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San Gimignano Tips

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Located off the beaten path in central Tuscany, Italy, one of the most popular tourist spots is San Gimignano.  Known for it towers, its a great day spot to see.  The shopping it rather insignificant. You won't find anything unique rather its on touristy cheesy stuff so save your pennies.  The tower offers a great view of the tuscan landscape so its definitely recommended.  

 

Other than that do the local fresco church. Its really a beautiful example of historic frescoes of the times.  Although, y

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Close to our Spanish school in Samara, turtles are making their way to lay their eggs in Ostional, Costa Rica, a phenomenon known in Spanish as "arribada" or a mass emergence from the ocean.  Thousands of "tortugas lora," or olive ridley turtles nest here each year in the refuge that was created in 1984.  Prior to 1984, there were no laws prohibiting or regulating the removal of turtle eggs from the beach. 

Turtles nest in Ostional year round, but during rainy season, a few hundred turtles will a

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Enchanting paradise
by Heather Cassell

Published: Ocotber 3, 2011

 


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Camille Thomas, founder of LezPlay Radio and party promoter.
Photo Credit:Courtesy of Lez Play Radio

Women looking to be enchanted going into the holiday season don't need to look any further than Puerto Rico. The Caribbean island getaway, isn't only hot because of Latin rockers Ricky Martin and J Lo to name drop a few famous Puerto Ricans, it is a lusciously rich tropical getaway that is being discovered by women for all-women get
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Shirley Mae's Diner

shirley+maes.jpgShirley Mae's...doesn't that name just conjure up images of fried chicken, ribs, collard greens and macaroni and cheese? It did for me and Jon, especially when we saw the words Soul Food under the name as we drove past the restaurant on 21st Street in Astoria. I stopped by during the week and picked up a menu, then called in our order last Saturday night. When we went in to pick it up, the friendly, dred-locked guy named Anthony, the only one on duty besides the cook, told us
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South Pacific

I'm just back from 5 weeks in the South Pacific. Wow!

First half of the time I was volunteer teaching in a small elementary school in the picture-perfect island of Aitutaki in the Cook Islands. Beautiful people, stunning blue lagoon, unspoiled small-town feel to the island of only 2,000+ people.

Next I was in Papeete, Tahiti from which we sailed on the Aranui III for two weeks among the Marquesas Islands. Each island was different, amazingly enough, and each of the 180 passengers was different, to

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Barcelona and Madrid are two perfect weekend cities, but with slightly different character and charm. Whichever you choose, you can expect cozy dining, exciting nightlife and probably a lot of shopping. One of the absolute advantages of Barcelona is the possibility of combining the advantages of beach life, so it’s no wonder that Barcelona emerged as a weekend favorite. A brilliant restaurant and nightlife is certainly something with it all to do. Madrid was shadowed by the coast near Barcelona,

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Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica

Puerto Viejo can be called the main tourist destination of the Caribbean side of Costa Rica. The town is located in Talamanca Canton in the province of Limon, in the southeastern coast of the country, close to the Panamanian border.

The magic of this place is a combination of different reasons such as white sand beaches, crystal waters, excellent surf conditions, wide variety of wildlife, great diversity of cultures and one of the most attractive factors: laid-back vibe Caribbean style.
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Many Puer

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Dvořák Events... Happy Anniversary, Antonin

THE CZECH COMPOSER WHO INVENTED AMERICAN MUSIC

 

9008658858?profile=originalAntonin Dvořák, whose 170th anniversary is this year, was not just the greatest of Czech composers. You could argue that Dvořák (1841-1904), the son of a butcher from a village near Prague, was also the father of American classical music. Just as he urged his compatriots to incorporate Czech folk tunes and even birdsong into their music, he urged American composers to use their own songs for inspiration – so much so that he horrified several milli

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The road less traveled

Something to Declare: Good Lesbian Travel Writing
Edited by Gillian Kendal; University of Wisconsin Press, 230 pages; paperback, $19.95

Reviewed by Heather Cassell

Published: Ocotber 5, 2011

 

When I embarked on a search for stories by queer women travelers, I didn't expect that it would be a journey in itself: "L Word", "power lesbians" and years of treasure troves of lesbian travel tales pilfered from the pages of lesbian magazines be damned. Someone somewhere would have the

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Mountain Biking in Nepal

Mountain biking is a young sports in Nepal. The thrill and excitement involved in the sport is making it popular day by day. Lots of Nepalese have taken seriously to sports. The idea of mountain bike racing was first formed in Marin Country, in California in the early eighties. However, in 1996 it got included in the Olympic Games and later on in 1998 the sport got an early into the Asian Games. The National Sports Council of Nepal officially recognized it as a sport in 1995. The first mountain

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TripAdvisor Takes Legal Action Against Fake Reviews: Trouble Ahead?

Chris Emmins, reporting for KwikChex, says that the legal action TripAdvisor is now taking against hotels that solicit and post false reviews, is “tearing TripAdvisor apart.”

KwikChex, the dogged,  Wikipedia-like global reputation protection company based in the UK, just reported that TripAdvisor has proceeded  against hotels that have egregiously faked positive reviews on their sites.

The biggest offender apparently is the Rivers
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7 of the Best European Christmas Markets

There are only a few weeks left until the squares of all the major cities are filled with market stalls, Christmas trees and hot wine salesmen. For fans of both Christmas and traveling, we’ve rolled up a list of the best Christmas markets in Europe.

Being one of the most celebrated holidays around the world, Christmas magically transforms the city squares into an extravaganza of light and aroma.  Some cities have not just one or two markets, but dozens. We have therefore selected great cities tha

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La Alberca, Spain: A Step into Yesterday



9008661894?profile=originalIt’s difficult to talk about La Alberca without lapsing into cliché. The moment I walked into the cobbled Plaza Mayor, the main market square, surrounded by three- and four-storey, half-timbered houses, I thought of a film set for a mediaeval epic.

From the shaded balconies hung a profusion of flowers, making the viewer think, for a fleeting second, he’d been transported from Spain to Bavaria or the Tirol.

La Alberca lies about 60 km. south-west of Salamanca, at the foot of the Sierra de Francia m

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Matrimonial Rites in Nepal

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The most practiced marriage system found in the Nepali society is the magi- bihe (arranged marriage). Magi-bihe i.e. arranged marriage in Nepali Community unlike in other communities is finalized by the girl’s family when the boy’s family puts forward the proposal of marriage.

Generally, a relative acts as the middle man (lami) in marriage negotiations. The practice of comparing names by an astrologer, to see whether the proposed couple would make a good match, persists but it is done only in a p

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by Heather Cassell

Published: Ocotber 3, 2011


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Bliss Co-Founder Christine De La Rosa (Center) with Movement Production team members Kiki Poe (Left) and Mz. Amy Adams (right) at the inaugural Palm Springs getaway in 2009.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Movement Productions.

A fall getaway was just the ticket for Christine De La Rosa when she dreamed up Bliss, an all-women of color weekend vacation packed with fun, rejuvenation, and relaxation at California's popular desert resort Palm Springs.

For the pas
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Stargazing in New England

In dedication to my new show about New England travel (Beyond the Beans).

My first blog will entail a very important event occurring this weekend.  Stargazing in New England is very tough. The amount of artificial light and pollution can make it quite difficult for viewing.  So if you're all about some stscargo1.jpg?width=160ar gazing and your live in New England, here are some of the best spots to check out some stars.


West Dennis, Cape Cod (Scargo Tower): Located on the Cape, the Scargo Tower offers a unique view ju

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Rafting in Nepal

Nepal has been blessed with numerous fast flowing rivers that gush down from the Himalayas cutting through mountains and carving deep gorges to finally reach the vast plains where slowing down they meander lazily toward India. Many of these rivers are ideal for rafting, and some are considered the best in the world by professional rafters from the west. Rafting is also a fascinating means of getting to know the country as the rivers flow through some of the most enchanting landscapes that includ
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What Do You Do on a Dude Ranch?

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What Do You Do on a Dude Ranch?

When 180 horses’ hooves pounded the ground a few feet from me, manes flaring and breaths misting ghost-like, this city boy was transfixed.

It was the 5:30 morning roundup at the C Lazy U Ranch in Granby, Colorado, up in the snow-capped Rocky Mountains.

The whinnying echoed in the nearby corrals as we walked the short distance to the campfire and joined the handful of early risers around the big enamel coffee pot, watching the sun burn off the mist.

I’ve always wond
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Mediterranean Cruise 2008

To continue our tradition of traveling for a week (or two) as a graduation present, my family traveled along with two other families to Europe. My friend picked a cruise that left out of Barcelona, Spain and traveled along the Northern Mediterranean for 7 days. This was the best way to get a glimpse of Europe and a get an idea of what to come back and see and what can be seen in a short visit. We traveled to Barcelona, Monaco, Rome, Cinque Terre, and Sicily with a group ranging in ages and types
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by Heather Cassell

Published: Ocotber 3, 2011


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Damron owner Gina Gatta with business and life partner, Erika O'Conner, enjoying Iceland.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Damron

It must be hard traveling the world to let people know where the best queer places are to go and what to see, but for Gina Gatta, president and editor-in-chief of Damron, the oldest LGBT travel guide company in the world, it's all in a days work.

For the more than 20 years, Gatta, 46, an openly gay woman, has traveled the world and n

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