Cities, restaurants, temples, shops, markets? Cultural experiences? Museums? Bars, late night jazz clubs? Dancing? Drinking? Who needs any of it? Japan offers, instead, a unique and magical one of a kind opportunity to explore the depths of your soul, and live to tell the tale. Ryokans, a type of … Read more
For decades, Antwerp has scored high for its coolness quotient. Situated in Belgium’s northwest province of Flanders, its second-largest city put itself on the map in the late 80’s when a group of fashion school graduates threw their designs into the back of a rented truck and headed to … Read more
There’s never enough time in Berlin to see and do everything but I thought I’d give it my best shot recently on a whirlwind weekend in the German capital. A friend told me about an interesting neighborhood that she likened to the “SoHo of Berlin” called the Hackesche Hofe in … Read more
“What’s your major? What year are you? What dorm do you live in? Standard questions when making friends in college. But as I cross an old stone bridge and meet a dozen travelers from Barcelona, I’m met with a different set of questions that I will hear over and over … Read more
At the top of my travel bucket list, to use a way over-used term, Antarctica occupied the number one, two and three positions. So when I was approached about visiting the Great White Continent, I grabbed my passport, parka and camera and jumped on it. Travel to the bottom of … Read more
Hailed as the last Shangri-La, the country of Bhutan is now becoming more accessible to the outside world. Having previously been closed to visitors, tourism to Bhutan started in the 1970’s and has been growing ever since. The country’s isolation had preserved Bhutan’s unsullied landscape giving it a direct and … Read more
It’s a summer evening in Fira, Santorini, after sunset. Music is booming out of every open doorway signaling that the evening has officially begun. Crowds of people are lining the narrow walkways of the largest village on the island. Climbing up the steps past the whitewashed buildings towards one … Read more
On my last visit to Florence, I made sure to see all of the city’s most famous attractions, from Michelangelo’s David in the Accademia Gallery, the Uffizi with its gallery upon gallery of Renaissance treasures from the masters like Botticelli and Titian, along with the city’s most famous landmark, … Read more
It’s been said that the island of Santorini was created by a famous earthquake about 1500 BC and that it may be a remnant of the legendary lost continent of Atlantis. While this is true, there is another side to the mysterious island. Writers throughout history have already dedicated countless … Read more
A few months ago, summer seemed so distant. July was an empty playground to be filled with hikes, sailing on the lake, driving with the top down and barbeques with all your friends. But sneaky June has come and gone, leaving you in panic mode. Where did the time go? … Read more
When I lived in West Germany before the fall of the Berlin Wall, cities across the border in the Communist East Bloc seemed a world away. Any travel to East Germany was especially restricted, and the red tape required for visiting wasn’t worth the hassle. But all that has changed, … Read more
Barbados, situated in the southern Atlantic, is the most easterly of the Caribbean islands, set off on its own as though wanting to be different. It surely is, this “Little England,” as some call it. After more than 300 years of British rule, Barbados, independent since 1966, is a delightful … Read more
Travel assumptions can often be misguided and my recent trip to Macau is one such example. But a happy surprise is a traveler’s true gift. Although I thought I knew the characteristics of this island, I was glad to discover a deeper and more complex, hybrid culture. While many of … Read more
If Lisbon is one of those places lower on your list of “must see in Europe,” re-think your rankings. Portugal’s capital city is a lively urban center chock full of attractions from medieval to modern. Whether you’re a history buff, a gastronome, a power shopper, or all three, you’ll … Read more
If you’ve been to Flanders—Belgium’s northern reaches—chances are you’ve explored Brussels, from its gourmet restaurants and chocolate shops to its Manneken Pis, or Petit Julien, one of the world’s most beloved statues. Possibly, you’ve toured Bruges, where mists rise moodily over canals plied by flat bottomed barges and lined with … Read more