BUCKET LIST TRAVEL

                          K  E  N  Y  A Kenya's beauty and diversity has drawn thousands of tourists to view its wonders. Covering an area of 224,960 square miles on the eastern coast of Africa Kenya's main attraction is its remarkable abundance of wildlife. More than six million acres of Kenya's land have been set aside by the government for game reserves and parks. Tsavo National Park in southern Kenya is home to buffalo, cheetah, elephants, leopards, lions, and rhinoceroses. Not to be missed is Amboseli National Park with the stunning Mt Kilimanjaro as its backdrop. Although there are countless things to do and see in Kenya's it's the world famous  s afari that captivates people from far and near. A typical safari includes time on the plains, the highlands, around the mountains, and beautiful Lake Victoria. Some people prefer comfortable lodging while on a safar i while others prefer r...

                                              image by: 123RF                                     I'll be honest I've never been to JORDAN but I know two people who were born and raised in JORDAN and thanks to them I can share a bit about the country of JORDAN. Jordan's Prime Minister is: Abdullah Ensour Jordan lies between the Arabian Peninsula and the Mediterranean Sea. Its neighbors are Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Syria. Jordan is an Arab country and its official language is Arabic. The Jordanian landscape consists of deserts, mountains, valleys, the Dead Sea and a small portion of the Red Sea. The Dead Sea has a high salt content and a soapy feel. No life can survive in the Dead Sea so there are no fish or plants. In fact it's impossible for a person to sink in th...

Pizza is the favored food of many a people throughout the globe so I couldn't resist sharing a pizza recipe from non other than NAPLES, ITALY.                                 Margherita Pizza Who invented pizza?  Pizza style dishes (flatbreads with toppings) were eaten by many folks living in the Mediterranean including the Greeks. However history states that  baker Raffaele Esposito of Naples, Italy who owned a tavern called "Pizzeria di Pietro" introduced his style of pizza in 1889. Raffaele Esposito was requested to prepare a pizza for Queen Margherita who traveled to Naples with King Umberto. The King and Queen liked the taste of the pizza and the rest as they say is history. If you have the fortune of owning a wood burning oven or know someone that does this recipe for Pizza Margherita is hard to beat.                   ...

When in ITALY it's not always easy to choose where to head. Afterall ITALY has a lot to offer; Capri and the Amalfi Coast The island of Sicily Stunning Sardinia Artistic Florence Remarkable Rome The Alps Enchanting Venice Cinque Terre Assisi Milan Naples the list goes on                                                                                Picture Perfect CINQUE TERRE                                                                                                flicker                 ...

                                                                courtesy of biz journals Cool mountain air currents combined with the warmth of the Mediterranean sunshine make ITALY a prime wine producing country.  The grapevines of boot-shaped ITALY intrigue wine connoisseurs  from around the world who enjoy Italian wine with meals or just plain solo. The Italians love their vino and are proud of the 20 wine regions that scatter throughout their lovely country. Chianti (Tuscany), Barolo (Piedmont), Soave (Veneto), Nero d Avola (Sicily), and Pinot Grigio (Umbria) are just a few of the hundreds of wines to sample when traveling through ITALY. Whether you find yourself along the lengthy coastline, the Alps region, one of the islands, or somewhere in between there's nothing more Italian than drinking wine. I...

One thing not to miss when traveling through ITALY is a cup of cappuccino. No matter where you find yourself in ITALY; there's nothing more relaxing than sipping cappuccino at an outdoor cafe. A double shot of expresso combined with serveral ounces of steamed milk and poured into a cup is one of the world's tastiest beverages. The key to the perfect cup of cappuccino is frothing the milk properly. If you really love CAPPUCCINO it's worth investing in a good Italian made cappuccino maker!                                                   Courtesy of Dreamstime

What would a trip to Italy be without eating some pasta? The Italians love their pasta and with good reason. There are countless ways to prepare pasta dishes it just depends what your taste buds are seeking.  Basil season has arrived to many parts of the world and I recommend making a pesto sauce to combine with your linguine or spaghetti. Here it is:                                                                      PESTO AND PASTA 1 cup loosely packed parsley 2 cups loosely packed fresh basil leaves 2 cups toasted walnut halves (optional) 5 garlic cloves, peeled  1 teaspoon sea salt 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil To make the pesto; place the parsley, basil leaves, garlic cloves, and sea salt into a blender or food processor and pulse several times. Pour the olive oil into the blender or...