by Paul Burke, Harpers Ferry, WV. Photos by JoAnn Koppany, San Diego, CA

Machu Picchu has a beautiful setting. While the ruins themselves are simple rock walls, you can look both up and down at precipitous granite mountains and forests. However, if you want sculpture or carvings, this is not the place; it has nothing like the extensive carvings found in Mexico, Asia and the Mediterranean.

Revisiting the site

It had been 30 years since I last visited Machu Picchu, and...

by Leslie Romer, Olympia, WA

I made my first visit to Iceland on Elderhostel’s “Walking and Hiking in Iceland” tour in August ’07. Having previously taken tours on six continents, I was surprised to find that at the end of that 10-day stay I was reluctant to leave. Why was I, a longtime resident of the gorgeous Pacific Northwest, so drawn to this small country with so few trees?

I spent that fall and winter reading about Iceland and planning my return. In late June ’08 I went...

by Richard Berner, San Diego, CA

Hogwarts, Dumbledore, Voldemort, Muggles, Quidditch: if you’ve heard any of these strange-sounding words from your children or grandchildren, chances are they are fans of the best-selling Harry Potter books. Our 9-year-old grandson, Marcus, greatly enjoyed them and he and I read most of the series together.

Five of the books have been made into successful motion pictures, and Marcus and I traveled to the London area in April ’08 to visit some...