You know we like small group tours and adventures, and we want to share these options with you. This is a sponsored post by the luxury small cruise ship line Aqua Expeditions. Smaller cruise ships go to places where the big ships can’t, and offer more time and experience in the places they go. Who…
If we had the chance to live in Ireland, Howth would be at the top of our list. This quaint little fishing town is surrounded by natural beauty but still close to Dublin’s big city conveniences. It exemplifies postcard perfection with its picturesque marina, quaint seaside shops and cafés, coastal cliff walks, and historic namesakes….
Getting mail in Mexico is one of the great mysteries of living here. Before moving to Mexico, we had heard that mail delivery was slow, even non-existent. If we want to receive mail from the United States, it may arrive a few weeks or months later, or maybe not at all. And the same if…
Queretaro is home to one of the largest growing cities in Mexico, but just outside of the “big city” you’ll find the entrance to the Sierra Gorda mountains, a growing wine region and farmland stretching over the green hillsides. Roads are lined with cornfields, hot houses, and dairy farms with grazing animals watched over by…
In the 1970s, Tom spent a few of his summer vacations visiting his grandmother in San Miguel de Allende. Back then the roads were not as convenient as they are today, nor was the bus transportation. Roads were not always paved and potholes could swallow a small car easily. The bus was what you…
Tequisquiapan is the perfect escape from city life. Surrounded by dairy farms and vineyards, Tequisquiapan is an oasis for relaxation with its spas, boutique hotels and countryside activities. Spend the morning hot-air ballooning over the agricultural fields, soak in the special mineral waters at numerous spas in the afternoon, shop at the Mercado de Artisanas…
Most people are familiar with French and California wines. Oenophiles will rave about Italian and Spanish wines. Chile is known for its cheap, but very delicious wines. And Mexico? Yes. Mexico makes great wines, too. The country of Mexico may not be in the top 10 (or even 20) for producing wine, but that doesn’t…
Queretaro’s landscape and climate might not seem like ideal growing conditions with its summer hail storms, but if you look around the world, some of the best wines come from semi-arid climates and high elevations. Queretaro wineries plant their vineyards between 6200-7000 ft elevation which leads to hot days and cool nights. This drastic swing…
San Miguel de Allende has been named the Best Small City in the World in 2017, 2018 and 2020 by Conde Naste Traveler readers, and rightly so. Its location in the heart of wine country probably had something to do it. You can’t beat a combination of colonial architecture, colorful festivals, fine dining and wine…
Buyer beware, you get what you pay for… During my thirty-five years in the wine business, I often came across instances where you didn’t get what you pay for. Fifteen-dollar wines were often just as good as twenty-five-dollar wines. Sometimes fifty-dollar wines were better than one hundred- and fifty-dollar wines. But there is one area…
It’s bound to happen. With parking lots being few and far between in Centro and the one-way roads stressing you out, a little space may seem like a gift from heaven, but later comes with a price tag. Here’s a short explanation on what to do if you get a ticket in Centro in Queretaro,…
It’s hard to believe we’ve been living in Mexico for four years. It really doesn’t seem that long. Time moves at a different pace when your life isn’t consumed by work and a commute. That’s not to say it’s a vacation every day. Sometimes it’s far from it. But we will say that the good…