If you've never visited the Greek island of Crete, you’re in for a lot of surprises. Travelers are so often astounded by the scenery, the diversity, and utter uniqueness of this Island. However surprising the geography may be however, the simplicity
Millions of tourists flock to Florence (Firenze) every year, but only a handful get to take what may well be the best walking tour in the city. Actually, few tourists even know about the existence of the Percorso del Principe (Passageway of the Prin
Read more…
Fairest among women, Venice, once powerful and rich. You are still impressive, Lady Venice, but only from a distance. The years pass rapidly, your skin withers, becomes more parched and thin, and finally drops off in lumps of plaster. Meanwhile, just
Skiing on the cheap has always been a serious challenge. When we start booking your holiday and calculate the prices for accommodation, flights, equipment and lift passes, you may well start to wonder whether all this is seriously worthwhile. However
Finding yourself in a Mediterranean village just 10 kilometers from Budapest is one of the surprises the Danube offers up to travelers. The small town of Szentendre (Saint Andrew) is the gateway to the Danube Bend, a curve of Hungary’s most majes
When I was 20, Jimmy Carter was President and I summered in Greece, sleeping on the beaches, drinking Retsina wine, gobbling Moussaka. Retsina has been around for 2000 years, evolving from the practice of sealing wine casks with pine resin. It is,
The capital of the island of Crete during the Neolithic era was Phaestos. But the small settlement of Gortyn grew and grew, until it eventually became a city that eclipsed Phaestos. During the Roman era, in the first century, it became capital of C
Too many islands ofGreece suffer from the effects of ‘kalimari and chips’ mass tourism. But, sometimes, you only need to take a short trip in a ferry or a kaiki to enter a different world altogether. The 29-square-mile isle of Leros is a good example
It’s that time of year again, as the stars head for alignment this Sunday at the Dolby Theatrein Los Angeles for the 86th Academy Awards. Spain has been represented in recent years by quite a few luminaries, including directors Pedro Almodóvar, Nés
Read more…
Spain has several superb ski resorts with outstanding slopes, excellent facilities and most importantly of all, really great snow. Here we’ll be taking you on a mini-tour of some of the best ski resorts in Spain – and there are quite a few to choose
It's apple harvest time, and it's another crisp Saturday night on Calle Gascona (below right) in downtown Oviedo, an old university city that's the genteel, postcard-pretty capital of emerald-green Asturias in north Spain, with happy-faced students
Read more…The ice hotel phenomenon, born in Jukkasjärvi, Sweden in the 1990s, has been gradually picking up steam (as it were) in the northern hemisphere over the years, with hotels built each winter in a half-dozen countries. At the moment, the world's northe
Rugged cliffs plunge into the sea, to the north; a lush forest occupies the central areas and miles of white sandy beaches stretch to the south. That is the small Danish island – palette (588 sq.km), Bornholm, in a few words. The island might be sm
Read more…I never really considered Lanzarote as a holiday destination. From seeing various advertisements, and hearsay, I’d formed the impression that it’s a tacky haunt for the package holiday sun-seeker, and not my thing at all.
But, a recent cruise stop c
Read more…Arguably more so than many other European cities, the high-profile, historic parks of the City of Light are unusually plentiful and famous - Tuileries...Luxembourg (right)...Bois de Vincennes... among hundreds of other lesser known ones. And not only
Not all that many people are fully aware that in a goodly chunk of the Italian Alps many people speak German as well as Italian. And that Teutonic flavor is evident in and around its gracious capital, Bolzano(known in German as Bozen, pop. 100,000),
When you join up with YL Tours, you're not just visiting Puglia as a tourist, you are participating as a local immersed in some of the many day-to-day pleasures of living in this region. YL stands for Ylenia, the wonderful Puglian lady who gracious
Read more…
If budget is a concern, and let’s be honest, when you’re traveling with friends rather than family, then consider one of the less expensive destinations for your ski holiday this year. Well, you probably won’t bump into the Beckhams, but the snow is
On our recent trip to Denmark, we spent a few days in Copenhagen. We did a kayak tour of the canals where we discovered that the Little Mermaid statue has a boyfriend...
read complete post
Walking upward on steep cobbled lanes through the village of Lugano Switzerland still enshrouded by morning mists rising from Lago di Lugano is certainly one of life's finer ways to get a workout. If you're up for even more climbing (or a short cab
Read more…