The thing about trains…it doesn’t matter where they’re going. What matters is deciding to get on. That’s a quote from the conductor on the Polar Express, the train featured in the popular holiday movie. And it is also true for The Steam of the Smokies – the Great Smoky Mountain Railroad. It’s a wonderful way to spend the day. We departed from the depot at Bryson City and everyone on the staff of the railroad greeted us with big smiles. It was evident that they all loved the

In an Irish pub, instead of saying, “I drink to your health,” patrons say, “Sláinte!” (pronounced slaan-sha) as they clink glasses of Guinness. Derived from the Old Irish adjective slán (which means “safe”), sláinte literally translates as "health." So, yes, we often clinked glasses for our health in Ireland at pubs and as guests toured the Guinness and Jameson factories, where we also learned the phrase: sine metu “without fear” or as was translated to us to live more and fe