Seniors Amazed By Malta

Malta, a southern European country in the Mediterranean Sea, is 80 km south of Sicily and 333 km north of Libya. Seniors find Malta to be one of the world’s smallest and most densely populated countries. There is history galore in Malta… it is in the heart of the Mediterranean and a melting pot of civilizations with a history stretching back thousands of years.

The country has been inhabited since around 5200 BC and a significant prehistoric civilization existed on the islands prior to the arrival of the Phoenicians who named the main island Malat, meaning safe haven. The capital city,  Valletta, a piece of living history, was founded in 1565 by the Order of St John as a refuge for soldiers returning from the Crusades.

Valletta is named for Jean Parisot de la Valette, a French nobleman who was Grand Master of the Order of St. John and leader of the defenders during the Turkish siege of Malta in 1565. Valletta, with an unsurpassed collection of original Baroque architecture and fortified city walls overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site for the massive number of historical buildings found in a tiny space. That says to jeb come on over and visit.

Senior Historians Delight in Malta

Saint Julian’s is a popular senior vacation spot on the coast of Malta. The small town successfully blends its fishing village charm with its tourist center. Latin architecture, such as Spinola Palace, built in 1688, and the Old Parish Church are popular historical sites. TripAdvisor has an interesting array of choices for seniors to check out on Malta. 

The Hypogeum of Paola is said to be the oldest burial site in the world dating back to the Middle Bronze Age. In fact, it’s around 3000 years old and only a dozen people are allowed inside it every day so, you do feel like a very important person when visiting the Hypogeum.

Three famous monuments are the Co-Cathedral of St. John, the Upper Baracca Gardens and what is called The Three CIties. With 7000 years of history and only 3 hours flight from the UK, the Maltese islands – Malta, Gozo and Comino offer the perfect backdrop for a holiday escape.

So seniors, come and discover the heart of the Mediterranean in Malta. It is a fascinating place and on my travel bucket list. The azure waters around Malta are just unbelievable.  jeb

Seniors Descend On Pensacola

Many seniors have chosen Florida for retirement. Some love the Atlantic Coast, others prefer the Gulf side.  Some love living near the “Glades” in the south, while others feel that the extreme humidity year round in the south makes living a little uncomfortable. The panhandle seems to better fit their needs.  Senior citizens can enjoy the water, the sun and life in and around Pensacola.The city is small, yet large enough to provide lots of amenities.

Pensacola is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle with a population of just over 50,000. In the entire metropolitan area residents number over 450,000. What I remember about the name Pensacola is that there is a large US Naval Air Station there plus it’s home to the Blue Angels flight demonstration team. You will want to take in the Historic Pensacola Village. The Village consists of twenty properties in the Pensacola National Register Historic District.

Seniors looking for some great Florida beaches but aren’t necessarily interested in a mega-resort or theme park atmosphere, Pensacola might just be the place for your perfect weekend. Home to Gulf Islands National Seashore, the city offers some of the best fishing and boating in the area.

TripAdvisor notes 50 star attractions not to be missed by any senior visitor and the Naval Aviation Museum ranks #1. Downtown Pensacola is overflowing with southern hospitality and super dining establishments.

Famous Pensacola Beach Draws Seniors

Pensacola Beach, world famous for its sugar-white sand beaches and emerald-green waters, has an old Florida feel with its local hang-outs, first-rate fishing and historic Fort Pickens. In fact, Pensacola Beach was recently selected as one of TripAdvisor’s Top 25 Beaches in the U.S. The Pensacola Beach Pier is one of the longest in the Gulf of Mexico at 1,471 feet.

Just down the street from Fort Barrancas is the famous Pensacola Lighthouse. This 160 ft, 1859 lighthouse is rumored to be haunted. So be on the lookout for ghosts of lighthouse keepers past as you climb the 177 steps and poke around the adjacent museum. Good exercise seniors.

In 2006, a 910 ft-long aircraft carrier was intentionally sunk off the coast of Pensacola to make the world’s largest artificial reef. Now dubbed ‘The Great Carrier Reef, ‘ the USS Oriskany sits in the sand 210 ft below the surface, with its flight deck at 137 ft.

The original inhabitants of the Pensacola Bay area were Native Americans. At the time of European contact, a Muskogean-speaking tribe known to the Spanish as the Pensacola lived in the region.  The area’s recorded history begins in the 16th century as is the case for much of Florida. Over the course of its history, Pensacola has been ruled by the British, the Spanish, the French, the Confederacy, and the United States; hence, its nickname of “The City of Five Flags.”

So seniors, when you travel to Florida, start out in the Panhandle and take in Pensacola.  jeb

Seniors Adventurers in Tanzania

Jambo! My wife and I have senior friends who have been to Tanzania.Every wall of their home is  decorated with photos of every animal they encountered on a safari. Furthermore, they could tell us a story on each animal and their peculiar nature. That’s what happens when you spend two weeks in Tanzania.

Let me welcome seniors to the Tanzania Tourist Board  official website, with everything you need to know in one location. Tanzania is a little more than twice the size of California and the largest city is Dar es Salaam. Around 39 million people live in Tanzania.

Tanzania is one of the most unique destinations on the African continent that has yet to be discovered by many senior  visitors. It is a land of many wonders housing an un-paralleled diversity of fauna and flora.

Tanzania is by far the best safari destination in Africa. There’s an incredible amount of wildlife in a wide variety of national parks, some of which only receive a hand full of tourists every year. Tanzania has 500 miles of coastline, 15 National Parks and 783,000 folks visited the country in 2010. Swahili is the official language.

Natural Attractions Draw Senior Visitors

Reaching an altitude of 19,340 feet, Kilimanjaro is the highest mountain in Africa, and on the rare occasions when it is not veiled in clouds, the mountain’s distinctive silhouette and snow-capped peaks are one of the most breathtaking sights on the continent. It is the world’s largest single mountain, a freestanding entity, rising an incredible three miles above the surrounding plains.

Tanzania is becoming a popular East African destination for senior visitors. Its many natural attractions include Zanzibar, Mount Kilimanjaro, and the Ngorongoro Crater. The spectacular Ngorongoro Crater, the world’s largest caldera, is part of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, a UNESCO World Heritage Site listed for its natural and cultural significance. Serengeti National Park is famous for its annual migration of two million wildebeest, gazelles and zebras. This site is fun and well conceived and invites you click on where you want to go then highlights the map with additional information and great pictures.

Tanzanian tourist visas are valid for 6 months from the date of issue. So while planning ahead for visas is a good thing, make sure the visa is still valid for the length of time you plan to travel in Tanzania. You can obtain a visa at all airports in Tanzania as well as at the border crossings, but it is advised to get a visa beforehand.

Kwaheri for today. Perhaps I’ll see you in Tanzania.  jeb

Seniors Visit Historic Richmond

Richmond, the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, is an independent city and not part of any county. I find that interesting. It was was settled back in 1607 by an Englishman and named Richmond after the London suburb of Richmond-upon-Thames. Senior travelers will find Richmond in Southeastern Virginia, just over 100 miles southwest of Washington, D.C.

Richmond is rich with things for seniors to see and do that include gardens, museums, local historical tours, sporting events and the arts. Richmond has been called “a city of neighborhoods”, each one with a distinct look, flavor, and identity.  All are recognized by the locals or Richmonders as unique neighborhoods, almost as though the city were a collection of several small towns.

Senior river-rafters will find a section of the James River running through Richmond offering opportunities for shooting the rapids in mid-downtown. There are wonderful parks on both sides of the James River. The Greater Richmond area was named the third-best city for business by MarketWatch, ranking behind only the Minneapolis and Denver areas and just above Boston. And ladies, if you like to shop, Carytown’s a must.

Seniors Find Best Town Ever

Edgar Allan Poe lived for some time in Richmond and if you enjoyed his writings, take in the Poe Museum. The city has been named the “Best Town Ever” by Outside Magazine. Pocahontas lived here. Jefferson governed here. Poe worked here. And the Geico caveman (do you know that guy?) was born here. It’s a place where an artistic vibe is felt in everything from the music to the architecture to the more than, get this 900 restaurants, and senior visitors will find historic markers standing at practically every corner.

Richmond sits high on a hill, giving it a magnificent view of the James River surrounded by a multitude of architecturally significant areas, each with its own unique personality. Richmond is blessed with excellent universities: University of Richmond, Virginia Union University, Virginia Commonwealth University and the Medical College of Virginia.

In Capitol Square sits the imposing State Capitol, built in 1785-8 to the design of  Thomas Jefferson, who took as his model the Roman temple known as the Maison Carrée in Nîmes, France. All over Richmond you will find evidence of 400 years of history.

About.com is always an excellent resource for any topic you care to look into. I like the historical and cultural information they offer about Richmond.

And you senior walkers or bikers, you’ll find Richmond to be a super walking and biking city with incredible museums, festivals, cafes and shopping.  James River Park is 550 acres of wilderness set aside in the middle of Richmond, offering boundless opportunities for weekend strolls.

Seniors, I think that you will totally enjoy every moment of your visit to Richmond. My wife is ready for a drive to Virginia.  jeb 

Seniors Explore the Amazing Rainforest

This senior has always been enthralled with the Amazon region in South America. The Amazon Rain Forest covers more than two million square miles of the earth’s surface, spanning eight South American countries. The Rainforest, also known in English as Amazonia or the Amazon Jungle, is a moist broadleaf forest that covers 40% of South America.

Although the region has no seasons, the Amazon River rises and falls by as much as 30 feet during the year, and the variety of living things senior visitors can see changes with it. Every journey in this area reveals new wonders. The Amazon River has more than 200 tributaries.

The name Amazon: Francisco de Orellana was a Spanish conquistador and the first European to travel the length of the Amazon river, in 1541-42. Along the way, he and his men ran into a tribe of fierce women warriors, each “doing as much fighting as ten Indian men.” Orellana recalled the Greek myth of warrier women and named the entire river “Amazonas.”

Seniors Encounter Staggering Numbers

The forest spans nine countries, with much of it in Brazil but also stretching into Peru, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, French Guiana, Venezuela, Bolivia and Suriname.  The numbers of the Amazon Rain Forest are staggering: 40,000 plants species, 3,000 freshwater fish species and more that 370 types of reptiles. What is also amazing to me as I write this blog is the fact that more than 30 million people including 350 indigenous and ethnic groups, live in the Amazon.

Each year, the Amazon loses forested areas the size of the state of Delaware. Agricultural expansion, ranching, infrastructure projects, energy exploration and illegal logging are to blame. I can not fathom the quantity of water released by the Amazon to the Atlantic Ocean: up to 300,000 cubic meters per second (11,000,000 cu ft/s) in the rainy season. The Amazon is responsible for about 20% of the Earth’s fresh water entering the ocean and they say that the color of the water is like chocolate milk.

More than a third of the world’s species—mostly plants and insects—make their home in the Rain Forest. But with the help of an experienced guide, senior travelers can also glimpse a rainbow of exotic creatures that includes toucans, red deer, harpy eagles, poison dart frogs, spider monkeys and pink dolphins. One in ten known species lie within the Amazon Rainforest.

 The astonishment and beauty of the Amazon is found “in the intricacy of this fabulously complex ecosystem.”  Most senior travelers visit the western areas of the rain forest that remain largely untouched. The headwaters of the Amazon River are in the Andes Mountains of Peru, a mere 120 miles to the west (190 km) from the Pacific Ocean. From there the River stretches eastward for approximately 4,000 miles (6,400 km) until if finally empties into the Atlantic Ocean at Belém in Brazil.

Enjoy your every moment in Amazonia as it will surely be memorable.   jeb

Seniors Fall in Love With Sharon

Sharon, population 17,612, is part of greater Boston, about 17 miles southwest of downtown Boston and not far from Providence, RI. It was selected as the #1 town by Money Magazine and I want to know why. Seniors, let’s take a closer look at Sharon. The magazine cited Sharon’s proximity to large cities, its school system, and open space.

“A nice place to live because it’s naturally beautiful,” says a welcome sign in Post Office Square, and Sharon lives up to this motto.  “Lake Massapoag–the treasure of Sharon for its fun, beauty, and peacefulness,”  writes a student. “The Lake is about 400 acres of water. When the sun sets, beautiful, vibrant colors reflect off the Lake.”

Beauty and diversity are the key words for Sharon, an attractive community among its neighbors Canton, Norwood, Walpole, Foxboro, Stoughton, Mansfield, and Easton. Senior hikers, Sharon has a large number of scenic trails due to the high percentage of conservation land within the town’s borders. Several trails can be found in Sharon.

With a wealth of good jobs, great schools, diverse population and “small town feel”,  senior citizens will find Sharon inviting.  Someone put together a great collection of water scenes from around Sharon.

Beautiful Lake Massapoag has long been a popular summer destination drawing swimmers and boaters. For a small town, senior visitors will find Sharon to be diverse, with religious institutions serving the Jewish, Christian, and Muslim communities. 

Seniors Meet Historical Sharon

Sharon was first settled as part of the Massachusetts Colony in 1637. It was given the name Sharon on February 25, 1783 after Israel’s Sharon Plain, due to its high level of forestation.

In front of the Sharon Public Library stands a statue of Deborah Sampson, Sharon’s town heroine. Sampson disguised herself as a man to fight in the Revolutionary War. If you enjoy history, take in the Sharon Historical Society. Sharon makes for a fun vacation, and  it’s a great opportunity to enjoy the rest of Massachusetts too.  jeb

Seniors Discover Super Travel Apps

Grab your coffee, senior friends and let’s talk about travel apps. I am constantly on the prowl for new websites to share on my Best Travel Websites page. While most seniors know about sites like Priceline, Expedia, Hotwire, Kayak, Orbitz, Travel Zoo and a host of other very useful links, there is a huge array of Apps that senior travelers can plug into their cell phones or download into their computer. You can read for yourself all the Apps  that I’ve found and put on my travel website.  I’ll describe here several that senior travelers might find to be particularly helpful.

Free calls, text and picture sharing with anyone, anywhere! Perhaps you’ve already discovered this one. We talk to my wife’s sister on Mercy Ship Africa at NO CHARGE with Viber. Waze is said to be the world’s fastest-growing community-based traffic and navigation app. Senior drivers can join other drivers in your area who share real-time traffic and road info, saving everyone time and gas money on their daily commute.

Do some Interactive walking tours in various cities with Stray Boots. Neat name huh? Book hotels and earn thousands of frequent flyer miles on various airlines via Rocket Miles. A global market leader in Wi-Fi, Boingo makes it easy to access Wi-Fi on laptops or mobile devices at more than 700,000 hotspots worldwide.

Foodspotting is a visual guide to good food and where to find it. Instead of reviewing restaurants, senior gourmands can recommend great dishes and see what others recommend wherever they go. Takes you right to where you are and locates local food establishments.

Senior Travelers Seek Global Health/Safety Information

Get global health and safety information at your fingertips with mPassport. Find Providers and Schedule Appointments; Locate Emergency Services, Hospitals, and Pharmacies. I hope that you find several of these useful for your travel plans. Discover amazing, unique accommodations in 192 countries. With more than 10 million nights booked worldwide, AirBnb is a world leader in travel rentals.

Tell Momondo where you’re going and they’ll find the best prices on flights and hotels. Enjoy your trip. Psst, they’re a free service, not a travel agency and they don’t add any booking fees. So what is Skyscanner.com? Skyscanner compares over 1000 airlines to find senior travelers the cheapest airfares, fast. Search and compare the best hotel deals with Room 77. They search hundreds of sites, so that seniors get the lowest prices.

Browse popular destinations to find the best prices on great hotels. Book a price drop room and if the rate drops after you book, Tingo will refund the difference. And there’s one more called Hop Stop that features maps for more that 600 cities. Enter your starting point and where you are going and Hop Stop will do the rest.

You’ll want to bookmark those Apps that you find most useful.  jeb

Seniors Find Louisville To Be “Tops”

CNN Money finds Louisville, Colorado to be a top notch small town once again and this two-time No.1, Louisville  comes in strong. It is a great place to raise a family, with great schools and a safe environment. Seniors, let’s start by checking out Downtown Louisville and see what makes this town so special with its 19,000 citizens.

Louisville lies in Boulder County roughly six miles east of the city of Boulder and 25 miles northwest of Denver just off Route 36. It was incorporated in 1882, so there is lots of history.

The Miners Memorial statue in front of City Hall is a symbol of the history of the people who built Louisville – the coal miners. In August 1877, the Welch Mine opened in Louisville, the first of many coal mines. Louis Nawatny, a local landowner, platted his land and named it for himself.

Located on a growing technology corridor, Louisville is a modern community offset by a historic downtown that’s making a name for itself with several new restaurants and boutiques. A favorite watering hole is the Old Louisville Inn, so mark that one down. I had to be  just a little careful on this blog… so many Google links lead to that other Louisville in Kentucky.

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places because of its architecture, TripAdvisor likes this town and suggests that senior visitors check out the Louisville Historical Museum with old buildings that date back to 1904-08.

Seniors Take a Loop Trail

Here in Arizona my wife and I enjoy taking loop trail journeys that take one by historical sites and of course lots of desert life. The Broomfield/Louisville Loop is only 12 miles long and will take senior visitors through the communities of Louisville, Broomfield and Lafayette… full of creeks, ponds, pumpkin fields and beautiful Colorado hills.

While my wife is a DQ lover specializing in Buster Bars, the Sweet Cow would be a major “must stop” for her with its  #1 rank of the 67 restaurants in Louisville. Fine Indian Cuisine at the Taj Mahal comes in a close second. Rated so high as a town, it should come as no surprise that Louisville is chock-full of history, activities, and recreational opportunities.

The Chamber Website notes that “Main Street retains the nostalgic charm of yesteryear in the midst of a vibrant business community featuring a wide variety of companies, including high tech and alternative energy. The rich heritage of values and traditions found in our city forms the basis for a thriving modern community.”

Seniors, this is a great opportunity to bring along the grandkids and enjoy the many family activities that Louisville has to offer.

Congratulations Louisville, on this honor. And I invite senior travelers to make Louisville Colorado a ‘must see’ when you are in the area. It’s on my list.  jeb

Did You Say “Hanoi”?

Yes, Hanoi has become a hot spot for senior travelers. Most of us have the name Hanoi in our memories associated with war. But today Hanoi has evolved into a traveler’s delight.  It is presently undergoing a huge building boom and senior travelers  will find that it is a city largely unscathed from the decades of war.

Ha Noi as it is called, is the capital of Vietnam and is filled with French flair. In 2010 Hanoi turned 1,000 years old.   Hà Nội  = “Between Rivers” or “River Interior”),  remains the center of Vietnam culture, history and tourism and one of the most attractive destinations in Vietnam and Indochina.

Given the political and historical importance of Hanoi and its burgeoning population of over three million, it’s a surprisingly low-key city with a more intimate appeal than brash, young Ho Chi Minh City. The capital is one of the most beautiful of the colonial Indochinese cities and is often the start or end point of a trip to Vietnam, and what a great welcome or farewell it will be for you.

Know before you go is always good advice and Hanoi is no exception. Lonely Planet invites senior visitors to “Imagine a city where the exotic chic of old Asia blends with the dynamic face of new. Where the medieval and modern co-exist. A city with a blend of Parisian grace and Asian pace, an architectural museum piece evolving in harmony with its history.”

The Old Quarter Draws Senior Visitors

The Old Quarter is the primary reason Hanoi is a #1 tourist attraction, with its 36 streets and guilds. The Quarter is most popular for its history, architecture, and different products as well as the daily life of the locals that live there. The Old Quarter is a “cauldron of commerce” and the commercial heart since the 15th century.

Hanoi’s traffic is chaotic, with seemingly perpetual traffic jams, and a large number of almost suicidal motorcyclists and pedestrians and an intoxicating tangle of streets. One couple advises that you hire a Green Tourist electric car (US$7 for an hour) to drive around the Old Quarter.

Hanoi’s lively Old Quarter comprises narrow streets packed with shops selling all kinds of goods, each street named for its primary goods. Experienced visitors suggest the Water Puppet Theatre, the Temple of Literature, the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and Hoa Lo Prison Museum (“The Hanoi Hilton”). So take your pick.

For every glitzy mall in Hanoi there’s an incense-filled temple nearby and cultural influences of the past are still part of the modern-day fabric. Temples and pagodas…more than six hundred hail from the original, eleventh-century city.

 The UK Telegraph has good travel advice on Vietnam and Hanoi. This travel blog was a joy to write. I could have continued for three more blogs… Hanoi is that kind of city.  So put it on your “travel bucket list”. Should make for a great adventure. jeb

Seniors Discover the White Mountains

Actually when I started this blog I was thinking of the White Mountains here in Arizona, an area I have not yet been to, although I live within a 100 miles, the way the crow flies.  When I “GOOGLED” White Mountains, up came the White Mountains in New Hampshire. So, senior travelers, it’s off to New Hampshire.


The rugged White Mountains in New Hampshire cover most of the northern part of the state. Seniors will discover two hundred plus White Mountains attractions and each one designed as fun – and a great vacation value. The drive between the attractions will be  short, the scenery spectacular, and a White Mountains vacation memorable.

New Hampshire is nicknamed “The Granite State” for its extensive granite formations and quarries. Senior visitors  flock to the many mountain resorts, enjoying skiing on spectacular terrain that ranges from novice to expert. Cross-country skiing is also booming, with hundreds of miles of groomed trails weaving throughout the fields and forests.

When you get close to these Whites, you will see license plates that carry the state motto: “Live Free or Die.” Kinda neat huh? The Whites of New Hampshire have also been called the “Crystal Hills” when their snow caps are viewed from far out to sea in the Atlantic.

White Mountains National Forest Draws Senior Visitors

If you are looking for diversity, you will certainly find it in New Hampshire. From lakes to beaches, waterfalls to woods and mountains to sea coast, the state has great potential for outdoor vacations. With no less than seventy-five state parks that offer natural areas, hiking trails, beaches and historic sites, the state caters to a variety of senior tastes.

The White Mountains host forty eight 4,000 foot peaks, along with the highest mountain in the Northeast, 6,288-foot Mt. Washington; but it is the 800,000-acre White Mountains National Forest that truly shapes the region. This blogger grew up in the White Mountains and his perspective is unique and personal.

So seniors, you want to get back to nature and experience some of New Hampshire’s renown wild beauty up close and personal, set aside a day – or a few – to explore White Mountains National Forest.

The White Mountains Trail National Scenic Byway

Whether you decide to drive the Northern Loop, or the Southern Loop of the Scenic Byway, you’re in for a special treat. All along the 100 mile route, you’ll discover spectacular scenery, covered bridges, historic sites, picturesque towns and villages, and friendly people. Be aware that black bears also like the area.

Trip Advisor highlights Santa’s Village, the Kancamagus Highway and Franconia Notch State Park. Anytime during the year senior visitors will find the mountains teeming with folks just like yourself.  Enjoy the experience and all of New Hampshire.

Guess I’ll just have to write another blog on the AZ Whites. jeb