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We began this adventure by purchasing a Porsche Macan S and picking the car up at the Porsche factory in Zuffenhausen, Germany... this road trip is now “official”. This segment of the series is dedicated to our adventures while touring the Salzburg area.

Salzburg Arrival

The drive took about four hours, and everything went smoothly. We did experience a few eye-openers along the way, one being the price of fuel.  We complain about the price of fuel in the States but we were experiencing close to

The city of Berkane is located in the Moulouya valley, at the foot of the Beni Hassan Mountains. Far removed from mass tourism, it is the center of the agricultural region of Trifa and is a dynamic zone which focuses on greenhouse cultivation. Its beaches, the longest in the country, are tranquil stretches of sand on which to disconnect from the bustling rhythm of life in the cities and let yourself be rocked by the waters of the Mediterranean.

Among them, Saïdia beach, one of the longest in Moro

With roots in Gaul (an ancient region of Western Europe encompassing northern Italy, France, Belgium, part of Germany, and southern Netherlands) more than 2,000 years ago, the Gaillac is one of civilization's oldest wine-growing regions. Vines imported by Phoenicians in the 4th century B.C. still grow as ancient wild vitis vinifera in local forests, as well as cultivated in vineyards today. Situated on the Toulouse-Rodez highway, rail line, and the Tarn River, the Village of Gaillac has been a w

In various parts of the world — and nowhere more than in northern Europe — summertime’s fondly considered a bright and cheery idyll, tailor-made for vacations and good vibrations in general. It’d been a long time since I’d been to Scandinavia in summer, and on my recent visit to Finland, I had the pleasure of rediscovering why the warmest season in this part of the world is so appealing — oh, what the heck, I’ll say it: even enchanting.


The seasons can feel almost manic-depressive up here in V

Chances are you’ve heard of Hannibal, and maybe even that he and his Punic army tried to invade Italy by crossing the Alps with elephants. The city-state he fought for, Carthage, was classical Rome’s biggest rival in the Mediterranean, and one of the big kahunas of the entire ancient world. Even if you’re coming to Tunisia mainly for a warm beach vacation (as so many do), you owe it to yourself to not miss this important UNESCO World Heritage Site (especially if you’re staying in the popular r

A few months back, I wrote about souvenir shopping in Europe. Now that the ol’ credit card has cooled off just a bit, I’m ready to tackle the Americas. Again, I’m aiming away from average tourist junk and more toward high-quality items that are both characteristic of the destination and not easily available outside it.

Brazil  

Yes, caipirinhas, caipiroskas, and the like are still the rage. But very few and limited types of their main ingredient, the Brazilian sugarcane firewater cachaça, are e

The Vikings may be long, long gone, but even these days, getting into the Viking spirit (in a good way) isn’t all that hard: you no longer have to board a narrow longboat with a lot of greasy, smelly chaps and pillage countrysides, but just hop on a jetliner to Copenhagen, then head out into the hinterland.

In Denmark, green landscapes and historic cities and towns are interwoven from one end of the country to the other. For example, the country’s third largest burg, Odense, 147 kilometres (91 m

There is a lot to see and do in Playa del Coco in Guanacaste, Costa Rica, besides hanging out on the beach of this beautiful horseshoe-shaped bay. “Coco Beach” is a fun Costa Rica beach vacation destination.

Called the “Costa Rica Riviera” and “Gold Coast”, the north Pacific region boasts beautiful beaches, nearly always sunny weather, and the highest concentration of luxury accommodations in Costa Rica.

What to Do in Playa del Coco

Playa del Coco Catamaran Tour: Sailing tours depart from Playa

This month has not been easy for specialists in tourism security. We first witnessed the terrorist bombing of the Russian aircraft, causing not only death and destruction to innocent civilians but also a major blow to Egypt’s tourism industry. Then, on Friday the 13th, the first reports of the terrible attacks in Paris began to come through the newswires.

It is still too early to provide a full security picture of the events. The French police are correctly holding back information and being

For a small state like Rhode Island, it’s hard to believe that when it comes to food, the Ocean State has distinct regional dishes that are like no other. So if you thought that the cuisine here is part of one big conglomeration lumped in with Boston and the rest of southern New England, you need to get out and do some tasting!

Cabinets – No these aren’t the type that you store socks in. These are thick milkshakes actually limited to two ingredients: milk and ice cream. How about that? The most p

Mike Nelson, the hero from the old Sea Hunt TV series (1958-61), starring Lloyd Bridges, has a restaurant fittingly named in his honor in Rancho Palos Verdes, just north of Los Angeles. In the show, Nelson was a former US Navy frogman called to assist with dangerous underwater situations needing his skilled assistance. Many times he had to fight off aggressors doing dastardly deeds to save others or sunken treasures. Teenage girls loved him and future Navy Seals wanted to be him.

The weekly adv

A town in Brazil's southern state of Santa Catarina, 130 kilometers from Florianópolis, Gravatal conserves the architectural and cultural charm derived from its colonization by the Portuguese, then settlement by Italian and German immigrants. It also sits atop an area whose former volcanic activity, basaltic lava and thermal water (with a flow of 2,000 liters per minute at a temperature of 37º Celsius) has enabled it to become a paradise for all those seeking rest, relaxation and well-being on

You didn't know that President Benjamin Harrison was from Indiana? That's okay; Indiana has sexier local heroes, celebrities whose very names make grown Hoosiers weep. Better yet, they feel compelled to honor their heroes in wondrously strange ways.

At age 17 John Dillinger was sent to jail for ten years, got released in 1933, and immediately thanked the “corrections” system with such an energetic bank-robbing spree that, by the time he was shot dead just one year later, he'd become a legend. T

When you think of travel to Bulgaria, what comes to mind first? For me, one of the cool things about visiting this fetching little Balkan country is its touches of exoticism, part of an ancient cultural heritage that stretches back to 5,000 BC, and of of the features which I find most noticeable is its Eastern Orthodox churches. As with church architecture in Russia, here you’ll find plenty of onion domes, but in Bulgaria you’ll also spot features you won’t find in Russia, such as arches influe

One of my very most prized travel souvenirs is a vintage kilim, about 75 years old, which I bought more than a decade ago in the otherworldly medina of Fez, Morocco – with its black-and-yellow zigzag motif, it evokes exoticism and the quintessence of travel whenever I look at it. I’m instantly transported back into that world of mint tea and mysterious narrow byways, the tannery where I watched young boys dying leather for shoes and Ottomans, the rooftop restaurant where I first tried tagines 

Living room of the Schweickher-Langsdorf House.The ceil­ing is heavy re-sawn Dou­glas fir columns/beams between pan­els of clear-aged red­wood boards.  A plat­form couch lined with col­or­ful pil­lows runs beneath one of Martyl Langsdorf's paintings.

Hidden away down a gravel drive in bustling Schaumburg, Illinois - some 28 miles northwest of Chicago's downtown Loop - lies an architectural masterpiece.  Built in 1937-38 by an up and coming young architect named Paul Schweikher (1903-1997), the

Tourism and health have taken on two new meanings. Health tourism can be broken down into two components, people who travel to a particular spot for medical reasons, such as cancer centers or for specific operations such a coronary bypass, and people who travel to a location for medicinal reasons such as rest and relaxation.  Medicinal tourism caters not to the sick but to those who seek new levels of wellness.  Examples of medicinal tourism are spa or centers that cater to non-essential cosm

We began this adventure by purchasing a Porsche Macan S and picking the car up at the Porsche factory in Zuffenhausen, Germany, near Stuttgart... and now our first post-purchase road trip is now officially underway!  And here is our actual driving experience. 

Start Your Engines…. We're Off!

We began our day with a breakfast feast at the Hotel Schlossgarten, then retrieved our car "Max" from his “special” underground, secure parking place reserved for hotel guests.

Stuttgart is the home of Porsch

The “Sweet Gulf” of Golfo Dulce in southern Costa Rica gets a lot of attention for being a refuge for migrating endangered Pacific humpback whales. The 31-mile (50-km) Pacific gulf is essentially a big watery “cradle,” - not only the birthplace for whales but also for dolphins and endangered hammerhead sharks.

The Costa Rican environmental organization Misión Tiburón (Shark Mission) is lobbying the Costa Rican government to protect Golfo Dulce as the first sanctuary for hammerhead sharks in the

Airplane travel, it’s no secret, brings with it unique conditions that can require a little bit (and sometimes a little more) adjustment on the part of passengers. With that in mind, here are a few pointers and travel tips that can help both new and veteran flyers improve their inflight experience.

Pressure Changes

• During flights, cabin pressure can change to the on-ground equivalent of 1,500 to 2,500 metres (4,900 to 6,500 feet) above sea level. With the lower barometric pressure, the partial pre