The first ray of sunlight reaches the Temple of Hera before it touches any other building on the Paestum plain. In front, six columns stand, and fourteen line each side, all the color of honey. For about ten minutes the travertine, a kind of local porous limestone, seems to glow from within, after which the sun has risen high enough for the stone to once again appear as ordinary stone. In the eighteenth century, people
Browsing: Beach Vacations
The horse rises straight up among the people, its black coat gleaming, and its front hooves sweep through the air above the hundred raised hands. In the Plaça des Born, the main square of the old part of Ciutadella. Historically, people reached out to touch the horse’s chest, as it is traditional to do so to secure a year of good luck. This is the jaleo, the climax of the Festes de Sant Joan which
… For now, to get to Koh Lanta, you must take a boat. At the Ban Hua Hin pier on the mainland of Krabi, cars, minivans, delivery trucks and, from time to time, a scooter with an entire family on it board a ferry with a flat deck and cross a narrow channel to Koh Lanta Noi; from there they continue on a bridge to Koh Lanta Yai, which is the island that most people mean
… The first blue plaque that caught my attention was on a little shingled cottage in the West End, almost completely hidden behind a thick thicket of beach roses; the plaque depicted a Cape Cod house being carried across the waves on a boat, with a lighthouse in the distance behind it. At first I thought it was a fanciful kind of house sign, but it turned out to be a biography. The Pilgrims were the
… Thirty miles out in the Atlantic, past the last reliable cell signal, sits an island that once ran the world’s whale oil supply and now mostly runs on cranberry bogs, cedar shingles, and a waiting list for dinner reservations. Nantucket has spent three and a half centuries figuring out what it wants to be, and the current answer, equal parts historic seaport, art colony, and extremely well-funded beach town, seems to be working.
In 1659,
… There are a few destinations in the Caribbean that have managed to retain an authentic sense of place while simultaneously establishing themselves among the region’s most exclusive escapes. Anguilla is one of them.
Situated in the northern Caribbean, just 19 kilometers north of St. Martin, this slender coral and limestone island stretches only 26 kilometers from end to end. Yet within its modest footprint lie 33 spectacular beaches, an internationally acclaimed dining scene, intimate luxury …
Cape Cod begins with a curve on the map and a change in mood. One hour south of Boston, the city gives way to a 400-square-mile hook of dunes, harbours and cedar-shingled towns where life still moves to the pull of tide and season. Bordered by the Atlantic Ocean, Cape Cod Bay and Buzzards Bay, the peninsula gathers 15 distinct towns into one of New England’s most enduring coastal escapes.…
Unless you’re at the beach, going anywhere on St. Vincent becomes an adventure in traveling up and down. This is a volcanic island with extensive hilly terrain, even near its shoreline, but it also offers a contrasting impression of green interiors, black beaches, bright pastel-colored buildings, busy town waterfronts, and dramatic rocky crags on islets just offshore. It takes a little more effort to get to St. Vincent than more accessible islands like Barbados, Jamaica, …
I travel frequently, and always prepare for my various jaunts doing fact-finding, participating in forums, asking friends, and even reading literature from my destination country. I’m prepared, but not too prepared, ever open to the spur-of-the-moment experiences traveling promises. For my month-long voyage to Southern India I spent an excessive amount of time planning. Hours, days, and months were spent investigating the merits of the SteriPEN® and concocting a route south from Mumbai. I weighed …
Located in the Caribbean, Barbados appeals to visitors who simply want to kick back and enjoy the sun, sea, and surf. With its aqua blue sea and powdery beaches, you are never too far away from a place to sit and relax. But when you feel like doing some exploring, Bridgetown (Barbados’ capital city) is the place to head to. It’s easy to get to from just about anywhere, no matter where you are in …
Scattered across the waters of the South Pacific, Vanuatu is one of the world’s most captivating yet underexplored destinations. This Y-shaped archipelago of 83 islands offers visitors an authentic Melanesian experience wrapped in pristine natural beauty, active volcanoes, and some of the most culturally diverse communities on Earth.
Vanuatu lies approximately 1,080 miles east of northern Australia and 310 miles northeast of New Caledonia in the South Pacific Ocean. The nation stretches across roughly 800 …
In a country famous for its pristine pebbled shores and crystal-clear waters, Susak stands as a geological anomaly. This small Croatian island, composed entirely of sand deposited by ancient winds onto limestone bedrock, offers something almost impossible to find elsewhere along the Adriatic coast: genuine sandy beaches that rival those of tropical destinations and very few crowds.
Susak sits in the Kvarner Bay, approximately 7.4 kilometers southwest of Mali Lošinj island, making it one of …
Little Gustavia, capital of the French Caribbean island of St. Barthélemy, is a fine showcase for local culture and traditions while also displaying a wider connection to the international cosmopolitan retail and culinary worlds present along its winding streets. Once a Swedish colonial outpost, the Gustavia of today merged from its past as a quiet harborside fishing village in the mid-twentieth century when St. Barths caught the interest of international globetrotters and trendsetters.
Thanks to …
The small village of Tortuguero is tucked away in the northeastern corner of Costa Rica, within a vast protected national park. It is one of the most important nesting sites for sea turtles in the Western Hemisphere. Each year, thousands of endangered green turtles arrive en masse to lay their eggs on the long, isolated stretches of beach. Here, you can witness one of nature’s most marvelous ancient reproductive rituals.
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