All posts by Jolanta

Blogging, Social Media, Twitter

Get Chatty! Tips on getting the most out of Twitter chats

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Are you on Twitter, but not sure whom to follow, and how to get anyone to follow you back?

Get chatty!

One of the best ways to meet fellow travelers on Twitter are Twitter chats.

I admit, I’m a social media junkie, and I love Twitter chats.

If you take time to read the discussion during or after the chat, you’ll notice that some people post answer similar to what you said = they are probably a lot like you.

I tend to follow those folks, and sometimes they follow me back.

In fact, after every chat I participate in, I get new followers. Sometimes there’s just one or two, sometimes there are more.

But it’s not about numbers, it’s about growing your community of fellow travelers, who think and feel like you. That’s the most important part.

How do you find a Twitter chat?

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Attractions, Massachusetts, Tours, USA

In the footsteps of movie stars: Boston TV & Movie Sites On Location Tour with Javier

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The top requirement for the Boston TV & Movie Sites On Location Tour guides states: “must be working actors or actresses [… ] with television and film experience. Stand-up comedy, singing and improv experience is a plus.”

That is correct. The tour that takes you all around Boston, to places the other tours won’t take you, such as Southie (South Boston) and Charleston, is not just a tour, it’s a one-man show, and a very entertaining one at that.

I was impressed at how our tour guide, Javier, could talk nearly non stop for the whole tour, while at the same time operating the buttons of a DVD player remote to cue in relevant movie clips, just at the right moment.

As you tour the locations with Boston TV & Movie Sites Tour you also get to watch clips from movies shot at the locations you are passing by
As you tour the locations with Boston TV & Movie Sites Tour you also get to watch clips from movies shot at the locations you are passing by

Continue reading In the footsteps of movie stars: Boston TV & Movie Sites On Location Tour with Javier →

Attractions, Museums, USA, Washington DC

America by Air Exhibit at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, in Washington, DC

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When my sister was hired as a stewardess by the Polish Airlines LOT back in the 1980s, before she flew anywhere she had to attend trainings not only about airplane layout and duties and responsibilities of her job, but also complete a training on proper make up and behavior.

That’s why I stopped when I saw a big sign asking “Could You Be a Stewardess in the Early 1950s?” while wandering around the huge Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC.

"Could You Be a Stewardess in the Early 1950s?" display, part of the America by Air Exhibit at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum
“Could You Be a Stewardess in the Early 1950s?” display, part of the America by Air Exhibit at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum

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Europe, Mérida, Spain, Spain Mérida, Where we stayed

Apartamentos en Merida (Spain) – A Review

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If our post “Roman Sights in Mérida, Spain” made you want to see this interesting city, you might be wondering where to stay while you’re there.

Even though we were stopping in Mérida for just one night, we still wanted to get a place bigger than just one hotel room, and luckily for us Apartamentos en Mérida, available through TripAdvisor, had a vacancy at that time and allowed us to stay just one night, even though in the summer they usually require a two-night stay.

The apartment is just a short walk from the Teatro and Anfiteatro Romano, and while it does not have a designated parking spot, we found parking on Calle Pizarro within the same block. Make sure you have a map or a GPS with you while you make your circles looking for a parking spot – most of the nearby streets are one way, and not all are in a square pattern.

Distance from Apartamentos Merida to Teatro and Anfiteatro Romano
Distance from Apartamentos Merida to Teatro and Anfiteatro Romano

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Canada, Europe, Florida, Maine, Massachusetts, Mexico, Nature, Portugal, Prince Edward Island, South Carolina, Spain, USA

My Favorite Beaches: Photo Essay

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I love beaches.

I love walking barefoot along the shore, water lapping at my feet, my toes squishing the wet sand, leaving footprints that will be gone with the next wave.

I love listening to the slow rhythm of the ocean or the sea, like breathing,receding its surf on the in breath, and swelling out onto the shore with an out breath.

All of it – the warmth of the sun, the gentle breeze of the wind tickling my face,  and the sound of the moving tide calms me, and while I love sightseeing, big cities, and beautiful museums, I feel most relaxed on a beach, the longer and the more empty the better.

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Attractions, Europe, Historic Sites, Mérida, Museums, Spain, UNESCO

Visiting the Roman Sights in Merida, Spain

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When we decided to do a road trip from Madrid, Spain to the coast of Portugal last year, we decided to find a city or a town to stay overnight on the way, rather than drive the 600 km (372 miles) or so in one day.

The names of towns and cities along the three different routes that GoogleMaps suggested for us didn’t tell me much, so I turned to guidebooks of Spain from Lonely Planet, Frommer’s, and to TripAdvisor reviews.

three different routes from Madrid, Spain to Obidos, Portugal that GoogleMaps suggested as a possibilty
three different routes from Madrid, Spain to Obidos, Portugal that GoogleMaps suggested as a possibilty

In the end, I’ve decided we should stop in Mérida, a place I’d never heard of before, because every guidebook I looked at suggested visiting the city’s Roman ruins, and we like ancient stuff like that.

We arrived in Mérida on a Friday afternoon and went sightseeing on Saturday. Given all the historical attractions in Mérida, I was really surprised by the low number of tourists we saw.

Clearly Mérida is not as popular as it was during the Roman times, which is really too bad.

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