India & Nepal - 2026

Day 1 - October 14 - 16, 2026 Marietta to Delhi, India

Reliable Anthony got me safely to the ATL International Airport for my flight on British Airways to Delhi via London. The flight was uneventful and I quickly processed through Heathrow to begin my long lay over.  I immediately bumped into a Jelly Cat Store, so I called Lily to see which one she would like. She selected an adorable little guy, and I began walking the airport to stay awake and get more steps.

Half way there, only 10 more hours to go.  I did manage to sleep some, so when I arrived in Delhi, I was somewhat coherent. Once at Immigration, I was told that I needed an "Arrival Card" and to get back out of line, use the QR code on the wall, and then get back in line, which I did.  Eventually, I was at baggage claim, where my suitcase was already sitting off to the side.  Happily, I claimed my luggage, walked through the exit, and was delighted to see a young man holding a "Tauck" sign. We walked to the parking garage, got into a very nice Mercedes, and entered the craziness of Delhi traffic.  Almost immediately, I spotted a cow, "Holy Cow", on the sidewalk.  I also noticed that the signs on the road were merely a suggestion, and the honking was incessant. Finally, we arrived at the luxurious hotel, The Imperial, complete with turban greeters, and a bindi placed on my forehead.

My room wasn't quite ready, so I was taken to the lovely dining room for breakfast. I sipped tea, nibbled on pastries, and read over the Tauck packet. I quickly decided that I would like to visit the synagogue listed on the places of interests.  The concierge arranged a tour with the rabbi at 2 PM, so I had enough time to shower and change clothes.

The driver took me to the ATM where I was unsuccessful in making a withdrawal, so we went to the synagogue for my tour.  The rabbi was gracious and showed me around, including the two Torahs and a tour of the cemetery. 

When the tour was over, my driver took me to another bank where I finally made a withdrawal. Back at the hotel, I had time to rest a bit before getting ready for my dinner reservation at the Italian Restaurant. I sat close to a delightful Australian couple, so we visited, and I actually enjoyed a wonderful meal. I collapsed into bed since I hadn't slept in over 24 hours. I did wake up when Nicole arrived around midnight.  She was exhausted from her travels, so she was ready for bed, too.

Day 1 - Tauck - October 17, Delhi, India

We enjoyed a delightful breakfast in the 1911 Restaurant. Our security hotel security guard helped us cross the street (oy!!) to the ATM.  We then explored the hotel a bit, and decided to enjoy the hotel's pool/hot tub. We relaxed in the hot tub visiting sweet a nice Russian gal. Then we ordered lunch, which was delicious before getting ready for our first event.

At 1:15 we met our tour director, Sidd, for our Welcome Briefing. After our meeting, we began our explorations of New Delhi, which included a drive through of Vijay Chowk, with views of the Secretariat buildings, Parliament House, the Presidential Palace and the India Gate.  We stopped at the Gandi Smriti Museum.

Once back at the hotel, we had just enough time to get ready for the Welcome Reception and Dinner. We enjoyed getting to know everyone.  We sat with Gail, from Hawaii. It really was a lovely event. Once back in our room, we marveled at our gift wrapped laundry!

Day 2, October 18, 2026 - Old and New Delhi

 We barely began our journey today when Nicole spotted a monkey in our tree.  We explored Old Delhi with a visit to the UNESCO World Heritage site, Humayun's Tomb, erected in 1570 of sandstone and marble, modeled after Islamic paradise gardens. We also spotted Indian Squirrels and bright green birds.

Next, we explored the five-story sandstone Qutb Minar Victory Tower, an imposing minaret built over eight centuries ago, part of one of the earliest surviving mosque complexes in India.

The traffic was insane as we drove to our very upscale restaurant, The Olive, where we celebrated Jeanie's Birthday!

We had the afternoon free, so we did a little shopping in the hotel, before repacking for tomorrow's flight. We enjoyed a wonderful dinner at The Imperial's restaurant, The Spice Route.

Day 3, October 19, 2026 Fly to Kathmandu

What an amazing day! This morning we flew to Kathmandu, Nepal. About 30 minutes before landing, we flew along the ridgeline of the Himalayas, and I was simply captivated watching the peaks of the mountains about the clouds!

Every Tauck passenger had a view of these majestic mountains. We then checked into the absolutely amazing The Dwarika's. The intricate  Salla wood carvings throughout the hotel are gathered from the building of this small mountainous country.

We traveled to the Pashupatinath Temple of Lord Shiva, on the banks of the sacred Bhagmati River, where we watched the Brahmin priests perform rituals/prayers for the numerous cremations.

Once back at the hotel, we enjoyed a delicious pasta dinner under the stars. Perfect ending to our first day in Nepal.

Day 4 - October 20, 2026 Kathmandu/Flightseeing in the Himalyas

As we left in the dark for the airport, we had no idea what a gloriously, perfect day, to see the spectacular alpine views as we soared amid the Himalayan landscapes of Mount Everest. Aboard Buddha Air, every Tauck passenger had a window seat on the plane.  First, the pilot flew by so the right side of the plane could take pictures of Mt. Everest, and then he flew the left side by this tremendous mountain, over 29,000 feet up.  it was so awesome flying above the clouds while viewing this marvel.

After breakfast back at the hotel, we boarded the bus for Durbar Square, formerly a part of the Spice Route, amongst crowds as this is the one day each year that the temple allows all admittance. 

 We toured the area, took a fun rickshaw ride to lunch, shopped at a cashmere store, freshened up for dinner, and finally enjoyed a fascinating presentation by a female Sherpa followed by an authentic Napali dinner.

Portugal Hussy (minus our beloved T) Sep 30 - Oct 8, 2026

 Day 1 - September 30 Marietta to Lisbon, Portugal

Hussy Trip, minus our beloved T (due to medical reasons) - destinations Lisbon and Porto, Portugal.  We've been traveling together since 2002. T has always been our leader and chief navigator, and without her, we were concerned.

Anthony, my wonderful driver, picked me up, then drove over to get Judy and Joan. We had an easy drive to the ATL airport, so with plenty of time to spare, we went to the Delta Sky Lounge using my vouchers. We recharged our devices, had a nice lunch, and in no time, it was time to board the plane for JFK. Since our vouchers were good for 24 hours, we enjoyed dinner at the JFK Delta Sky Lounge.  Finally, we boarded our flight to Lisbon.  I had a very sweet seat mate, although I would have much preferred it to be T! Didn't sleep much, but I was ready to go!!

Day 2 - October 1, 2026 - Lisbon

We navigated the airport, purchased a Navegante (yellow card) for two days unlimited public transportation for 15 Euro.  We did experience an issue finding our B&B - AL Penao Praca da Figueira which was very close to the Rossio Metro Station. We dropped off our luggage (used a 5 Euro per person to have our luggage taken up the three flights of stairs) and found the nearest place for coffee/pastry.  We then began to explore by taking Bus 727 to Castelo da Jorge.

As we were walking down from the castle when we heard singing from a balcony. He was quite entertaining.

We then took Tram 28 down Alfama's narrow streets. We were starting to drag, so we went back to the B&B to wait in the lobby for our rooms to be ready.  Actually, we all fell asleep because we were just exhausted.  Finally, we got our room at 1:30 where we took a proper nap.

Refreshed, we took Bus 15E to Belem Tower where we took pictures.

We were riding on Train 15 E towards home, when Judy suggested spontaneously that we hop off and have dinner. It was a delightful place, which we later learned is a great place for dinner. We looked a round just a bit, when we selected O Sole Mia, where we enjoyed a fabulous dinner, complete with gelato!

 We hopped back on 15E for the remainder of our trip home. Everyone crashed into bed, ready for a good night's Sinsleep.

Day 3 - October 2, 2026 - Lisbon

0830 hours - our breakfast reservation - wonderful selection! Fortified with food, we began our walk to the train station for the Sintra Train, which our transportation card did not cover, but the new ticket was under 6 Euro for a round trip, so we were set for the 10:41, which was crowded, but we found three seats. After a 45-minute trip, we arrived in beautiful Sintra.

 The first bus was packed, so we waited for the next one to the palace. Once there, we purchased tickets, walked to the Transer, didn't have a ticket for "that", walked about 50 yards, decided it would be too difficult, so we walked back to the ticket office and purchased 4.60 Euro to ride the Transer. It too, was packed like sardines, but it better than walking 500 vertical meters. We took a few photos

While riding the "sardine packed" bus back to the train station, we hopped off at Vila Sintra for a fabulous salad/pizza lunch, shopped a bit, then enjoyed a "Pillow of Sintra" pastry! Yum!

Took the train back to the Rossio station, and as we were walking back to the B&B, we did a little shoe shopping.  We dumped our purchases at the B&B, and strolled down the back Avenue before selecting Il Mulino.  Our server, Jasbir Singh was probably one of the most attentive, funny server I've ever had.  I enjoyed an amazing ravioli, salad, and "green wine" - a crisp, citrus tasting white wine. 

We shopped some more, repacked, showered and crashed.

Day 4 - October 3, 2026 Lisbon to Porto

Today, was a perfect travel day, so after our last  Lisbon "fabulous breakfast" and "Helga" carried TWO pieces of our luggage down three flights of stairs with minimal effort, we were on our way to the Metro to the train station.  The sweet lady at the ticket booth informed us that the only available tickets were for first class.  When I asked her how much this would cost, she asked me if I had an ID available that showed my age, so I gave her my passport. She said that we qualified for "the discount" (no mention of the word "senior") so the cost per ticket was 21 Euro.  Portugal obviously values their elderly! Our three hour train ride was easy, but finding the metro to our B&B area was a bit of a challenge. While looking, we had a hysterical event.  This sweet man was showing us that we could go up, while in the tube, Joan thought he was trying to pick pocket her.  Poor guy, he about had a stroke!  Then, Joan tried to get out of the tube the wrong way.  By the time we did get on our way, I was laughing so hard that I could barely walk.  Once again, Google Maps was not very helpful, and we struggled a bit looking for our B&B, but eventually I spotted the minuscule sign. Yay, we walked into the elevator, but had no idea what floor we were going to.  We tried a couple, but then Joan thought it could be five.  Yay, it was!  We called the number on my WhatsApp, but they needed so much information that the building manager showed up in person to help out. Our new B&B had an amazing view and  a great layout! Our manager had recommended two restaurants, so we picked one, Brasao Aliados!  We had the BEST salads - goat cheese that had been carmelized, toasted nuts, and lambs ear lettuce.

We strolled around to walk off the calories until we found a gelato place, so there's that.  Happy Day 1 in Porto!

Day #5 - October 4, 2026

Wow! what a feast was delivered to our room for breakfast -  juice, milk, 7 types of pastries/breads, cheese, meat, watermelon and yogurt.  Apparently, the first day you get loaded up so you know what to select on subsequent days! We laughed so much!  Now, it was time to walk to catch our hop on/off bus. I stopped a tour guide to inquire and he directed us to a Tours/Tickets. We walked over to the first stop, boarded the Gray Line Blue Bus for 28E, and began our journey through the Blue, Green, and Orange Routes.  

We hopped off to shop, have lunch, and shop some more.  We went to the grocery store for some snacks, yogurt and coffee for Ari.  We had happy hour, then Judy and I went to recon the area for tomorrow's tour, searched for a dinner possibility and eventually ate at a Tapas Bar.  I enjoyed my chicken skewer and sweet potato fries. Back home, we showered, read, and time for bed.

Day 6 - Octobert 5, 2026

Happy Republic Day, Portugal! We met our guide, Victor, and boarded our van where we were the only Americans, among 4 French, 4 Brits, 2 Canadians, 2 Germans, and 2 Swedes yet it was THE BEST EXCURSION EVER. 

We took the van to the Duoro River Valley.  First Stop, Casa Santa Erifemia Family Estates for a port tasting.

We all made some purchases before boarding the bus to Regua Train Station.  We  rode the train a short decision (three stops) to Penhao for lunch and a fabulous boat ride on the Duoro River.

We dropped off our purchases, took our picture at the Porto Sign,

 then visited the old train station. Next, we went to "Time Out" for dinner where we enjoyed salads and fish tacos before going for gelato. 

 Walking back home, I found a cute skirt that will be perfect for India. It was the perfect ending for a perfect day.

Day 7 - October 6, 2026

Our first rain in Portugal, so we enjoyed a leisurely morning.  The rain seemed to stop, so we grabbed rain gear, started walking to Livaria Llelo. The line was already long, so I walked to the QR code while Judy and Joan held our place in line. The cost of the ticket is 15.95 Euro which can be applied towards a purchase.  Our time to enter was 11:45 so we continue to wait in line, total wait time 1-1/2 hours. We got in just as the rain started. It really is a beautiful bookstore, apparently the third most beautiful in the world.

We purchased a few items and then walked to Catalina street.  First on the list was the embroidery shop for a couple of baby gifts. 

Now, we were hungry, so we walked to a famous hot dog place, Gazela.  It definitely lived up to it's reputation. We had such a great lunch!

Back on Catalina, we shopped, and was even entertained by a chicken performer.

We located the Kiko's makeup store for some "essentials". As we walked back to our B&B, we found a place for Joan to purchase the specific port she was looking for. We decided to attend the 7:30 Fado performance so we  went back to the B&B, Judy decided to rest for a while, so Joan and I walked to the ATM. We both went in search for bubble wrap - no luck, and to the grocery store for snacks. Back at the B&B, while enjoying happy hour, we thought we were eating Portuguese Marconi almonds that just didn't taste that great, but in reality, we were eating Tremocos Beans!!  Once again, we laughed like hyennas. Off we went to the Fado Concert by  in Trinidade Hall by Presidential which was truly fabulous. The lead singer, Anna, was beautiful and extremely talented. This concert will be a favorite memory of Portugal.

Day 8 Last Full Day in Porto (sigh)

We had a list of streets to explore, so we were on the move when we walked by a very long line outside the Bank of Portugal. Curiosity got the best of Judy, so she walked over to a group of people to get the scoop.

Turns out, a new coin was released today, and all the people in line wanted this coin because most likely were coin collectors. We continued on our list of "must visit" streets which we walked throughout our day.  We really explored all the highlights including ice cream at Amorino's. We saw "Harry Potter - type" students.  Our day concluded with dinner at Atalian Republic, which was delicious! We packed and got ready for our travel day tomorrow.

Day 9 - Octobert 8, 2026

After our last delicious "last" breakfast, we went downstairs and called Uber for our pickup.  The driver arried promptly and the ride was going smoothly, until the driver told me to update my app. There is no way to update the app, but he kept insisting that I had not selected the right airport, yet we were at the airport that we needed to fly home.  Finally, he said never mind, and he unloaded our suitcases. We checked into Delta, went through security, and then we were in the concourse, yet no one had checked our passports.  Strange, but we shopped around, and finally, exactly one hour before our flight, so we went to our gate.  Alas, we NOW needed to go through passport control!  Yikes!! The line was long and was moving very slowly.  Eventually, we made it through, with only 15 minutes until boarding. The flight was easy, and finally, we were in the JFK terminal.  Unfortunately, I only had one voucher to the Delta Sky Club, so we just waited at our gate, checking email until time to board.  The flight to Atlanta was easy, and luckily we were ahead of the hurricane scheduled to hit. Reliable Anthony was waiting for us.  What an awesome trip we enjoyed!