufeira was a quick Uber ride away, and I spent an afternoon walking up and down the narrow streets that were packed with souvenir shops, bars and restaurants. It reminded me of Bourbon Street in New Orleans, just a tourist trap, but with a lot less charm and no good music (except for one local street performer.)

I almost booked a hotel in Albufeira, and I’m so glad I didn’t. If it was this noisy in the off-season, I can’t even imagine what the busy season would be like, especially in the evening when the real loud partying begins.

A view of the Mediterranean

I was glad to say I visited, but I was also glad to leave. Perhaps the least attractive and least inviting part of my entire trip.

The somewhat famous Albufeira “tunel,” built in the 1930’s to give people access to the beach.
The only food I had in Albufeira was this iced cappuccino. And it was the best coffee I had on the entire trip!
The young ladies working the coffee shop were jammin’ all day, so I made sure to treat them well.
Wanna paint a target on your back? Take the “tourist train!”

NAZARÉ, PORTUGAL

Posted: April 26, 2026 in Uncategorized
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You’ve probably seen on You Tube those videos of the crazy 100-foot waves that surfers try to conquer every year. Well, that happens during the winter months at Nazaré, Portugal. The primary factor in making those massive waves is an enormous underwater canyon, the Nazaré Canyon, that stretches for about 220 kilometers, running perpendicular to the shoreline. The deep-sea trench ends just a few meters off the shore of Praia do Norte, where the water depth is till about 20 meters. The drastic transition from deep to shallower water causes the enormous waves.

In the summer, Nazaré and Praia de Norte are quite a bit calmer! Almost hard to believe those waves actually can happen here.

That red lighthouse is where fans watch those crazy surfers do their thing!

I found Nazaré to be one of my favorite stops on my trip through Portugal…a sleepy surfer town with lots of restaurants and shops, and a great beach to walk.

Later in the day, the local soccer players come out and play until the sun goes down.
The view from my room balcony at Hotel Praia, where I stayed. A great little hotel with underground parking (a rarity) and excellent location for walking.
You can even do your laundry right on the street!

Of course, there’s the most casual meal to fantastic seafood available in Nazaré. The tiger prawns are the size of a lobster!

And they grow some really big oysters here, too!

And, being on the west coast of Portugal, you get great sunsets!

Plaia do Norte when the waves aren’t crazy! You can actually drive onto the beach. (The view is from the north side of the red lighthouse, whereas the town of Nazaré is south of it.)

ROAD TRIP: CLEVELAND AND CHICAGO

Posted: January 17, 2026 in Uncategorized
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Back in September, when my daughter started her freshman year at Northwestern University in Chicago, she and her mother flew out there, and I decided to take a road trip, putting the bigger, bulkier things in my car.

I stopped in Cleveland along the way, and had some fun food adventures.
Funny thing is, I loaded the photos into this blog’s library, but I never made a post out of it.
Better late than never!

It starts with the Marble Room, an incredible steak restaurant in the heart of Cleveland. Once the home to the National City Bank, this beautiful old bank lobby has been converted into a breathtaking restaurant. Clearly, the classiest joint in this city! And the food and service was fantastic.

My next day’s dining experience was not a letdown, despite the fact that I targeted a restaurant that was featured on Food Network’s “Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives.” Fat Cats is a neighborhood restaurant that puts out some very creative and delicious dishes, and on my visit, the place was packed.

Goma was my stop for sushi, just steps from my hotel and the Rocket Arena.

Once in Chicago, we had an incredible meal at the Russian Tea Time Restaurant. It always starts with a vodka martini…

Blinis and caviar.
Chicken Kiev
Herring and potatoes
Napoleon for dessert.

Of course, there were other meals in local spots.

My return trip took me through Columbus, Ohio and Wilmington, Delaware.

My Columbus stop was quick, but I had a great Italian dinner at Martini Modern Italian. I think I was so tired and hungry, the only shot I got was of my Negroni!

Banks Seafood Kitchen and Raw Bar on the river in Wilmington, Delaware, looks and acts like a chain restaurant, but they made great cocktails and served up some very fresh seafood. No complaints!

Always fun to take a drive and see what kind of food adventures I can find!