Don’t laugh.
Often, when I travel, one of the first places I seek out is the local cemetery, and not just during Halloween season. Why? Because there, believe it or not, you can learn a lot about the place you’re visiting — about its people, about its history, about its lifestyle, and about its colorful characters and legends. You can be moved to tears, of course. But you may also find yourself laughing out loud, …
The beauty of Canada is undeniable, with its cascading mountains, huge lakes and flowing waterfalls, but beyond Montreal, Niagara and Vancouver, there is another part of Canada that people often forget. The Okanagan Valley has all the scenery of its fellow states and has also become a region known for its wine and food. It’s not a surprise considering the fish, fowl, fruit and vegetables grown throughout the area.
You can easily find Inniskillin (which …
Heading out to see autumn’s arrival on the landscape is not a popular pastime in Catalonia, Spain, despite the fact that there is plenty to see on the trees come November. During the fall, seasonal tourism has more to do with searching out delectable mushrooms in northern forests and hunting than admiring the way the leaves turn. Low season in northern Catalonia, autumn is an ideal time to find a deal on hotels, avoid crowds, …
Just imagine acres of glorious countryside where hills undulate under a blanket of green and flocks of sheep and cows graze come rain or shine. Think of a destination where the national emblem of the thistle is reminiscent of fierce battles with Vikings from years gone by. This is Scotland, a place for an inherently romantic getaway offering superb scenery. This beautiful country is overflowing with many splendid examples of castles, culture and a sense …
Antigua’s small sister island Barbuda is truly unspoiled Caribbean at its finest, and we were enroute to Lighthouse Bay Resort www.lighthousebayresort.com sandwiched on a thin sandbar that snakes for some 17 pristine, private miles and accessible only by air, (small plane or helicopter) or a long ferry ride (three hours) and water taxi. But we were arriving in high style via Caribbean Helicopters http://caribbeanhelicopters.com/, as complimentary return passage by whirlybird is included with a seven …
You don’t get a nickname like the City of a Thousand Minarets without having earned it. A quick look at the Cairo skyline cements the Egyptian capital’s claim to the title: Everywhere you look, the spindled towers of mosques old and new puncture the clouds.
Rarely has a city been so cozy with ancient history. Cairo’s 20-plus million souls regularly pray in mosques centuries old; the call to prayer punctuates dawn and dusk from the …
Here’s a great secret – you don’t have to spend a fortune to spend time in Hawaii. Don’t get me wrong – if you want to stay at first class properties, fly in the front of the plane and eat at some of the world’s finest restaurants, Hawaii will certainly afford you the opportunity. However, it is also possible to visit Hawaii, see the sites, eat well and experience the Islands up close and personal …
Following a bountiful breakfast of dim sum, my wife Fyllis and I strolled along lanes lined by shops selling merchandise both familiar and unknown to us. Some stores displayed unrecognizable animal body parts, while others stocked herbal remedies said to heal a hospital full of ills.
Lunch meant a steaming bowl of pasta accompanied by a glass of Chianti wine, and a pause to watch several men competing in a lively game of bocce.
The …
Shanghai. It sounds so exotic and glamorous. And let’s be frank, when you put those two adjectives together, you are often talking about expensive, as well. But the fact is that China has traditionally been and remains a budget traveler’s dream, as the Chinese RMB rises in value but the local way of life is cheap, cheap, cheap.
As in any place, budget travel in Shanghai is all about making the right choices. Hostel over …
Want a Halloween celebration full of fantastical costumes, throbbing music and jumping bodies? Welcome to the West Hollywood Halloween Carnaval, the world’s largest Halloween street party. It’s a Halloween celebration that’s both family-friendly and hedonistic at the same time. If you love Halloween, dressing up, or just partying with thousands in the street, then making a pilgrimage to West Hollywood for the Carnaval is a must.
West Hollywood – known to locals as WeHo – …
I suspect that if you looked up the phrase “finding paradise” in the dictionary, one of the definitions you’d be given would read like this:
“the act of spending five carefree, abundantly sunny days exploring the idyllic Hawaiian island of Oahu.”
The Hawaiian islands are legendary. The image of arcing palm trees casting shade over a fuzzy-haired surfer as he waits for the tide to come in, has become so iconic in American culture that …
Almost 47 million people from around the world visit New York City each year. The city offers much in the way of culture, entertainment, and cuisine. Local attractions have inspired many artists to pick up a brush throughout the decades. If you have never visited the Big Apple, consider arranging your itinerary around these works of art. Below is one such painting tour of New York that will take you to all the major sites.…
Every European country seems to have one: a city that thoroughly encompasses all that the nation holds dear. Bruges is such for Belgium, sitting there all proud and pretty, epitomizing the grandeur and perfection otherwise relegated to storybooks. With canal boats, horse-drawn carriages and bicycles, the ethnic spirit swallows visitors whole.
It is difficult to sum up the magic of Bruges placid bottle-green canals with steeped-roofed medieval houses, market squares and slumbering parks in just …
America is one enormous country, no doubt about it. It covers more surface area than most people will traverse in their lifetime, and yet, has a history that takes up a relatively small part of the world’s archives. Luckily, because its story is so recent, it’s still easy for us to see just how these States came to be United.
If you hop on an Amtrak train to journey from Boston to Washington, D.C., you’ll …
