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Oy vey, olé! Everyone knows that most Jews in Spain were given the royal boot back in 1492, the same year Chris Columbus sailed the Ocean Blue, right? Well, yes and no. Some managed to hang on, and the story of how they did so in secret constitutes a fascinating slice of Jewish history.

But first, a little background: During the Balearic Islands’ medieval flowering before they became part of Spain,Sephardic Jews played an important and mostly welcome role in these islands’ cultural, social, a

Destiny levels with you in ways neither strange nor unpredictable. Strange and unpredictable are the ways Fate tempts you. Living is what is caught in the line of these sparring two. And travel is the referee, drawing a line between the clash of the mind craving for head-on collisions with rare experiences and the body set to an assuring routine. The cruelties you come across will harden you, the wonders will humble you, the hardships will embolden you; nothing will leave you untouched. Travelli

A paradise to be explored: Surely those words crossed the mind of Robinson Crusoe, perhaps the most famous fictional castaway in history, when he first laid eyes on the Cape Verde islands while sailing after several failed attempts, a handful of shipwrecks out of London and enslavement in Morocco. En route to Guinea, he and his crew had had a run-in with a Moorish pirate ship, and after a dramatic sea battle, were imprisoned until they arrived at the port of Salle. There, having been presented

Namur

Namur and Dinant
Namur and Dinant are located on the banks of the Meuse and the Ourthe Rivers in the Wallonia region. The French-speaking “Walloon,”

            The ground was still saturated from the storms that had plagued the area the day before. It did not take long before my boots and pant legs from the knees down were wet and my legs getting cold. The early morning air was barely above the freezing point as we made our way across the lake dam and down the short trail that leads to the three level waterfall. I decided to head further down the trail to start with the bottom falls and then work my way up. I went as far as the underbrush w

¿Ámsterdam en Milán? Así, a primera vista, el barrio de Navigli de la ciudad italiana nos teletransporta a la capital holandesa. Y la verdad es que sorprende gratamente encontrarse en la ciudad de la moda y la elegancia un pueblecito surcado por canales donde la vida no corre tan deprisa. Navigli es el proyecto frustrado de conectar Milán con los ríos Ticino y Adda, el lago Como y el mar para convertirla en un puerto comercial de primer orden. Actualmente sólo quedan tres canales (el Grande, el

 Signagi is one of the picturesque town in Georgia, overlooking Alazani Valley

I grew up in a family which was fond of traveling. My parents traveled much before getting married, visiting many countries in Europe and South America, visited Africa, too. But Asia was their real passion. They talked a lot about the Asian countries. My father was delighted with the landscapes he had seen in Asia, mother was a real fan of Asian culture.

Their passion for traveling was so great that they were not afr

A well-crafted itinerary is the cure for untold travel troubles. The right amount of pre-trip planning can save money, keep you safe, and—this one's crucial—help you have the best time possible whether you're going on a three-week cross-continent sojourn or spending a long weekend at the beach. A solid itinerary is the root of a stress-free trip, to put it simply. Want to be a master planner? Here are 10 itinerary mistakes you probably make—and how to avoid them.

Don't Bother with an Itinerary in

This is an easy one for me. Right after college, I took a backpack trip and traveled around the world for a year. Upon returning to my native San Francisco, I had no idea what I would do to make a living. Travel, for me, was an eye opener. Travel expanded my mind, so I came up with an idea: I started the first travel agency in the U.S. specializing in discounted around-the-world airfares.

When I became a boss and owner of my own travel agency, I always sought to hire world travelers. After all,

Did you know that the largest country in South America speaks Portuguese? An island in a sea of Spanish, Brazil's Portuguese isn't spoken the same as in Portugal. If you plan on visiting any time soon as a culturally aware traveler, Party Brazil Phrasebook 2014 is an indispensable guide for arming yourself with phrases you'll need to speak on everyday terms with the locals.

Heavily weighted toward futebol (all 12 stadiums throughout Brazil are outlined with detailed descriptions) and upcoming Wor

Just outside Peoria, Illinois, the little town of Dunlap houses a surprisingly delightful museum. Called Wheels O’ Time, it is the lifelong work – and joy – of Gary and Jan Bragg. 

Rare Fokk

Over the winter months while researching material for Yosemite Audio Adventures I stumbled on some Yosemite trivia that simply blew my mind & I just have to share it!

It all began at Tenaya Lake in Yosemite National Park. Playing on the frozen water of Tenaya lake was one of those "once in a lifetime experiences" and while I was scooting around on the ice a female tourist asked if I knew how deep Tenaya Lake was?

I did not, I was taken back, I pride myself on knowing most everything about this

The Maldives are a string of pearls posing as islands floating gracefully over the Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea, 1192 nuggets—1000 of them unpopulated—not simply strewn higgeldy-piggledy atoll, but arranged in a double helix and organized into garlands and necklaces and defined by water level as footprints over the ocean surface, any higher the water and they cease to exist as a landmass, demoted like Pluto by science, thereafter to live their life as a mere underwater ridge threatening ships

It’s pretty clear that the trend in travel is toward the kinds that build memories and forge connections. Especially when it comes to family travel. 

And increasingly, that kind of travel seems to be a "familymoon" where  remarrying  couples do so with their children sharing the event and the  commitment.

The Caribbean Wedding Association reports and uptick in familymoons by those who are finding love again, but  who’ve done the big formal wedding and now want something different.

When the

Considering that the wide open countryside of New York's Lower Hudson Valley is just 60 miles north of Manhattan, exploring the back roads here is like stepping back in time, particularly in the vicinity of Caldwell House B&B, a Select Registry and Diamond Collection Inn located in the tiny village of Salisbury Mills. Ornate Victorians seemingly untouched since the Gilded Age overlook rolling fields and large tracts of forest land with Moodna Creek cutting a dramatic chasm most visible along por

“Our Team Travels” (OTT) by Voyages Groupe Ideal

There’s something about islands… If you close your eyes for a moment, you can almost hear the wind softly rustling through the palm trees and the waves lapping against the shore. The idea of being cut off from the world and its hustle and bustle, in the company of a loved one, appeals to something deep within us all. It’s no surprise, then, that the exotic island of Bali always makes – or tops – the lists of the most romantic islands and top honeymoon destinations. Bali, with its sandy white bea