Terceira Island, Azores
I visited Terceira Island in the Azores in February 2020. A little-known destination among my Minnesotan friends, visiting this tropical island was a unique and delightful experience. We visited extinct volcanoes, lava caves, beaches and calderas, drove by green fields dotted with volcanic stone fences and cows, ate really good cheese and drank good wine,…
Hosting Marysia: A year hosting an international exchange student
I get asked a lot about having an international exchange student. What’s it like, how did you decide to do it, what have you learned – and most recently – are you going to be ok or really sad when she leaves? Well, it will be an adjustment and a big change for me. I’ll…
Meeting people far away and nearby: Learning about different cultures
We are all alike Having traveled internationally to several countries and met and interacted with people all over the world, one of the things that has really stuck with me is this: Every single person on this earth is a person, just like me, and we all have similarities. I’ve seen moms taking care of…
Go Somewhere New
It’s a new year and a time for me to think of future travels and adventures. And to reflect on some of my past experiences. Canterbury, England I’ve been thinking about why I travel, why I love adventures and why I like to write and share about them. Some of the reasons I travel are…
Looking back on 2015 and the experience of hosting an international exchange student
This has been a busy year, and it has flown by! It would take far too long to write about all the highlights, so I will focus on the most interesting experience of my year. This year I had the opportunity to host a Polish international high school exchange student, Ola. She stayed for the…
Christmas Reflections
I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and enjoyed the holidays with family and friends. I used to write a Christmas letter every year for my family when I was young – my mom had a long list of people she sent Christmas cards to, and for many years my job was to write…
A Summer’s Drive Along the River in Wisconsin – Wine, Pizza and Ice Cream!
Sometimes I forget that Wisconsin is just a short one-hour drive or so from my home, and it offers all sorts of interesting places to see and visit. I met a friend at Elmaro Vineyard in Trempealeau, Wisconsin, this weekend. We ordered a wine tasting and tried several local wines, many of which were quite…
Cayman Islands Highlights
After visiting the Cayman Islands a little over a year ago, I highly recommend it, especially as a respite from the cold winters like we often have in Minnesota. Grand Cayman offers so much for everyone, from beaches to snorkeling to helicopter rides over the beach to swimming with dolphins to visiting turtle farms. If…
The Day with the Elephants in India
Entering into the coldest weekend this winter, it seemed like a good time for me to look back to my trip in India and think of warmer days One of the highlights of my trip to India was our elephant adventure. One of my friends had found an elephant sanctuary online, Elefun, near Jaipur, and we…
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Alison's Adventures 