Travel

LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLA. — Award-winning Chef Kevin Dundon of Raglan Road Irish Pub & Restaurant in Downtown Disney goes fishing in Ireland for the...

Several years ago, when construction began on a housing development overlooking the Gulf of Mexico, an eagle’s nest with eggs was discovered in the forest that was about to be razed. Today, the aptly named Sanctuary community surrounds an island of trees that was preserved so the birds’ habitat would not be destroyed.

I was mesmerized by the beauty and tranquility of the Ming Dynasty Chinese garden through which I was strolling. Images of intricately sculpted roofs and covered walkways are reflected in jade-green pools.

Many people picture the Dominican Republic as a place of golden sand beaches and inviting all-inclusive resorts. While there are many such settings, we had other things in mind during our recent visit.

A tiny log home stands near a general store. Colorfully named establishments from the past include the Rough & Ready Flour Mill and the First and Last Chance Saloon.

In 1733, a Quaker named Amos Janney settled in an isolated corner of Virginia and built grist and saw mills beside a narrow creek. About a decade later, a group of German immigrants established a community in Maryland that became a resting place for pioneers driving wagon trains to the West.

Hearing the word “Greece” can conjure up multiple images. Whitewashed villages gleaming in the sun. Seas that range in a spectrum of color from light turquoise to dark blue.

My birthday present to myself was to turn a blind eye to calories. So I ate and drank (no driving) with reckless abandon.

I stood frozen with fear as the terrifying image drew closer, his curved sword swinging wildly. Just as he seemed about to separate my head and body, I snapped back to reality.

When I arrived in the northwest corner of England which prompted poets and other writers to wax so eloquently, it didn’t take long to understand why.