Global Travel Authors

07/03/2025

Review of "Shaland’s Porto and Northern Portugal"
by Barbara Miller

Shaland’s Porto and Northern Portugal is the third exquisite book, in Irene Shaland’s five book series on her travels in Portugal. It is a deep delve into the Jewish history of the area but also brings to life generally the history, geography, art, culture, and grandeur of the area. It is a state-of-the-art travel guide but offers so much more than what would normally be seen or understood by a traveller because of the expert research of the author who is Jewish herself and has an eye for what would escape the attention of most travellers.

The book is also superbly illustrated with a large number of colour photographs by Alex Shaland, Irene’s husband, and children’s author, who shares her travel adventures with her.
Even if you are not a globe trotter, this book has much to offer for those wanting to understand the history of the Jewish diaspora – the persecution, the forced conversions, the Inquisitions, and the expulsions. There is also a visit to a Holocaust Museum. The book also covers the times Jewish culture thrived, and the history of Kings, Christianity, the Knights Templar, and Islam in the land.
No wonder Irene is a sought-after speaker and educator on Jewish history, art, culture and heritage and her travel articles are eagerly awaited.

If you are planning to visit Portugal, take this book with you and keep it in your hand as you explore Portugal as it gives you a practical guide of what to do day to day in your travel. Better still, get it before you go and plan your travels.

Barbara Miller, author of over 12 books including If I Survive: N**i Germany and the Jews, 100-year-old Lena Goldstein’s Miracle Story.

Paperback edition: https://amzn.to/45jzRog
eBook edition: https://amzn.to/3FXNrmX

07/02/2025

"I’ve just had the great pleasure to read historian Irene Shaland’s new and most impressive book to date, Shaland's Porto & Northern Portugal: An Illustrated Guide to Jewish History and Sites in Northern Portugal, Its Capitol Porto and Select Sites in Central Portugal.

In these days when our mobile phones provide thumbnail sketches of places we’d like to visit, Shaland’s book is a refreshing alternative to the 'grab and go' approach imbedded in much of historical travel.

Do you recall the days of printed guidebooks? I still have quite a selection. These printed texts lent themselves to thought, study and consideration – values brought to life in Shaland’s up to date, illustrated guide.

More than 200 pages in length and, thanks to Irene’s husband Alex, filled with breathtaking photos, this is a book that, if you let it, will guide your Sephardic Portuguese adventure to many undiscovered treasures that shaped Jewish life in this fascinating region." – Rabbi Barbara Aiello.

Paperback edition: https://amzn.to/45jzRog
eBook edition: https://amzn.to/3FXNrmX

07/01/2025

Where You Can Find "Shaland's Porto & Northern Portugal"

Since our new guidebook was released, we have been receiving questions asking where it could be found outside of the United States.

Below is the list of links to Amazon pages for the paperback edition in various countries:

US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FCS631GF

Canada: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0FCS631GF

UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0FCS631GF

Spain: https://www.amazon.es/dp/B0FCS631GF

France: https://www.amazon.fr/dp/B0FCS631GF

Germany: https://www.amazon.de/dp/B0FCS631GF

Italy: https://www.amazon.it/dp/B0FCS631GF

The Netherlands: https://www.amazon.nl/dp/B0FCS631GF

Poland: https://www.amazon.pl/dp/B0FCS631GF

Sweden: https://www.amazon.se/dp/B0FCS631GF

Below is the book description from the back cover:

Planning a trip to Portugal and looking for sites related to the history of the Jews in Iberia? Love reading stories of Jewish existence in Europe? The Jewish story of Portugal is not complete without a deep dive into the past and present of Porto and the north of the country—part of human history that, for the most part, remained hidden for centuries.

Not anymore! Now, with this unique guidebook in hand, you can travel in time and space to explore the Jewish sites in Porto, Batalha, Tomar, Guarda, Bragança, Carção, Chaves, Guimarães, and Tui.

Read heroic stories of Jewish resilience, ingenuity, and survival in the face of the relentless Inquisition, ruthless monarchs, and the watchful eyes of neighbors. Follow the wandering Jews of Iberia on the run from expulsions, forced conversions, executions, and outright massacres to short periods of relative calm and then packing up and fleeing again.

This travel guide will help you carefully plan an itinerary that best fits your interests and the time of your stay. After browsing through pages filled with insightful, fascinating stories, practical information, maps, and well over 200 gorgeous color photos, you will be ready for the journey of a lifetime.

Once you arrive in Portugal, we will guide you, step by step, to historical monuments, former Jewish quarters and ghettos, synagogues, and Jewish museums, helping you learn about the Jewish communities of Portugal from biblical times to the present day.

As you turn the pages of this richly illustrated guide, you’ll have no trouble finding each site and learning about its history right then and there.

06/19/2025

New Book Release: Shaland's Porto & Northern Portugal: An Illustrated Guide to Jewish History and Sites in Northern Portugal, Its Capital Porto, and Select Sites in Central Portugal

The new addition to Shaland's Portugal Series

Planning a trip to Portugal and looking for sites related to the history of the Jews in Iberia? Love reading stories of Jewish existence in Europe? The Jewish story of Portugal is not complete without a deep dive into the past and present of Porto and the north of the country—part of human history that, for the most part, remained hidden for centuries.

Not anymore! Now, with this unique guidebook in hand, you can travel in time and space to explore the Jewish sites in Porto, Batalha, Tomar, Guarda, Bragança, Carção, Chaves, Guimarães, and Tui.

Paperback edition: https://amzn.to/45jzRog
eBook edition: https://amzn.to/3FXNrmX

Read heroic stories of Jewish resilience, ingenuity, and survival in the face of the relentless Inquisition, ruthless monarchs, and the watchful eyes of neighbors. Follow the wandering Jews of Iberia on the run from expulsions, forced conversions, executions, and outright massacres to short periods of relative calm and then packing up and fleeing again.

This travel guide will help you carefully plan an itinerary that best fits your interests and the time of your stay. After browsing through pages filled with insightful, fascinating stories, practical information, maps, and well over 200 gorgeous color photos, you will be ready for the journey of a lifetime.

Once you arrive in Portugal, we will guide you, step by step, to historical monuments, former Jewish quarters and ghettos, synagogues, and Jewish museums, helping you learn about the Jewish communities of Portugal from biblical times to the present day.

As you turn the pages of this richly illustrated guide, you’ll have no trouble finding each site and learning about its history right then and there.

Planning a trip to Portugal and looking for sites related to the history of the Jews in Iberia? Love reading stories of Jewish existence in Europe? The Jewish story of Portugal is not complete without a deep dive into the past and present of Porto and the north of the country—part of human histor....

10/22/2024

My New Children's eBook on Sale at ONLY $0.99 Oct. 22 through Oct. 24

"Jackie the Penguin Goes to America: Jackie Visits American National Parks and Learns About the Animals, Geysers, Glaciers, Caves, and Native American Tribes"

The third book of "Adventures of Jackie the Penguin" series

In addition to the paperback edition, the eBook edition of this book is now available for purchase and is on sale for only $0.99: https://amzn.to/3XnNgr4

Would your adventurous child enjoy exploring Yellowstone, Grand Teton, and Glacier National Parks in the company of a little penguin?

In this third book of the Adventures of Jackie the Penguin series, your child will join Jackie and meet all kinds of wild animals; be in awe of geysers, glaciers, and caves; and learn about the local Native American tribes. Vibrant color photographs illustrating every animal make them come alive. And reading the story is just pure fun. Why? Because the story is told by a small person, who happens to be an adorable penguin. By the way, books in this series can be read in any order.

While following Jackie's adventures, kids will love learning about nature and let their imagination go wild! Whether your child reads this story on their own, or you are the one reading it to them – Jackie the Penguin Goes to America will not only entertain and educate but also foster your child's desire to explore our world.

Created by an award-winning photographer and author, Alex Shaland, this fun-filled story uniquely combines elements of a picture book and a chapter book. What sets it apart from other children's books is the abundance of stunning color photographs and fascinating information about nature to learn.

Are you and your child ready to embark on an awesome journey with Jackie the Penguin? You know where to find this book!

Link to eBook edition: https://amzn.to/3XnNgr4

Link to paperback edition: https://amzn.to/3zFZRfL

09/21/2024

Excellent cultural and educational tour provided by Tahiti Eden guide around the entire island of Tahiti Nui from east to West.

Here we are in a Marae or a holy ground of a temple under an open sky. What first grabs our attention is an imposing platform of (mostly) round stones and a three steps altar. There, led by their King, an entire clan would pray for rain, abundance of fish, prosperity, and success in war. Animal and human sacrifices (captive enemies) were made.

What we also see are the anthropomorphic figures called Tiki. These were men-gods with huge almond shaped eyes looking into the afterlife.

09/14/2024

Island hopping around Fiji islands; lunch on the island where the movie “Castaway” was filmed; end - finallyYES! - Irene got a heavy-weight floater that will (prom) support her huge hehehe weight.

09/07/2024

On the road again…Flying to Los Angeles, then Sydney, and then finally, Fiji…One photo is Alex and another is some strange woman, who chose to sit at the same table with Alex while Irene was…well… at the bar…

09/06/2024

Here we are again! In less than a month we returned to NYC: it seems the greatest city in the world cannot wait to get us back! This time, New York prepared something nether we not the city itself seen before: the Great Migration of Elephants: a few hundred of them stopped for a month around the Gansevoort Plaza to teach us all about what a real treasure these animals are and how much we have to help to protect them. All these giants are life size, including the babies. All are made of the invasive plants.

09/03/2024

$1.99 Sale -- 3 Days Only.
The eBook version of children's book "Jackie the Penguin Goes to Madagascar: Jackie Meets the Animals of Madagascar and Learns to Care About Nature" is on sale for $1.99
3 days only: Sept. 3 through Sept. 5.

To review the book, please follow the link: https://amzn.to/3QylWDi

This book, the second in the "Adventures of Jackie the Penguin" series, is for children and their parents who love animals and want to learn more about the diverse wildlife of our planet. It is a captivating story told by a small African penguin called Jackie who, together with his two human friends, departs on a journey throughout the magical island of Madagascar. Our heroes came in search of unusual and mysterious animals, and they will not be disappointed.

Young readers are invited to join Jackie and meet adorable lemurs, colorful chameleons, tiny frogs, strange insects, beautiful birds, and other fascinating wildlife. No matter whether large or small, these creatures are very special because most of them do not exist anywhere else on Earth.

It comes as no surprise that Jackie falls in love with these animals, especially after learning many interesting facts about them. But at the same time, he observes scorched and bare land, where not so long ago there stood a forest full of life. Eventually, Jackie begins to understand the importance of protecting the environment.

A child's learning can and should be fun. With this idea in mind, Alex Shaland wrote Jackie the Penguin Goes to Madagascar and the previous book, Jackie the Penguin Goes on Safari. Both books are part of the Adventures of Jackie the Penguin series, where bright color photographs accompany vivid descriptions of all exotic animals and help the child "see" the world through the eyes of their new friend, Jackie the Penguin.

To review the book, please follow the link: https://amzn.to/3QylWDi

Jackie the Penguin Goes to Madagascar: Jackie Meets the Animals of Madagascar and Learns to Care About Nature (Adventures of Jackie the Penguin)

09/01/2024

Would your adventurous child enjoy learning about Yellowstone, Grand Teton, and Glacier National Parks in the company of a little penguin?

If the answer is "yes," then this new children's book is for you: "Jackie the Penguin Goes to America: Jackie Visits American National Parks and Learns About the Animals, Geysers, Glaciers, Caves, and Native American Tribes"

https://amzn.to/3zFZRfL

In this third book of the Adventures of Jackie the Penguin series, your child will join Jackie and meet all kinds of wild animals; be in awe of geysers, glaciers, and caves; and learn about the local Native American tribes. Vibrant color photographs illustrating every animal make them come alive. And reading the story is just pure fun. Why? Because the story is told by a small person, who happens to be an adorable penguin. By the way, books in this series can be read in any order.

While following Jackie's adventures, kids will love learning about nature and let their imagination go wild! Whether your child reads this story on their own, or you are the one reading it to them – Jackie the Penguin Goes to America will not only entertain and educate but also foster your child's desire to explore our world.

Created by an award-winning photographer and author, Alex Shaland, this fun-filled story uniquely combines elements of a picture book and a chapter book. What sets it apart from other children's books is the abundance of stunning color photographs and fascinating information about nature to learn.

Are you and your child ready to embark on an awesome journey with Jackie the Penguin? You know where to find this book! https://amzn.to/3zFZRfL

08/30/2024

During the back stage tour:
Inside the newly rebuilt Tom Patterson Theater of Stratford, Ontario, the most innovative and technologically advanced theater house in the world!
Again, we are in our beloved Stratford: theatrical pilgrimage 2024, our (probably) 37th…of course we missed 2020 and 2021…The reason for our “addiction” is a simple fact: in Stratford, ON, we are face to face with the best English language theater outside London UK.
I felt in the seventh heaven of the Great Theater while sneaking onto the remarkable thrust stage!