Hungary

Went to Hungary with my father in 1997, as part of a 12 day GATE 1 tour through Poland, Czech Republic, Austria, and Hungary, and also visited this lovely city in 2009 with my MBA classmates from the University of Tennessee.

Dad and me in 1997 from high up on Fisherman’s Bastion overlooking Budapest, Hungary

“The historic capital of Hungary was formerly two cities, Buda and Pest, divided by the Danube River. Budapest abounds in architectural diversity: from ancient Roman structures, streets of the Middle Ages, monuments from Turkish times, and Renaissance masterpieces. Drive via motorcoach over some of the elegant bridges over the Danube and then to the Parliament building, and the Royal Palace. Drive on the People’s Republic Avenue and visit the magnificent Castle District in Buda. Take in the wonderful view across the Danube from high up on Fisherman’s Bastion, see St. Mathia’s Coronation Church (13th Century) and stop at the Heroes’ Square and Gellert Hill.”

Fisherman’s Bastion looking towards the Danube in Budapest

United Republic of Tanzania

The famed Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania at sunriseThis image shaped and changed my perspective. '19 Country Information: The United Republic of Tanzania, or Tanzania for short! The capital is Dodoma and the country’s population size is about 56 million. The official...

Georgia

Helping a babushka clean up a park in Tiblisi in 1987! Country Information: The capital of Georgia is Tbilisi and the country’s population is around 4.5 million (2013). The official language is Georgian and the primary religion is Orthodox Christianity. Its top...

Venezuela

With the worsening relations between Venezuela and the US, I was concerned about getting a tourist visa to travel there.  I'm please to say that I received my visa the day before I left on a trip to Central and South America in 2016. I had to fly to Washington DC to...