If you’ve got even a passing knowledge of history and/or Greek mythology, you’ve probably heard of the Minotaur, the monster with the body of a man and the head of a bull, imprisoned in a labyrinth by Minos, king of Greece's island of Crete, and fed human sacrifices. Obviously the bull-headed thing is a little bit of a stretch, but on this island you can visit the spot where this legend may well have originated. On Mount Kefala, a couple of miles outside Crete’s capital Heraklion, lie the ru
The village of Clayton is situated on the St. Lawrence River where it begins converging with Lake Ontario in central New York State's Thousand Islands region. Seemingly untouched by time - not a chain outlet to be found among local shops in historically preserved storefronts along with grand Victorians in a walkable street grid - it's in this setting that an adjacent, long waterfront lot underutilized as a fuel depot was recently transformed into 1000 Islands Harbor Hotel, a spendid, full-servic
Agadir is a mostly Berber city situated in the southern part of Morocco. Above all, it owes its interest to its location, as it is surrounded by the Anti-Atlas, the Sahara Desert, natural parks and isolated beaches of great quality, which can be easily accessed from the city. It has a miraculous climate and the sun shines an average 300 days per year, which makes it an ideal destination for relaxed vacations by the seaside, along the beaches to the north of the city..
The terrible earthquake w
We recently toured the USA's second oldest military service academy, a 338-acre campus founded in Maryland's capital in 1845, learning about its history of the academy and what life is like for those who have the honor of attending. The tour starts in the Armel-Leftwich Visitor Center where there are several interesting displays. The fee is $10.50 for adults, less $9.50 for seniors and $8.50 for children. The number of visitors in each tour is limited so reservations are suggested and those 16
With its long and sometimes tumultuous history, through the ages Spain has proved to be about as spooky and haunted as any place on earth, with lore ranging from Galician meigas (witches) to ghostly Moorish damsels. And Madrid may have the only public statue of Lucifer in the world (the Fallen Angel, in Retiro Park). Here are a few key haunted spots you can visit, if you dare!
Famous Fantasmas (Ghosts)
Starting off in Madrid, right on downtown’s Plaza de Cibeles, the grand 19th-century Palaci
It felt as though the day couldn’t get any hotter – but this is India, always ready to turn the tables on you after a cool morning. It had been a short drive from Jaipur in northern India to the sleepy village of Samode. We had cut away from the main highway. where the lanes were packed with a mass of humanity travelling by bike, cart, car, rickshaws and trucks all jostling for space in a relentless dance to get the wherever. There are many moments of ‘just shut your eyes and hope for the best’,
We began this adventure by selecting and purchasing a Porsche Macan S for our road trip of a lifetime; developing an inspired travel itinerary for the entire month of September; and hanging out in Stuttgart, Germany before the trip begins.
This installment of the series is focused on actually picking up the car at the Porsche factory in Zuffenhausen. This is where the plan meets reality.
The Big Day – Meeting Max
We had a very early breakfast and hailed a taxi around 8:00 AM to get us to our 8:30
A fun day trip from the beach resort town of Santa Teresa on Costa Rica's Guanacaste coast is to visit the waterfalls near Montezuma waterfalls.
A 40-minute drive from Santa Teresa, Montezuma is another picturesque beach village on the southeastern tip of the Nicoya Peninsula. The bohemian village is known for its artsy community, beautiful beaches, jungle covered hills, and waterfalls and pools. The local geography also tips most of the rainwater near the southern tip of the Nicoya Peninsula tow
by Doug Bardwell
More and more people leave home without it – their camera, that is. But, let’s face it, people seem to be pretty happy with the photos they can get from a smartphone, so let’s get into it and make them the best they can be.
The Smartphone Itself
Just a few hints to make sure you get the best photos possible from your smartphone:
1) Clean the lens. When was the last time you wiped down that little speck of glass? That’s where all the photo glory starts, and smudges, smears and
Ever since first visiting Morocco more than a dozen years ago, I’ve always marveled that this North African country manages to pack such a whole lot of interesting into such modest dimensions (it’s a little bigger than California, less than a third the size of Quebec, and merely a little over a quarter as spacious as the U.K.). I mean, here the fascinating destinations just keep on coming – Fez, Marrakesh, Meknes, Rabat, Tangier, Casablanca, Ouarzazate, the Atlas Mountains, Tetouan,
The Kingdom of Bhutan does not necessarily make it hard for a traveler to visit - it's just hard to get there. When I first started reading about traveling to Bhutan, I was led to understand that only a certain number of visitor visas were issued in a year, and that you had to go with a government approved guide service while you were there. The second part is true, not the first. However, the number of visitors to Bhutan per year still could not fill the Rose Bowl. This is the last Shangri-La i
As with most of our family weekend trips, we were up well before the sun. The aroma of coffee filled the back of the house as I went to the kitchen to begin making sandwiches for the day. It was a broad menu to choose from, Nutella or peanut butter. Chips and snacks were put in a plastic bag and drinks were piled into a medium cooler. Everyone was looking forward to going somewhere new and the kids were looking forward to learning how to navigate using a map and compass.
For the most part, th
When you visit the local towns, museums, and awesome Mayan ruins on the Riviera Maya and the rest of Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula (or for that matter in Honduras and Guatemala) you’ll see and hear all sorts of strange names and phrases – chaac mool, popol vuh, k’atun, kukulkan, and so forth.
Well… strange to you, maybe.
Millions of people in Mexico and Central America today speak variants of that same language, including around a million in the Yucatan. There are actually more than 20 dialects
The main attractions of Maylasia's sprawling, paradisiacal archipelago of Langkawi are its beautiful sandy beaches, and lots of experienced tourists consider this is the best place in the whole country for diving, snorkeling, sunbathing, and relaxation. And they are absolutely right: the beaches of Langkawi are so diverse that anyone can find one (or more) to satisfy a range of needs and desires. My top five:
Tanjung Rhu
A long, wide beach with soft white sand, surrounded by ancient limestone ca
The sun, the white dunes of the desert which merge with the unique blue water of the sea, stunningly beautiful landscapes, flavorsome food, hospitable and friendly people - the most beautiful island of Cape Verde is all this and much more.
Facing the coast of Senegal, Boa Vista is the biggest island of the Cape Verde archipelago and belongs to the Barlovento islands. Its very long, unspoiled beaches are an endless succession of white sand dunes, studded with picture-perfect palm trees. This is
"Best islands in the world," "America's greatest main streets," "top ten US. beaches" - on list after list of media and travelers' choice polls, those who know continue to agree that the Massachusetts island of Nantucket is among the best place in the US and the world.
Main Street, Nantucket is one of America’s most prestigious addresses, as well as boasting one of its most beautiful main streets, according to Travel & Leisure. Walking along this enchanting thoroughfare from the Harbor, one e
“So where in Scotland are you going?” a British colleague asked over lunch. “Edinburgh? Glasgow?”
“Isle of Skye,” I said.
“Ah, the Scottish Highlands,” he sighed. Leaned back and said, slowly, “We always think of Skye as a spiritual place. I really envy you.”
It was only after we boarded First ScotRail’s middle-aged cars at Glasgow’s Queen Street Station that I felt the first intimations of the Highlands as a spiritual precursor to Skye.
The train slipped through rolling, rugged hills and moo
“Inspiration 911” Sculpture – Porscheplatz Stuttgart Germany
We began part 1 of this adventure by selecting and purchasing a Porsche Macan S for our road trip of a lifetime, and continued in part 2 by developing an inspired travel itinerary for the entire month of September.
This segment of the series is focused on some last minute fine tuning, and the lead up to the "big day" - picking up the car at the Porsche factory in Zuffenhausen, Germany.
Ready… Set… Go! Well, Almost
Once an itinerary
by blogger BertBo
Amsterdam, Netherlands
It was GREAT! Luxury boat , excellent service, nice cabins, great program, fine sun deck with deck chairs, cool lounge, sunny clear weather and above all the stunning beauty of Halong Bay .
Described as being like “Jurassic Park” or a fairytale land of elves, the cloud forest of Monteverde, Costa Rica is a special place on the planet.
The rare ecosystem of Monteverde in Costa Rica is part of only one percent of the global woodlands known as cloud forests, rainforest at such high elevations they are essentially in the clouds. In Costa Rica, tropical warm air condenses at high altitude (above 5,000 feet) into persistent fog and mist, and moisture is more consistent drizzle than rai
