Arts and Entertainment

The word gulyás, commonly written goulash, means “cowboy” in Hungarian. The dish originated with ninth century shepherds who stewed their meat until all liquid disappeared, dried it in the sun and whenever they wanted food, they took out a piece of the dried meat, added some water and reheated it.

Budapest, Hungary’s capital, is bisected by the River Danube. The views from the Danube are stunning, day and night. One of my credit cards is with the InterContinental group of hotels (think Holiday Inn) so I used some points to stay at the InterContinental where I had an incredible view of the Castle Hill and the Chain Bridge.

Mention Las Vegas and most people think of gambling. But, Vegas it an excellent hub for enjoying nature. Vegas may be located in a desert, but besides exploring the colorful rocky terrain there are lakes and rivers to explore. Most of the natural areas are part of a national or state park.

The Caribbean island of Bonaire is 50 miles north of Venezuela and 86 miles east of Aruba. The best thing is that it is out of the hurricane belt so any time of the year is a good time to visit. There is plenty of sunshine year round.