Author Profile: Laureen Lund

Although I was able to visit Bordeaux for a long leisurely stay, you can really enjoy this city with only a few days. Bordeaux has a surprising food scene (read last week’s blog post Bountiful Bordeaux, Eating My Way Through the City), as well as culture, arts, nature and history. It is still relatively under the radar as far as destinations in France, and I fell completely in love with it. Come with me to Discover Bordeaux...   view more

I have visited France numerous times, but this was my first visit to Bordeaux. It was recommended to us by Parisian friends as a great location for a long stay. And indeed it has been. Still flying under the radar, this ancient city on the Garonne River is undergoing a renaissance. Over the past twenty years Bordeaux has gone from dilapidated to divine. Cleaned up, yet still a bit gritty – Bordeaux is un-apologetically authentic. And the food is well…magnifique. Let’s talk about...   view more

In Australia they say How Ya Going as a greeting and salutation. Well, when I am in Melbourne and the greater Victoria area, I am always going fine. The city is cosmopolitan with art, theater, museums, dining and recreation of all kinds. It is close to easy day trips with wonderful natural beauty. The people are down to earth, friendly and proud. Melbourne has it all. Let me tell you what I loved the...   view more

Wow. Baku was just Wow. A surprisingly modern city, full of culture and color – we really enjoyed our week-long visit to Baku, Azerbaijan. Let’s talk about...   view more

Yerevan, Armenia is not on everyone’s travel bucket list, but it was on mine after reading about it from another travel blogger several years ago. In fact we were scheduled for this trip when Covid shut the world down. So we were happy to finally get to the beautiful Caucasus...   view more

The tiny medieval town of Bratislava is often a stop on Danube river cruises. It’s an easy town to wander on your own, or take an organized tour. It’s also a very easy day trip from Vienna – which is how we we visited and spent One Day in Bratislava...   view more

What a pleasant surprise. A beautiful spot on a beautiful lake. North Macedonia is not on many American’s radars as a destination. Most of its visitors are coming from Europe. But this emerging destination deserves consideration. Our visit was brief, but I’m so glad we came. Here are my thoughts on A Visit to Lake Ohrid, North...   view more

We had Albania on our itinerary in 2020 when we had to cut our travels short and return home due to the Pandamit. It’s taken four years to get Albania and other Balkan countries back onto our itinerary. We are so glad to finally visit and to learn all About Albania – Tirana and...   view more

Chania is a charming coastal town, known for its picturesque Venetian harbor, narrow streets, and historic architecture. The town has a rich history, with influences from the Venetians, Ottomans, and Egyptians. Chania offers a mix of cultural attractions, vibrant markets, and beautiful beaches, making it a one of the things we really fell in love...   view more

The tiny Republic of San Marino, only 23 square miles, is hiding in plain sight. Sitting on top of Mount Titano, the country’s capital is the City of San Marino. The city/state of San Marino is landlocked and completely surrounded by Italy. From the mountain top every which way you look you see Italy…the Adriatic to the East and Umbria to the West and South. And here sits San Marino – Hiding in Plain...   view more

Our recent road trip took us through Cleveland Ohio, a city I had never been to. We happened to arrive on the day the Cleveland Guardians were playing in the MLB Wildcard series. The city was excited about that. But we had decided to make a stop in Cleveland for another reason. We came to see two specific things. So if you are planning a visit, here are two Cleveland Ohio Museums Not to...   view more

One day in Chicago, Illinois…well, technically I had one full day plus a few hours the evening before. And honestly, it’s not enough to see this beautiful city. But it was all the time we had, so we hit the highlights. If you only have One Day In Chicago Illinois, here are my...   view more

Nashville for first timers. Not what I was expecting. What a wild place – crazy, historic, loud, interesting and delicious. Nashville for first timers can be a bit of a surprise though. At least it was for...   view more

We spent two fabulous weeks exploring and getting to know the high desert area of Tucson Arizona. It was unexpected. I loved pretty much everything about it and I will definitely come back next winter. In fact, I really think I could spend several months a year in this lovely town, surrounded by nature. Here are the things I loved the most, the nine things to do in Tucson...   view more

We spent three days in Reykjavik (well more like two and half due to jet lag), but we found it compact and easy to maneuver. We saw several interesting sites all within easy walking distance from our hotel. If you are passing through the beautiful Icelandic city of Reykjavik, we recommend the following – Reykjavik on...   view more

I recently spent twelve days visiting New York City. It was my sixth visit to the city – my first when I was in college in 1980. Since then my visits have all been three to four days…never enough time to really feel the heart of this amazing city. Visiting for twelve days was incredible. We did not visit the top tourist attractions this time like Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island or the Empire State Building. We had done all that on previous visits. Instead we explored deeper, wandered widely...   view more

New York, the largest city in the United States, is a collection of distinctive neighborhoods covering more than 472 square miles. Home to 8.5 million people, New Yorkers are proud and hard working, ambitious and love their city and individual...   view more

I had a wonderful time in beautiful Palm Springs California recently with a group of women I went to high school with. We try to get together every year to celebrate our long friendship and our continued comradery. This year’s reunion was a Palm Springs...   view more

We spent six days in Granada Nicaragua and found so many surprising things. You could easily see this small town in less time, but we had the time so we took it. Let me tell you some of our favorite discoveries in Granada Nicaragua – Colonial Charm and Much...   view more

We spent an entire month in this awesome little place. Let me take your hand and introduce you to San Juan del Sur with Eight Fun Things to do in San Juan del Sur...   view more

We spent a week in La Paz Bolivia recently, purposely planing a long visit to give us time to acclimate to this city in the sky. La Paz was our jumping off point for an overland Bolivian tour. And at 11,893 feet (3625 meters) we knew we needed to take our time. And we have the time, so we spent 8 lovely days Living in the Sky – La Paz...   view more

We recently spent a quick four days in New York City, one of my favorite cities in the world. There is such a plethora of things to do in this city. It’s not the New York of old. It is clean, efficient, colorful. In fact the trees and flowers were all in bloom and my allergies where in full spring mode. But I loved it nonetheless. New York City – The Hidden Gems...   view more

A day in Ballard is a pleasant idea….but even better why not a weekend or several days? There is so much to do here, without ever actually going into downtown Seattle. Beautiful Ballard. We want you to give it the time it deserves, so we share with you a wide variety of our favorite Ballard finds…everything from beer to parks, coffee to fish, and hiking to vintage. Yah sure yabetcha – it’s time to rediscover Ballard,...   view more

Despite our hundreds of countries and thousands of miles covered over the years, we had never made it to Ciudad de Mexico until late 2021. At that time we came just to enjoy a week long Eating My Way Through Mexico City food tour…thinking that was all there was to do. Boy were we wrong. So, we couldn’t wait to get back to this fascinating and historic place because there is just so much to love about Mexico...   view more

Oh we have tried to get to Hong Kong twice in the past. And for one reason or another it just never happened. But this year, we made it a priority. I really wanted to see this city, but I was also a little nervous knowing how immense it was. But we went, we saw, we ate and oh what a place. I know we will visit again. Here is my post Visiting Hong Kong for the First...   view more

We started our second visit to Australia in the beautiful city of Brisbane. We came to Australia six years ago and saw many of this country’s top sites. But not Brisbane. So on this visit, which will be for two entire months, we began in Brisbane. What a delightful surprise it was. Here are my tips to Visit Beautiful Brisbane...   view more

Tasmania. Where is it? I don’t think most people even know. Not that long ago I wouldn’t have known either. But today I can say it is one of the most amazing places I have ever been. And Hobart, the capital city of Tasmania, is definitely worth a visit. Let me tell you why I say Hobart, Tasmania – The Most Surprising Town in...   view more

Two days isn’t really enough. But that is what we had so we made it work. We actually had a little more than two days, but we arrived in Bologna after a 32 hour travel day that started in Koh Chang Thailand. So by the time we got to our hotel, we were exhausted. But the next morning we hit the ground running, to see and do as much as we could with our remaining time – Two Days in Bologna...   view more

A thirty-minute ferry ride from Seattle, or a thirty-minute drive from Bremerton, Beautiful Bainbridge Island Washington is a well kept secret. Home to 25,000 full-time residents, the island is one of several that call the Puget Sound home, and is one of the most populated. Only ten miles long and five miles wide, Bainbridge is connected to the Kitsap Peninsula by a bridge over Agate Pass and to Seattle and King County by Washington State...   view more