by Susanna Gaertner | Dec 12, 2017 | Travel, Travel blog
Earlier this year I spent several days in the historically rich capital of Jalisco, but I arrived in the middle of a national holiday, which brought a traffic tsunami that began taking its toll on the long, loud, dusty drive in from the airport to my hotel in...
by Lucy Gordan | Oct 19, 2017 | Travel, Travel blog
The United States and Italy have always shared only three holidays: New Year’s Day, Easter Sunday, and Christmas, and one festivity Mardi Gras, not-to-be-missed in New Orleans and in Venice. Then, about two decades ago, for no apparent reason, but maybe because...
by Bill Marsano | Oct 11, 2017 | Travel, Travel blog
I wouldn’t want to say that French trains and I don’t get along, but certainly our relationship has had something of the hit-or-miss about it. The first miss occurred before I even boarded a train. A Rail Europe agent had crowed about the ease of using an...
by Adam Jacot de Boinod | Oct 11, 2017 | Travel, Travel blog
“The hills are as alive” as ever. The residual summer snow on the crest of the mountains made it easy for me to envisage the winter season. A guaranteed white Christmas though snow has to be manufactured at times to satisfy the skiers. After a vigorous day out, be...
by Lucy Gordan | Sep 27, 2017 | Travel, Travel blog
That’s a good and still unanswered question. Most people think that cappuccino is an Italian drink, but few know that, yes, it may have been invented by an Italian, but definitely not in Italy, where it wasn’t even mentioned until the 1930s. Its birthplace was Vienna,...
by Adam Jacot de Boinod | Jun 14, 2017 | Travel, Travel blog
Mauritius is really a very unspoiled island and I highly recommend it whether for a honeymoon, a young family or in retirement. The hotels are excellent. The service is wonderful, the rooms thoroughly thought through and the food local, fresh and delicious. My...
by Lucy Gordan | Mar 7, 2017 | Travel, Travel blog
Born in the Tuscan hill town of Vinci on April 15, 1472, the oldest illegitimate son of a promiscuous wealthy notary and a peasant, Leonard was a polymath. His interests included invention, painting, sculpting, architecture, science, music (both performing and...
by Adam Jacot de Boinod | Jan 7, 2017 | Travel, Travel blog
[raw]Kúpa-mandúka is the local phrase for one who never leaves his home, one ignorant of the world (literally, a frog in a well). But, for me, I knew Sri Lanka would be enriching and had to visit. I came first to the Wallawwa (www.thewallawwa.com). It’s just outside...
by Catherine Hedge | Dec 28, 2016 | Travel, Travel blog
A Caribbean Delight When you step onto the Caribbean island of Aruba, you will hear the warm welcome, “Bon bini!” Aruba is like a fine host whose greatest pleasure is making sure that you feel at home, are well-fed, entertained, and satisfied. Whether you come to...
by Bill Marsano | Dec 8, 2016 | Travel, Travel blog
The absence of tourists unsettled by the recent terrorist attacks makes this an excellent time to visit to the City of Light. ‘They must be right,’ I said. ‘The official word is that tourism’s down twenty percent, and it certainly looks it.’ I was talking to Valerie...
by Lisa Richardson | Nov 21, 2016 | Travel, Travel blog
Zipping southbound along the shimmering coastline mid-morning, there is a familiar feel and look. Not for long. From La Misión, La Ruta del Vino (the Wine Route) twists east to a vivid contrast of vines and olive trees, the Sonoran Desert and looming mountain...
by Adam Jacot de Boinod | Nov 14, 2016 | Travel, Travel blog
The best way to get a proper sense of the island, it seemed, was to work my way up the island by road and by boat. More than anywhere St. Lucia is best visited by being on the move. The thing to do is to change hotels every few days. For all its beauty and fecundity,...
