Shhh! I’m letting the cat out of the bag … Ottawa. Move over Toronto and Montreal, Canada’s little sister capital is flexing its muscles these days. We were two lucky souls invited to partake in the super showing of the fall foliage in this city and for the life of … Read more
Ernest Hemingway came to the Peruvian Coast in 1956—partly to fish for black marlin, partly to oversee the filming of his monumental novel, The Old Man and the Sea. Almost 60 years after his visit, I, too, am heading to the Peruvian Coast. None of my magazine articles have been … Read more
When we first arrived in St Martin/St Maarten in 1975, we instantly fell in love with the island. At that time it was rather undeveloped, beautiful, and with the most amazing food and incredible Euro-Carib tropical soul. After experimenting with other Caribbean islands, we decided this was OUR island … … Read more
The idea to visit a storied resort on Mexico’s Pacific coast, one struggling with negative press, was pretty simple. For as long as I can remember Acapulco had been on my bucket list if only due to its sexy name and glamorous past. “Aka-poole-ko” … it sounds sensual, right? And … Read more
Admittedly I’m a novice when it comes to over the top luxury in the Caribbean, so it’s fair to say that I could be easily impressed, but when The Somerset’s jovial bellman (a Reggaeton singer on the side) dropped me at reception, I was just about speechless. And I … Read more
First things first. I love Maui. I’ve been visiting my favorite Hawaiian island for years. In fact, I’ll continue to return every year or two for as long as I’m able. Curiously, this annoys some people. “Aren’t there more interesting places to travel in the world?” they ask with a … Read more
In July 1863, over 170,000 soldiers converged on the small town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania in a battle that changed both the course of the Civil War and ultimately the nation. Every kid in America studied the Battle of Gettysburg in history class and memorized at least a part of President … Read more
A Memorial Weekend spent in Oslo, Norway, couldn’t have taken me further away from the shores of the U. S. of A. where backyard barbecues and baseball games are typically the norm. The unpredictable May weather was an ongoing topic of conversation with everyone, even at immigration, and as the … Read more
“Hey Thom,” I said, “We’ve been hiking for two hours already and we haven’t reached the glacier yet. How much longer do you think?” We’d started out from the little village of Briksdalsbre early in the morning and thought we were doing a half-day hike, but since our guide Ruben … Read more
It was like a magic carpet ride. Except that I was riding a rolling blue tapestry of three mighty waterways in Norway – the North Sea, the Norwegian Sea and the Barents Sea. Heading south along the coast from Kirkenes near the Russian border to the old Hanseatic city of … Read more
As I walk the streets of Trondheim, Norway’s third largest city, it doesn’t seem so “large.” Like many places in Norway, there’s an intimacy to the city with pockets of small town charm. And of course, there are those omnipresent tales of Vikings and kings, of battles and bold heroics … Read more
I’m far up in the northern reaches of Norway, where my guide says it is the “last wilderness in Europe,” where the surrounding forests, he says, are filled with moose, lynx, bears and wolverines. Fourteen hundred miles, straight as the crow flies, is the North Pole and Russia is a … Read more
“The Norwegians sure take their sun seriously, don’t they?” said Pop after he saw that we were fellow Americans touring Norway. We’d just zoomed past a few townspeople sunbathing in their backyards and a guy mowing his lawn shirtless. It was a hot, sunny day in Alesund, a popular fjord … Read more
Stuffy, staid English-ness? Yes, St. Ermin’s is just a stone’s throw from Buckingham Palace and St. James’s Park and the ceiling lobby is finished in full on Rococo plasterwork rivaling the Sistine Chapel’s decoration. And true, it does feel like Mr. Darcy might walk down the grand staircase at any … Read more
A William Wallace impersonator cuts a menacing figure on the cobbled streets of Edinburgh. His face painted blue and white – the colors of the Scottish flag – he wears a fur coat and wields a mock medieval weapon, while rhapsodising in a thick Scottish accent about freedom. In case … Read more