It’s no longer a secret: Germany is one of the great culinary destinations in Europe. Forget its old reputation for stodgy meat-and-potatoes fare. In Germany today you can eat very well indeed, from traditional regional dishes to the latest modern cuisine. This year German restaurants racked up a total of … Read more
What do Jan Vermeer, Andy Warhol, Keith Haring and Vivienne Westwood have in common? They are the inspiration behind the Baltazar Hotel’s 11-individually themed rooms and suites, each an explosion of creativity at this boutique property in Budapest. It is this offbeat pursuit of an ultra-cool aestheticism that characteristically describes … Read more
Let’s face it. Summer is all about longer days and later nights. But once fall starts to creep around the bend in late September the days get shorter and the nights end earlier. For many, that loss of light and less down time in the evening is an unwelcome adjustment. … Read more
Nestled between Austria, Poland and Slovakia, the ancient kingdom of Moravia is relatively unknown and often upstaged by neighboring Bohemia and its capital city of Prague. Moravia is a treasure and arguably one of the best preserved and most historic regions of the Czech Republic. In Southern Moravia the treasures … Read more
The trolley car bell rings as it glides along Ringstrasse, Vienna’s grand boulevard winding around the city center in the shape of a ring. The trolley stops before Volksgarten, and I disembark to enter the majestic garden grounds. The grounds remind me of New York City’s Central Park except this … Read more
As little girls many of us dreamed we’d one day meet a prince and live in a castle like Cinderella. There was a sense of mystery and melodrama connected with all that. And even though meeting a royal isn’t completely out of the question today and some royal families do … Read more
For everyone making plans to attend one or more festivals around the world, Norway’s in the middle of hosting its much anticipated Nuart Street Art Festival in Stavanger. Nuart began way back in 2001 exhibiting urban art but in 2005 Nuart chose to focus exclusively on street art, essentially art … 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
It’s not 2008 anymore: gone are the days of the “staycation”. This year’s travelers have got big plans in all corners of the globe. The summer of 2012 will mean the Olympics, and exotic locations that have undergone significant changes. Here are our top predictions for what savvy tourists have … Read more
Vancouver, Canada Thanks to the 2010 Winter Olympics, Vancouver now has an extensive transportation system (aptly named the Olympic Line) to get tourists to and from popular destinations. But since it’s also been named the Best Walking City in Canada, you can forget about public transpo altogether. While you’re there, … Read more
It was June and we were celebrating Midnight Sun, so spirits were high as we boarded the Helsinki flight. I’d already been won over by the boarding passes with all over background images of nature scenes and the Finns in their natural environment, a key element in a trip … Read more
The sounds of stamping feet and lustily strummed guitars burst from every corner of this radiant city during the Bienal de Flamenco, which takes place this year from September 15-October 9. Day and night, in 16th-century plazas and Art Deco theaters, top-flight dancers and musicians celebrate the art over a … Read more