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Somewhere in the Caribbean between Puerto Rico and St Lucia is the archipelago of Guadeloupe (pronounce gwa-day-LOOP). The French West Indies or French Caribbean are currently comprised of two territories (St Barthélemy aka St Barth and St Martin) and two overseas states -“départements” in French (Guadeloupe along with Martinique). The French West Indies have always looked towards the old continent rather towards their Caribbean neighbors. Flying from the USA, a long journey and a couple of con

I'm something of a language geek, and I'm particularly fascinated by the linguistic patchwork of Europe. I mean, many of us know about Spain's regional languages like Catalan, Basque, and Galician. But when it comes to, say, Germany, Italy, or France, I've found many people tend to assume everybody speaks only German, Italian, and French.

They forget , though (or maybe never knew), that such countries were formed from a, yes, patchwork of regions with sometimes quite distinct cultures and lan

I wasn’t familiar with the Denbighshire area at all, so when I had business there, I really didn’t know what to expect. But, as I drove over the Welsh border, I’d hardly taken on board that the road signs were now bilingual, than I passed a brown sign saying I was entering an "Area of Natural Beauty".

This is countryside as it used to be … fields, trees and hedgerows, not the prairie-like expanses of elsewhere. We are now in the Vale of Clwyd, flanked by the gentle, flowing Clwydian Hills.

We were

Interesting day hikes can be found anywhere, even in Paris. Here’s one, in its western suburbs of Le Pecq and St Germain-en-Laye. It is a fairly urban walk – you will have mainly asphalt under your feet, not grass – and quite an easy one, too. So easy, in fact, that even our geriatric dog could do it.

We start at the RER train station of Vesinet Le Pecq which is a short ride (app. 15 minutes) away from the RER and Metro hub of Etoile in Central Paris, just under the Arc de Triomphe. (Vesinet Le P

At first glance, Wildwood, New Jersey is the exclusive province of motel balcony parties, boardwalk vices like corn dogs, cheap T-shirts, and fried dough along with Morey's Piers grand amusement park rides on the beach. You're getting a roller coasters, booze, and crashing-on-the-beach vibe until you start walking down some quieter residential streets like the corner of Atlantic Ave. & East 22^nd Ave. where Summer Nites B&B sits. "100 years ago, our porch overlooked the ocean right across the str

This time of year, the crisp fall weather of the north sends birds packing south to warm tropical climates. Bird migration season in Costa Rica is here.

According to the Cornell University Lab of Ornithology, approximately 350 bird species from the United States and Canada migrate south to winter in the Neotropics of the Caribbean, Mexico, Central America and South America. These birds include raptors, vultures, waterfowl, shorebirds, and passerine species such as hummingbirds, thrushes, warbl

PHILADELPHIA: THE STRANGE ADAPTATIONS OF JEWS TO AMERICA

Unlike most other Jewish museums, Philadelphia's National Museum of American Jewish History really is about American Judaism, not biblical history, the Holocaust, or Israel. And this being a museum about an ethnic group in a country where people could forge new paths, one of the themes that touches me in the NMAJH's four floors of exhibitions is American Jewry's 350-year tug-o'-war between traditional practices (e.g. keeping kosher, obs

Central Florida boasts a range of the world’s best theme parks. But it’s also home to a selection of the best animal attractions and wildlife destinations. So if you're coming to Orlando for the parks, try to make some time to stay for the critters! Here are several of the best places for doing that: 

Lion County Safari

Lion County Safari is Florida's sole drive-through safari is located in Loxahatchee between Orlando and Miami near the east coast. There are over 900 animals to see; as you’d a

It starts just after I land in Hobart. I am whisked into the airport’s private Saffire Lodge lounge. Quick refresh, an espresso and pick up my snack pack and drink, then fold into a private car to take me to the magical Freycinet Peninsula of Tasmania.

Just two and a half hours away, along Tasmania’s scenic east coast from Hobart (it’s two hours’ drive from Launceston), you turn off the road and cruise towards heaven on earth. (Purely subjective – but hey, I was there.)

Tasmania has to be one o

Parece un mar, pero es un río. El gigantesco Río de la Plata recibe a los turistas que se maravillan con sus vistas y a los ciudadanos de Montevideo que se pasean junto a él mate en mano, la bebida preferida del Cono Sur, pero que en Uruguay bate récords. Después de varios paseos por la ciudad, uno tiene la sensación de que el montevideano siempre anda a mano con su termo y sus yerbas. Y se puede tomar en solitario o en grupo, como los que se ven en el paseo de las Ramblas, que da al río. Ni un

Learn to cook New Orleans cuisine

Take a cooking class at the New Orleans Cooking Experience to learn about the wonders of  the Louisiana food.  It offers cooking vacations, half-day, private and special event classes to visitors and local New Orleanians.  The highly personalized classes focus on authentic Creole cooking.  Regular classes are limited to ten, and include instruction, recipes, wines and conclude with a multi-course dinner party. Special event classes are available for groups of ten

It's that time of the year when you a planning your vacation or weekend,getaway,

And that does not come cheap. With airlines raising the cost of tickets thanks to

the return of business flyers and more people now taking vacations who waited

due to the economic downturn, the cost of travel is now on the rise. However, 

there are still some great deals to find.

Listed below are 5 of my favorite ways I have used to save on travel cost:

1. Plan in advance

Some of the best deals I have come across came when

Puerto Plata is one of the Dominican Republic’s most amazing tourist destinations (if not its most). It has white and golden sandy beaches, Victorian houses, a historic area, the Isabel de Torres mountain and its cable car, but what's more, if adventures are your thing, you can enjoy the 27 waterfalls or cascades of Damajagua.

Damajagua is a geological fault where the waters form a canyon several kilometers in length, with parallel waterfalls above eleven meters. It is located 10 kilometers fr

Green season in Guanacaste, Costa Rica is when the waterfalls at Rincon de la Vieja Volcano really show off.

Near Rincon de la Vieja hotel Hacienda Guachipelin, four waterfalls flow, and all of them have pools where you can swim. Getting to the waterfalls is an adventure on its own – either by hiking or horseback riding. The Hacienda Guachipelin Adventure Center organizes waterfall tours, which last usually two to three hours and are available between 7:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.

Victoria Waterfall

Recently, we had an opportunity to experience Long Beach, California, in depth – the transformation of this city over the decades is nothing less than astonishing.

What was an unremarkable middle-class town has magically morphed into an exciting convention and vacation destination that rivals the best of what other Southern California beach towns have to offer.

Note: Everything you will read about our Long Beach holiday is available for your enjoyment. We have provided links to each topic. Just

Oh yes, it's that time of year again - when a region already one of America's loveliest kicks it up a few Dix Notches and rolls out the flaming reds, yellows, and oranges. Whether it's Indian summer or crisply autumnal, there's nothing more delightful than a ramble through New England's countryside in its glowing glory, the better to appreciate all the historic landmarks, inns, restaurants, eco attractions, and more.  Here's my very personal list of the best mixes of leaves and other allures in

The most amazing  and beautiful building in all of London, Westminster Abbey!

An absolutely beautiful building with an astonishing history.

If you ever go to London, do the Abbey. Even if you are  just there for a day, do the Abbey. Photos are not allowed inside, but most of you have probably seen pictures of the recent Royal Wedding. That is OK because. no camera, no photographer can capture the whole scene inside, let alone the grandeur, the history, the splendor.

One word of warning, if you have

One of the safest things you could be doing right now is flying. According to solid research, 3 miles on an Interstate highway puts you at the same risk of fatality as does a coast-to-coast flight. Every time you drive 3 miles on an Interstate highway (or about 1.5 miles urban) you have placed yourself at the same risk as taking a flight.

This statistical analysis was developed when traffic deaths rose sharply after 9/11, as people switched from flying to driving. Researchers Michael Sivak and Mi