Resort Review: RIU Palace Bavaro

I stayed for seven days at the RIU Palace Bavaro, which is an all-inclusive resort recently renovated for 2024. The RIU Palace hotels offer more of a luxury and relaxation touch compared to their Classic hotels, but RIU advertises that this resort has something for the whole family. The RIU Palace Bavaro is part of a compound of RIU resorts in the area (that also includes the RIU Palace Macao, RIU Bambu, and the RIU Palace Punta Cana).

Halifax Hodge Podge Of Stuff I Did

This is the second blog post detailing the rest of what I saw and experienced in Halifax. There were still so many interesting neighbourhoods, restaurants, views, and locations I want to tell you about, so I will tell you about them below.

Exploring the Halifax Waterfront

This will be the first of two blog posts of all the other things I experienced while staying in Halifax that did not need its own blog post. There are many things remaining to cover on my Halifax trip, including the waterfront, food and dessert spots, and interesting neighbourhoods and locales. This post will mostly cover the waterfront.

The Canadian Museum of Immigration At Pier 21

After checking out the views at the Halifax Citadel, I took a ride to the Canadian Museum of Immigration, which is one of Canada’s national museums. Rather appropriately, Halifax’s Pier 21 is where this museum is located, where nearly one million immigrants landed here between 1928 and 1971. I know immigration is a hot topic these days in Canada and around the world, but this museum serves as a reminder of how important immigration was to Canada in its formation and identity as a country.

The Mighty Fort Of The Halifax Citadel

The Halifax Citadel is what I would consider to be the iconic landmark of Halifax. The Halifax Citadel is a Victorian-era fort situated on the top of Citadel Hill overlooking downtown Halifax. I could not be in Halifax and not check out the Citadel, so I work up one early morning and made my plan to visit the fort. Halifax was already a hilly city, but I would have to further walk up Citadel Hill to enter the fort. 

Mahone Bay Photo Gallery

After leaving Lunenburg, I drove north up a windy road to the small town of Mahone Bay. I did not spend a lot of time here, maybe an hour tops, but I did check out some of the views and went into a few stores to check out some goods. Mahone Bay is a quaint town but does get some tourists who come this way. There was a nice walk along the coast of the bay along with the main road with a few more shops and restaurants selling ice cream.

Anyways, here are some more pics I took of Mahone Bay:

Exploring The Port Town Of Lunenburg, Nova Scotia

After my expedition to Peggy’s Cove, I hopped back into my rental and drove westward down Highway 103 to the scenic port town of Lunenburg, Nova Scotia which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. British settlers founded the town in 1753 as a British settlement, and the town still retains buildings and an atmosphere dating back to the 19th century. There were a few things that I wanted to check out while I was in the town for a couple of hours, so I will condense this experience into one blog post.

Halifax Public Gardens Photo Gallery

Across from my hotel in Halifax were the Halifax Public Gardens, which is a Victorian-era public garden. I had a chance to go for a walk around these gardens to see the beautifully-manicured flowers and the pond, among other things. There were statues and other structures to check out as well. The walk was quite nice, with many visitors sitting on the benches relaxing or walking the many paths to see all of the flowers. I did not take too many pictures, but I will share them here:

Foggy Mornings At Peggy's Cove

I could not go to Nova Scotia without making the trek to Peggy's Cove, but I never knew why Peggy's Cove was so popular with tourists. I have always heard about it and thought "Oh neat! It is a lighthouse by the ocean, looks nice". I did not think anything more than that about Peggy's Cove until I went there, and then I was able to develop my own opinion about this place. Let me tell you all about my trip to Peggy's Cove.

A Cèilidh On The Alexander Keith's Brewery Tour

On the late afternoon/early evening of my first night in Halifax. I booked myself in to take a tour of the Alexander Keith’s Brewery in downtown Halifax, which had been in operation since 1820, making it one the oldest breweries in Canada, though not THE oldest. I generally like Alexander Keith’s beer, though it is not my go-to beer; I just wanted an excuse to visit the brewery. I cannot remember if I have ever been on a brewery tour but this was certainly an experience. I walked into the old building and into an indoor courtyard where I got my ticket from the reception desk/gift shop and waited for the tour to begin.

My Solo Jaunt To Nova Scotia

I went for a brief exploratory vacation to New Scotland; more formally known as Nova Scotia. I did not go to Nova Scotia with anyone; in fact, I went on a solo vacation. I know, this may sound scandalous to some, but I have some reasons as to why I went to Nova Scotia by myself.

More Italy and Florida Stuff

I need a blog post to show you all of the things that I wanted to show you that I could not fit into any of the blog posts that I already created. This post will be unstructured by nature, and will just be a photo dump of some things while I was in Italy and Florida. Anyways, enjoy!

Spending The Day At Universal Studios Florida

I already talked about my time in the Simpsons area at Universal Studios Florida but I want to talk about my time exploring the rest of the park. I have not been to Universal Studios Florida since I was a child, maybe around 9-10 years old. Over 20 years later, I find myself back at the same park. There has been so much that has changed at the park, but there are rides that still exist that I rode as a child that sorely need either a re-brand or have a brand-new ride at the same site. Here are the pictures I took as I show you around what was happening on a busy Tuesday at Universal Studios Florida.

Springfield, Universal Studios Florida

The Simpsons is probably one of my most beloved TV shows, and I have Seasons 1-12 on DVD ready for watching whenever I need it. When I first heard that there will be a Simpsons-themed area at Universal Studios Florida, I hoped that I would, at some point, make my way over there to check it out. I can cross an item off my bucket list because I got to experience Springfield at Universal Studios Florida. As a Simpsons fan, this was a dream come true.

I Took My Single-Best Picture (So Far) At Disney Springs

I was in Orlando for a few days, and I spent one of those afternoons/early evenings checking out Disney Springs. Disney Springs is an outdoor entertainment complex/shopping mall with many shops, restaurants, and other attractions. Disney Springs has been commonly referred to as the "free section" of Walt Disney World as you can explore the complex itself is free, though if you want to do anything there, be prepared to spend some Disney-sized cash.

The Southernmost Point In The Continental United States

I was in Florida a couple of months ago, and now that I posted everything I could about my Europe vacation, I can start sharing some things that I did while in the Sunshine State. Before you ask, no I did not encounter Florida Man while I was down there though I did notice some weird things going on because it is Florida.

Florence Part 2: The Duomo And The Sculpture Of David

Part 1 of my Florence escapades is here.

After a fun-filled night walking around the streets of Florence, I was ready to do the same thing, but in the daytime. The main places I went to on my second day in Florence was the Duomo (Florence Cathedral) and Accademia Gallery, which displays Michelangelo's sculpture David. 

Florence Part 1: The Tuscan City At Night

The last stop on my Italy vacation was spending a couple of nights in Florence, which is the capital of Italy’s Tuscany region. I knew about Tuscany because of its wine production, so I was hoping to get the chance to sample some Tuscan red wine. Upon entering the city by train and checking into our hotel, I felt safer than walking around in Rome, which was something I could not really explain. We got into Florence in the afternoon, so after doing laundry at the local laundromat, we spent the evening walking around the city. Here is my experience:

Vatican City Photo Gallery

The second attraction I went to in Rome was not exactly an attraction, but rather its own country inside of the city. I visited the country of Vatican City, ruled by The Holy See, and the central seat of The Catholic Church. I am not a religious man, and frankly I thought I would spontaneously combust upon entering such a holy place, but at least I got to check out some of the historical paintings and sculptures while walking through these halls. Just like my blog post of the Colosseum, this will be more of a collection of photos rather than me giving my thoughts about Vatican City, though I do have a few things I will talk about while you scroll down and check out my pictures.

Colosseum and Roman Forum Photo Gallery

I was in Rome for a few days, and my one full day in the city had me check out two of the major attractions in the city. The first attraction was visiting the Colosseum. The Colosseum was an amphitheatre built back in the days of the Roman Empire and hosted events such as gladiatorial contests, animal hunts, and executions. The Colosseum is one of the chosen seven wonders of the modern world, and I was happy to see the structure in person (with a tour guide, of course).