From Texas to Beyond

Local, Near and Far: Our journey of exploring the world.

Category: Resources (Page 2 of 7)

information that is helpful and resourceful in setting up your travel

Sunset Over Dubrovnik from Mount Srd
Sunset Over Dubrovnik from Mount Srd

Why We Went to Slovenia and Croatia

November 16, 2015 / / 0 Comments

David and I wanted to make a “last hurrah” trip before our new addition to the family arrived.  We knew, at least for a while, travel would look a little different for us with a baby boy in tow.  We couldn’t swing Iceland, a place top on my list, so after some research, we headed to Slovenia and Croatia (and a long layover in Madrid).  Both before and after our journey, the predominant question from friends, family and strangers was, “Why the hee-haw did y’all go there?”  (That is the Rebekah version of the question.)

David & Rebekah at Bled Castle, Slovenia

David & Rebekah at Bled Castle

Four Reasons…

1. I saw a Rick Steves show on Lake Bled in Slovenia and thought it looked enchanting.

2. A friend had visited Plitvice Lakes, and immediately I added it on my bucket list.

3. I wanted to experience something new that I had little or no prior context.

4. David had really enjoyed delving into Central Europe during our previous trip to Prague, and we wanted to explore more of this delightful region.

Veliki Slap Falls at Lake Plitvice National Park

Veliki Slap Falls at Lake Plitvice National Park

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This Massive Palace Now Houses the Musée du Louvre

The Art of Paris: The Top 5 Experiences at the Louvre

October 27, 2015 / / 0 Comments

In continuing our series The Art of Paris, one must include the Louvre. With this impressive and giant museum, the only way I could think of tackling a blog article about it was to create a top 5 must see list.  You could spend months inside the museum and still not view every object.  So when you go, it is helpful if you do a little research, figure out what you want to see, it’s location, and everything in between is a bonus.

Originally the structure was built as a fortress in the 12th century.  Since then, it has had a history of never ending remodeling to meet the needs of various purposes with its latest addition in 2012.  It was once a home to Francois I and later to Louis XIV, which he found to be too busy so he built Versailles just outside of town as a retreat or place to get away.  The palace was established as a museum in 1793.

Top 5 Experiences in no particular order…

Musée du Louvre - The Flying Carpet Structure of the Islamic Gallery

The Flying Carpet Structure of the Islamic Gallery

  1. The Islamic Galleries “Flying Carpet” – This beautiful addition was complete in September of 2012.  Located in an internal courtyard, the roof or flying carpet, does not touch the original facade of the Louvre.   It is a beautiful marriage of traditional architecture of the Louvre, and valuing progress with a modern structure.   The exhibit space is submerged 40 feet into the ground to provide light sensitive objects a safe viewing space.  I am not sure how much time I spent looking at the structure.  It was truly stunning.

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The Musée d'Orsay

The Art of Paris: Top 5 Experiences at the Musée d’Orsay

October 12, 2015 / / 0 Comments

Continuing our ongoing series looking at Paris’ colorful art scene, the Musée d’Orsay houses France’s largest Impressionist art collection. If you love art, you absolutely need to schedule a visit to the Musée d’Orsay on your next trip to Paris.

The Orsay’s artistic focus ranges from 1848 to 1914, boasting countless works from blockbuster artists such as Manet, Monet, Degas, Renoir, Pissarro, Sisley, Toulouse-Lautrec, Rodin, Cézanne, Gauguin and van Gogh.

Naturally, the Orsay is a large museum, and the sheer volume of beautiful pieces of art can be overwhelming (not to mention the crowds). For example, the Musée d’Orsay owns 23 paintings by Claude Monet alone.

Musée d'Orsay - Clock Inside the Old Train Station

Clock Inside the Old Train Station

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Panoramic View of Paris From the Top of the Arc de Triomphe

Paris City Overview

September 29, 2015 / / 2 Comments

On the final leg of a European vacation, Rebekah and I flew from Prague to Paris on EasyJet, one of many budget flight operators in Europe. We found that flying was the easiest and cheapest way for us to connect from Czech Republic to France.

Detail of the Eiffel Tower

Detail of the Eiffel Tower

While one of the primary reasons for visiting Paris was a convenient direct flight home to DFW using frequent flyer miles, I was excited to experience first-hand the magic of Paris. Rebekah visited Paris on a multi-day layover before we were married, but was eager to share this enchanted city with me. Playing the part of tour guide, Rebekah planned our itinerary based on her prior knowledge of this massive city.

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Austrian National Library on the Heldenplatz
Austrian National Library on the Heldenplatz

Layover: Vienna in an Afternoon

September 24, 2015 / / 0 Comments

Today, I proudly introduce our first Guest Blogger and my good friend, John Seale. John is one of my frequent travel partners, from across Texas to the other side of the world (2 trips to Kenya). From Texas to Beyond is excited to bring you his unique perspectives on travel, along with some fascinating locations. In this four part series, John takes us to Vienna, Austria, after which he leaves the conventional European vacation behind with destinations in Kosovo and Albania.

My wife Katie and I planned nearly the perfect itinerary for a three-destination trip. The weak Euro was making European travel cheap, and the threat of terrorism was making Kenyan travel cheap, so we were combining a visit to my sister with a visit to a former ministry I volunteered with for years. Most of our long-hauls were overnights so we could sleep, and we even had a long layover in Chicago, where my wife has family.

The only problem was a long layover in Vienna, Austria. Unfortunately long, really – over 9 hours. I’ve done my fair share of long layovers in airports, and nobody likes them. Naturally, therefore, I started looking to see if it was enough time to have a valuable visit to this beautiful, historic city. Turns out, it was plenty of time, and I’m here now to share how we did it and how you can make it work on your long layover too. Continue reading

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