Cynthia Caceres and walking companions in the streets of Lima. Photo credit: Eduardo Cavero.

Cynthia Caceres wrote this guest post on a walking tour of Lima, Peru.

She is the founder and general manager of Lima Mentor which organizes ?meaningful and authentic experiences? in Lima.

The best way to explore the historic area of Lima is by walking its streets.

Called the ?City of Kings?, Lima, a UNESCO site, has an important cultural heritage that can be seen throughout the city.

The city?s main buildings date back to the Colonial times about 500 years ago.

Lima used to be one of the most important cities in South America.  Since the beginning of its existence, it was the center of the vice-royalty that extended from what is now Ecuador to Chile.

Today, it is an entertaining, friendly and gourmet city facing the open sea and modern life with 5-star hotels, elegant restaurants, and the best airport in South America.

A unique way to go back in time and live the best of the Colonial and Republican times is by going on the Historical Buildings in Lima tour.

The walking tour guide will play an important role in sharing stories, anecdotes, interesting facts, legends and important dates of Peruvian history.

Highlights of the walking tour will include:

• monuments from the Spanish Inquisition;
• the continent?s first university (Universidad Mayor de San Marcos);
• exquisite churches and convents;
• baroque facades;
• courtyards;
• balconies;
• old bars, hotels, shops;
• rich architecture and
• people and traditions.

On this walking tour with Lima Mentor, guests will visit a private home, next to the Government Palace, and Lima?s oldest and most aristocratic hotel.

Guests will walk through plazas, visit the Lima Cathedral, Archbishop?s Palace, Government Palace, Desamparados Train Station, San Francisco convent, the old wall of Lima and more.

They?ll learn how to make the legendary cocktail Pisco Sour in one of Lima?s most traditional bars.

This tour will take about 3 hours starting and ending in Lima?s historic area.

Lima Mentor tours can be organized any day of the week with specialist guides in any language (booked in advance).

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Spain is an extremely popular destination for families, and we list many villas in Costa Blanca as well as spacious villas in Ibiza and family friendly villas in Lanzarote, which are all popular choices for adults with kids in tow as they?re safe, there?s a lot to do and the plane flight is not too long!

There are plenty of other European destinations for family fun in the sun, including Portugal, Greece, Cyprus, France and Italy. Many go back year after year for rest and relaxation and some important quality time together.

If you?re going long-haul, then we have holiday homes as far as Australia as well as South Africa, USA and Asia.

Staying in a unique and beautiful holiday home can make a great choice for a honeymoon and you could have the holiday of a lifetime in Mauritius, Cape Verde or any of the Caribbean Islands.

Finally, there are an abundance of fantastic holiday homes here in the UK and we are proud to advertise some stunning properties all over England, Scotland and Wales, as well as Ireland.

Cream teas from a cottage in Cornwall, spying foals in the New Forest, clambering around castles in Wales ? there is so much to do just a drive or train ride away! And renting a property from Owners Direct gives you all the comforts of home so you can enjoy your break and relax when you get back from a hard day exploring!

Do you own a holiday home you would like to rent out? Advertise with us and join our owner community! We offer great listing prices and we take no commission ? all the enquiries come directly to you. Please see our FAQ page which may answer any queries you have.

You can Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter and see all the latest offers, competitions and get advice and tips for travelling. We also regularly update our travel blog with articles about destinations, as well as news and updates and we would love to hear from you ? we are always interested to hear about your experiences and we might even feature them on our blog!

Owners Direct specialises in advertising privately owned holiday accommodation for rent directly from the owner.

We have advertised holiday properties since 1997 and on our website you will find over 37,000 villas, apartments, chalets, farmhouses and cottages ? all types of holiday accommodation in countries around the world.

Whether you are a family, a couple taking a romantic break or a group of friends getting away for some fun together, there are properties of all shapes and sizes to suit all your needs. We advertise such diversity, that whether you?re on a tight budget or looking for lavish luxury, you can find a wide range of prices and facilities to choose from.

Spain is an extremely popular destination for families, and we list many villas in Costa Blanca as well as spacious villas in Ibiza and family friendly villas in Lanzarote, which are all popular choices for adults with kids in tow as they?re safe, there?s a lot to do and the plane flight is not too long!

There are plenty of other European destinations for family fun in the sun, including Portugal, Greece, Cyprus, France and Italy. Many go back year after year for rest and relaxation and some important quality time together.

If you?re going long-haul, then we have holiday homes as far as Australia as well as South Africa, USA and Asia.

Staying in a unique and beautiful holiday home can make a great choice for a honeymoon and you could have the holiday of a lifetime in Mauritius, Cape Verde or any of the Caribbean Islands.

Finally, there are an abundance of fantastic holiday homes here in the UK and we are proud to advertise some stunning properties all over England, Scotland and Wales, as well as Ireland.

Cream teas from a cottage in Cornwall, spying foals in the New Forest, clambering around castles in Wales ? there is so much to do just a drive or train ride away! And renting a property from Owners Direct gives you all the comforts of home so you can enjoy your break and relax when you get back from a hard day exploring!

Do you own a holiday home you would like to rent out? Advertise with us and join our owner community! We offer great listing prices and we take no commission ? all the enquiries come directly to you. Please see our FAQ page which may answer any queries you have.

You can Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter and see all the latest offers, competitions and get advice and tips for travelling. We also regularly update our travel blog with articles about destinations, as well as news and updates and we would love to hear from you ? we are always interested to hear about your experiences and we might even feature them on our blog!

by Meg Robbins

( May 3rd, 2011 )

Where: Full Sail Brewing, an employee owned micro-brewery in Hood River, a town that?s as sporty as it is scenic.

Why we went:  We first tasted Full Sail?s highly regarded Session lager when beer lovers Austin Hill and Kelly Goodman of Travellious brought some to our Memorial Day #TravBBQ. While I?m not a huge beer drinker, the Pacific Northwest?s microbrew culture is beginning to wean me off of wine.

Who?s there:  Located on a bend in the Columbia River Gorge that gets exceptional and steady winds, Hood River is the kite-boarding capital of the US. Before you drink, go down to Waterfront Park and watch them catch air.

The town also draws aficionados of other outdoor sports, including windsurfing, mountain biking, skiing and hiking. So chances are, the person next to you at Full Sail?s bar earned those calories (even if you didn?t).

Tossing them back: As soon as we spotted the taster trays -which give you 7 4 oz tastes for only $7 ? we came up with the brilliant idea of trying every beer on tap (I don?t like hoppy beers so I knew that my intake wouldn?t be over the top).

And so we did. Among the offerings: Full Sail Pale Ale, Full Sail Amber, Full Sail IPA, Session Premium Lager, Session Black Premium Dark Lager, LTD 03, Jimvar Bohemian Pilsner, Sliante Stout on Nitro, Saison A Pleine Voile, Wassail, Chops II IPA, Hop Pursuit Extra Pale, Elevation Imperial IPA, Imperial Porter and Old Boardhead Barleywine. Several of the beers were only available at the brewery.

Munchies: Full Sail has a standard pub menu, with salads, burgers and all the other apps you love to eat when drinking beer. We ordered spinach and artichoke dip, as well some buffalo chicken wings. The food was OK, nothing special or egregious. You?re here for the beer anyway!

Order this: My first favorite from the tasting was the LTD 03 ? no surprise, as it?s a  pilsner-style lager with a crisp finish (I prefer light wheat beers to hoppy ales). But then I tasted the Saison a pleine voile ? one of the brews found only at the pub. I loved the lemony smell and dry taste. A perfect beer for summer. The Jimvar Bohemian Pilsner ? a Czech-style beer ? also gained high marks from Don and I.

Meh: I don?t like strong beers, so I only took a taste of the Imperial Porter and the Slainte Stout. Your mileage may vary.

The damage: A mere $45 ? a bargain, considering how much we tasted.

Go back? Yes. Hood River itself is a very cute town, and we wish we would have stayed there overnight (unfortunately, we had reservations in Stevenson, Washington). I will definitely look for Full Sail beers in the store, though ? especially the LTD 03, which you can buy outside the brewery. And if we?re there during the summer again, we?re definitely going to snag a seat on the patio, which overlooks the Columbia River.

Deets: Full Sail Brewery is right in downtown Hood River, which is about 90 minutes east of Portland if you take I-84. True craft beer fans may want to take the free 30-minute brewery tour, which is offered daily at 1, 2, 3 and 4 p.m. For those who don?t want to make the trek to taste, Full Sail also has a Riverplace brewery in Portland.

I don?t know about you but when I plan international  travel, one thought that definitely does not cross my mind is, ?...and while I?m there I think I?ll run a marathon.?

I do have an acquaintance who travels internationally to run marathons for fame and fortune but his agent makes sure the package he is offered includes first class airfare, five star hotels and the wife and kids.  But then of course he still has to run  the better part of 27 miles.

Washington-based Cami Ostman author of Second Wind subtitles her book, One Woman?s Midlife Quest to Run Seven Marathons on Seven Continents, which instantly made me head-snap a picture of super-jock.  She?s not.  Ostman might more accurately have added a little visual appeal to we of more modest enthusiasms ? One Woman?s Midlife Quest to Run Seven Marathons on Seven Continents ?Very Slowly, Often Last and Usually Staying in Hostels.

Ostman never considered herself a runner until her friend and future spouse Bill nagged her to give it a try as midlife therapy to ease the segue from a bad marriage and not coincidentally, exodus from eleven years of life in an intensely male -dominant religious community. He enthusiastically exhorts her on what is really a prelude to a first date, that running, ?...really helped me clear my mind and get in touch with my feelings during a difficult time?I ran until it hurt more on the outside than on the inside. You should try it. It works.? Here?s where I started to really like Ostman. She thinks about this for a minute, decides she is actually looking for less pain not more pain, and answers, ? How about getting together sometime for a movie instead??

Ostman doesn?t stand a chance as a non-runner if she hangs around with Bill and predictably gets caught up in the zen of setting a challenge that will represent her freedom from the past and her strength for the future.  For some reason, despite her Not-A-Winner racing pace, she chooses to run a marathon. Soon after that, she insanely agrees (Bill again) to run one on each of the seven continents. Apparently this is a surprisingly common goal for traveling marathoners many of whom sign up with specialist  Marathon Tours (who figure as protagonists in Ostman?s story) and others like Ostman and Bill who  just launch out on their own.

The rules are no duh simple?complete a marathon on each continent. Ostman decides that can be at a jog, a run, a walk or a crawl in an organized race in the US, Canada, South Africa, Australia, Panama City, Rio, Chile, Japan, Prague, or back and forth between huts over ice in Antartica and doesn?t require a finisher?s medal but it?s especially sweet when one appears . She graphically details her personal challenges while running (blood, sweat, tears and Tampax) although her aim is only to finish, and her competition just herself as she starts at the back of the pack and stays at the back of the pack. When you think about it, her marathon at a slow five plus hours may be far more taxing than those who confidently zoom home in under three.  She often finds herself running with her loudly vocal Inner Bitch and Inner Wisdom who duel it out as the kilometers roll on.  Once or twice God handily shows up to holler ?Turn left!?.

So how is this a travel book? Curiously it is in an almost genre-free category.  Second Wind takes us  (very, very slowly) through the back roads and main streets of towns and cities around the world. We don?t  ?see? the guidebook sites but we certainly ?feel? the iconic culture sometimes through the palsy lens of ?sister cities?, we get an insider?s view at marathoning across the globe. We walk away actually wondering if we too could just gently jog our way through not quite 27 miles of eye-catching scenery in choose-your-own ?adventure sites in every continent on planet earth.

Wandering Bookluster?Meg Robbins 4/2011