Editor’s note: love of travel comes from somewhere, and mine is partially due to my mom. After being my biggest cheerleader and most regular reader here at The Royal Tour, I’m thrilled to be able to share her first article with you now. The links will take you to articles I have written about some…
All too often, we as humans have the tendency to look for something new and exciting. Many times this comes at the expense of something old and historic. On rare occasions, we are able to balance the preservation of the old while transforming it into something new. Here in Anaheim, in California’s Orange County, I…
There is never a bad day to visit an outdoor architectural history museum. Even on a slightly cool and overcast June day in Los Angeles, the buildings of Heritage Square Museum shine. The exteriors are beautifully restored and/or preserved, and while the interiors vary from fully furnished and restored to states of semi-ruin, the history…
Editor’s note: Morgan is our resident rockhound here at The Royal Tour, and today she shares a story of her finds in Texas. For more of her adventures in all things rocks, click here to visit her index page. When an invitation took me to Southeast Texas, I found myself faced with a unique challenge…
Shockingly, with all of the European travel I’ve done, my experience with Italy is limited to a few days in Venice, and a day each in Rome and Naples. That’s it. Given that I’ve spent months in France, Spain, Portugal, the UK, and Germany, that’s pretty sad. So when it came time to plan my…
Montevideo, Uruguay is a city of just under two million, containing roughly 60% of the country’s population. Located on the northern shore of the vast Rio de la Plata, it has seaside vibes with sandy beaches and wide waterfront promenades lined with luxury condos. It is not a tourism hot spot, which is both good…
Editor’s note: Iceland might be the very top of my travel wish list, although before reading Sam’s journey I didn’t know much of the south. Now I am dying to see these waterfalls and beaches! For more of Sam’s adventures, click here to visit his index page. As I write this article, we are in…
Upon visiting Uruguay, and specifically Montevideo, Anthony Bourdain made the remark that this was a perfect place for American expats. It’s a rather stunning statement from a guy who confessed his desire to live in Southeast Asia should he have chosen to leave the US permanently. That episode of Parts Unknown is the reason I…
Plaza Independencia, Montevideo. At one time, where I am standing would have been in the middle of a large fortress built to protect this Spanish colonial city from attack by land. Today, I’m surrounded instead by beautiful buildings dating from the early 20th century, modern governmental buildings, and ever-present Uruguayans leisurely strolling their capital. In…
Jutting out into the blue-brown (depends on the weather) waters of the vast Rio de la Plata, Punta Carretas occupies a small peninsula in Montevideo. This neighborhood doesn’t contain really any of the things you’ll come to Montevideo to see, especially if you only have a day or two as a side trip from Buenos…