Author: Jonathan Katz

For quite a while, Maureen and I have wanted to visit Bath, England, for its famous, soothing mineral waters and healthy environment. On a previous trip, we visited Germany’s Baden-Baden Resort Area, absolutely loved it, and wanted to have a similar experience in the famous British city of Bath. For several reasons, we have avoided Bath since COVID, as the trains from London were either too expensive or unreliable. I’m happy to report that the trains aren’t nearly as expensive as they once were; we’ve also found the Great Western Railway trains to be extremely reliable and very comfortable. As…

New York City is the mass transportation capital of the United States, with its excellent subway, bus, and surface train systems providing the best of traffic-free movement throughout the city. In 2017, New York City added a fourth component to its mass transit system: the New York City Ferry System. This system is terrific for both the daily commuter to their work destination and the NYC visitor; it is a special and wonderful way to tour the city by ferry. A little history here: the New York Ferry System began operation on May 1, 2017, via the Hornblower Group. In…

My wife Maureen and I  have been to Madrid quite a few times, and on our most recent trip, we decided to take a quick one-day excursion to the famous city of Segovia, Spain.  Segovia is a 27-minute high-speed train ride from Madrid Chamartín Station (not the larger, better-known Atocha Station), costing about €30 round-trip per person. This medieval city is most famous for its huge Roman Aqueduct, which spans the entire city; you can’t take enough pictures of this ancient structure. Segovia is known as a great city for walking, touring, and shopping. Its main square, the Plaza…

If you are considering taking the Queen Mary 2 or another cruise ship departing from Southampton, England, about 2 hours south of London, we suggest an alternative city to stay in before or after your cruise – Portsmouth, England; a beautiful city, particularly in warmer months, with quite a number of interesting museums along with many options for shopping, eating, and just walking around — an excellent place to visit.  Our second cruise on the Queen Mary 2 began with a terrific flight to London on JetBlue Airways, followed by an easy rail connection from London Heathrow Airport via London Waterloo Train…

My wife and travel partner, Maureen, and I have traveled all over Germany, but we have consistently missed the beautiful city of Cologne. This city is world famous for its massive Cathedral, but also its many Christmas Markets at this time of year. We decided last year that this was the time to visit Cologne, and we were not to be disappointed. Our visit began with a flight on Delta Air Lines from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and arriving at Brussels Airport (BRU). You can easily travel to Cologne by train from either Brussels (approximately 2…

Many people have shared with me their incredible experiences traveling to Kraków, Poland, the country’s original capital, a beautiful city that remained unscathed during World War II. Krakow is a large city, but not too large to easily walk around the downtown, the Vistula River Area, and the many ethnic sections of the city. Krakow has a rich, colorful history, and the people were very accommodating, with all speaking excellent English. While tourists come to visit the city, Krakow’s two main visitor attractions are the Auschwitz-Birkenau Concentration Camps and the famous Wieliczka Salt Mines. The tour of the concentration camps…

Our adventure to the United Kingdom began with an invitation to a wedding in Wales, UK. We had traveled to Shrewsbury, England, once before and never forgot how much we loved driving through Wales and the small country roads, with their high hedges, little pubs, and small inns. This current trip was going to be just as exciting. We travel to the United Kingdom very rarely due to both a crushing currency exchange rate (currently, the dollar loses about a third of its value once you step into the UK) and a prohibitive departure tax of a shocking $211 each…

My wife Maureen and I have been traveling to Zürich for many years, and every once in a while, we will take a perfect sunny day and go up to one of the most beautiful cities in Switzerland, Lucerne. Lucerne is a very quick 45-minute train ride from the Zürich Main Train Station (Zürich HB), with trains departing every 30 minutes or less. The cost round-trip is approximately $73.00, and connections from the Zürich Airport are also extremely easy. Typically, once we arrive in Lucerne, we immediately proceed to the boat tours on Lake Lucerne, which are directly to the…

After having traveled on 21 flights within two months, most of which were roundtrips to Europe, this was going to be our last trip before what was anticipated to be the closing of international travel as we knew it in March of 2020. Traveling to Lima would be wonderful and a great city to visit; however, I was concerned that, at any time, the news of the COVID-19 virus would come out and restrict our return to the United States. I was worried about potential travel limitations and the potential of having to stay in Lima during an unexpected lockdown. With the potential…

Maureen and I call Prague the ultimate walking city because it is a fantastic city to explore, get lost in, and keep walking in; it is beautiful and just that wonderful. The main attractions in Prague are the Old Town Square and the Clock Tower. This area is made up of major squares and many small winding streets full of shops, restaurants, and stores; it seems never-ending. The famous Prague Astronomical Clock is located in the Old Town Area and should not be missed. In this quarter of the city, we enjoyed our first European Christmas Market. It was spectacular and…