MikaP

Lisbon, Portugal is a beautiful, warm, affordable place to visit. Think of breathtaking views of red rooftops for miles on end, watching the sun set over the wide river Tagus while sipping a beer, perusing the streets of the old town and admiring the mosaic walls. Lisbon possesses so much beauty and character in its heart, it's tempting to not want to venture further afield. But if you do, an exciting city break can be extended into a activity packed, architecturally appealing European holiday with both town and sea.

On this day, the Beatles take the airwaves in the U.S. with their first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show.

As the country concerned itself with the U.S. government shutdown, an elephant seal colony decided to make a North California beach their new home on the sand.

I first learned of Guy Fawkes when I moved to London and was invited to a Guy Fawkes celebration that was full of fun, fireworks and libation.  Only later did I learn more about the man that the British recognize today with fanfare. 

When we are at home, we pretty have much everything that we need. However, things are often different when we are traveling and we must learn to pack all the travel essentials. Many of us can admit that they do seldom forget to carry an item which they absolutely need. This is certainly irritating, even though there are numerous products which we can purchase after we reach our planned destination. There are, of course, a few travel essentials which are truly irreplaceable.

Not so many fascinating wetlands are present on the African continent. However, one of these few is the Okavango Delta, situated in the  Kalahari Desert within the ancient country of Botswana. The Okavango offers both an unusual environment and an amazing host of diverse wildlife.

Sir Hans Sloane was a naturalist who had managed to amass an enormous collection of books, manuscripts, dried plants and antiquities from his travels. As he neared his death, he did not wish to see his collection broken up or, worse yet, forgotten. Sloane bequeathed his collection to King George II who, in turn, gave his royal assent to an Act of Parliament to establish the British Museum using Sloane's collection as a foundation. Two large libraries of books, one of which included the only surviving copy of Beowulf, were added to the Sloane materials. The concept for the British Museum was unique - it was owned by the government, but not by the king, and was freely open to the public. First situated in the Montagu House, the exhibition galleries and a reading room opened on January 15, 1759. The gallery was first situated in Montagu House in Bloomsbury. [...]

Pinckney Benton Stewart Pinchback on this day in 1872 became the first person of African-American descent to serve as the governor of a U.S. State. Pinchback served as the Governor of Louisiana, rising to the office after serving as the acting lieutenant governor. When the governor of Louisiana was impeached and removed from office, Pinchback became governor for the last few weeks of the term.

Ever dreamed of sleeping under the sea? Well, your window of opportunity has just opened up. The world’s first ever underwater hotel residence was recently opened in the Conrad Maldives Rangali Island by Conrad Hotels & Resorts, Hilton.

On December 4, 1872, the captain of the commercial sailing vessel Dei Gratia, spotted the American ship Mary Celeste sailing toward the Straights of Gibraltar. Captain David Reed Morehouse of the Dei Gratia knew the Mary Celeste had sailed out of New York only a few weeks before.

In our digital world ruled by social media, you have not traveled if you do not fill your Instagram and Snapchat account with destination photographs. One Bali resort is breaking the status quo and putting a stop to this notion.

Earlier last week, freezing temperatures, powerful winds and high tides off Cape Cod in Massachusetts caused migrating sea turtles to freeze to death. The turtles were trapped in the hook-shaped cape and the low temperatures stifled their ability to successfully make it home. They were immediately immobilized and left to the mercy of the strong winds. Some of the turtles affected by the harsh conditions included one of the smallest and most endangered sea turtles, Kemp’s Ridley. The other affected turtle species were the tropical sea turtles, green turtles, and loggerhead turtle.