During my almost 2-week trip to Japan in the spring, I visited Ashikaga Flower Park, a botanic garden that is filled with color. Even though I loved every day I was in the country, my day at Ashikaga was my favorite. I chose my dates of travel specifically to get to...
Nara, Japan is one of the most popular day trips from Kyoto. Should you bother? In my opinion, yes! Nara is mostly famous for two things – wild deer and a large Buddha. The deer are both fun and an annoyance. They’re everywhere, and they expect you to feed them....
The Ornithological Park of Pont de Gau in the Camargue region of southern France is a bird paradise in the spring. I had always wanted to visit it, and I finally got my chance. It did not disappoint. The main draw are flocks of flamingos, but there are other large...
“Who’s your favorite blues singer?” Abe Hudson, the owner of Real Delta Tours, LLC, asked me when he picked me up from the Clarksdale, Mississippi Greyhound station. I paused, but it didn’t take me more than a couple of seconds to definitively say, “Bessie...
Berlin is a city with a rich history, some of it truly horrific, of course, but it’s also a city of modernity, culture, and energy. It has more than 175 museums, seven symphony orchestras, and three opera houses, besides a vibrant nightlife. My personal favorite...
From Glasgow we headed west, first by train to Gourock, then by ferry to Dunoon the main town on the Cowal peninsula in the Argyll region. Walking along the shore in search of the Selborne Hotel, where we would stay for the night, we sighted the Victorian pier, a...
We’re on the road again. This time I’m in Athens, our Managing Editor’s city of origin, and my Greek is limited to “kalimera” (Good Morning) which for the first few days I mistakenly pronounce “kalamari” (Squid) – hence the hotel receptionist’s confusion at calling...
Geneva is a major European cosmopolitan city and is the second largest city in Switzerland located on the shores of the eponymous lake. It is the base for some of the world's largest international organizations, such as the World Health Organization, the World Trade...
Well yes... we knew it was one of the coldest places on earth, and of course, there was going to be lots and lots of water that could, without a “by your leave,” turn into ice; but I wasn’t prepared for the wind! When I say wind I don’t mean the regular kind that...
Ushuaia is just a dot on the map at the bottom of Argentina. It is the town from which we were to board our Antarctic Cruise ship Ultramarine, the latest state–of-the-art expedition ship in Quark Expeditions luxurious ship line-up. Photo by Barbara and Manos...
Australia is positively teeming with birds. If you go there only to see the opera house, Uluru (Ayers Rock), Bondi Beach, and a didgeridoo, you’re missing out. Whatever part of the country you visit, check out the parks, botanic gardens, and nature reserves....
In Egypt, the ancient meets the modern more intensely than anywhere I’ve been on the planet. Besides the temples and hieroglyphs, you’ll see cars parked next to carriages drawn by horses or donkeys. You’ll see women in jeans walking next to women in full burkas with...
Whether you call it Lucerne in French or Luzerne in German, it is a very old Swiss city with many of the buildings still in use dating back to the 14th or 15th century. These buildings and the iconic Kapellbrucke (Chapel Bridge), which was built in 1333 and links the...
Chefchaouen, Morocco is one of the most picturesque hill towns in a country overflowing with picturesque cities and villages! We stopped to take photographs of the sparkling blue city from a distance, but the impact doesn't truly hit until you enter the city gates and...
Switzerland is a small county tucked in between France to the West, Germany to the North, Italy in the South, and Austria to the East. Based on its geographical position adjacent to these other countries there are three official languages - plus English, that is...
Off the beaten track in the Veneto Region of Italy is the "something for everyone" picturesque medieval town of Treviso. This ancient walled city is replete with meandering canals, waterwheels, bridges and winding streets filled with picturesque photo ops at...
Located in the southern part of the Iberian Peninsula, with coasts fronting both the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, lies the second largest autonomous region in Spain: Andalucía. It is best known for gifting to the world Flamenco, Bullfighting, and its own...
Having been warned of the heat, the dirt, the poverty, the "strange" practices by western standards, and most of all, the crushing crowds, India had not been high on my list of luxury destinations to visit. But if you have been put off by these negative impressions...
Koh Samui, Thailand is an island off the east coast of the long, narrow peninsula the country shares with Malaysia and Myanmar. Nestled in the warm waters of the Gulf of Thailand, Samui is a beautiful example of Thailand’s tropical allure and has much to offer the...
Quebec City’s annual Winter Carnival is what they mean when they use the phrase “winter wonderland.” I experienced it this January, and while the temperatures were frigid, the hospitality was anything but. I attended the Carnival’s opening night ceremony, which...
While visiting Zimbabwe, we were lucky enough to be invited to spend one night at Somalisa Camp, located in the heart of the Hwange National Park that hosts more than 100 types of mammals and more than 400 bird species. Somalisa is called a bush camp, but it was much...
If you want to get from east to west on the Hawaiian Island of Kauai, you have to drive all the way around the island. There’s one single road that circles this deep green island because much of the terrain consists of mountains and canyons. So there are large...