A few months ago I found myself face to face with a school of piranhas, and lived to tell the tale. OK, the little buggers were in a tank at Parque Explora in Medellin, Colombia, whose unusual aquarium is devoted to Amazonian fauna. Common throughout the Amazon and its connected rivers – some of which are in Peru and Colombia but most of which of course fall within the borders of Brazil, the silvery shapes flitting by were mesmerizing but didn’t look particularly threatening - but then I reme
It says something that an entire region is named after France's signature liquor. Only three hours away from Paris by train, the village of Cognac, world famous for its namesake eau-de-vie (water of life) is also the birthplace of King François I, narrow winding streets, the towers of St Jacques' gate, and many large 18th-century houses made of stone typically coated with "black velvet" or torula compniacensis, a microscopic fungus that also graces the walls of the region's cognac cellars.
Jarabacoa is the biggest town in the municipality of La Vega, located 700 meters above the Cordillera Central mountain range in the Dominican Republic. This region, known as the Dominican Alps, offers a magnificent landscape of pine trees and tropical forest, which will delight lovers of mountain sports, such as climbing, rafting, kayaking, canyoneering, horseback riding and hiking, in addition to being the starting point for expeditions to Pico Duarte, the highest point in the Caribbean.
Three r
The New South Wales onetime goldrush, no spa town of Daylesford (pop. 2,600) is a quaint area about 115 km (71 miles) north of Melbourne, and it accounts for more than 80 percent of Australia's mineral water springs. I love wine and I love relaxing, and Daylesford offers plenty of lovely opportunities to enjoy both.
Wine Tour
My own favorite thing here was the wine tour. The tour has three stops for tastings at local wineries, as well as some small snacks. The winemakers were all very hospitable
In case you’re wondering where is Montenegro, for starters it’s one of the world’s newest countries – a Slavic land once part of Yugoslavia, then Serbia, and now independent for just five years. And though small (smaller than the U.S. state of Connecticut, in fact) it’s an up-and-comer indeed on the travel scene, with great history, nature, and above all a Dalmatian coast generally less well know than Croatia’s further north, but just as spectacular. And on said coast, you’ll find one of Euro
One of my very favorite things to do in Budapest when I spent some time there a few years ago was to spend a nice, soothing afternoon at a wonderful old fürdő (bath house). In the day and age of the elaborate luxury spa, old-fashioned bath houses seem practically extinct in North America except for a few ethnic examples (usually East European, occasionally Asian) in a handful of big cities.
Ancient Yet Popular Baths of Budapest
But here in the capital of Hungary, the oldies are still goodies
Shutterstock/Felipe_Frazao
by María José Cortés Llamas
Carved out of the Amazonian rain forest, Manaus (pop. 1.8 million) has been little known by the outside world, the capital of Amazonas state is filled with contrasts and intrigue, and previously lived through a golden age due to the rubber boom in the 19th century. The results can be seen in the architecture, which exude majesty and the inspiration of Belle-Époque Paris. The Amazon Theatre is the foremost example; inaugurated in 1896, it’s
When touring New Zealand, the North Island has plenty to offer holiday travellers. With so much to see and do, hiring your own car allows you to travel around at your leisure on your own schedule and see the sights you want to see. If you fly into Auckland, New Zealand’s largest city, then you can hire a vehicle from the Auckland Airport and start your New Zealand holiday journey from there. Auckland is the first place on our list of North Island adventures; from there we take you to Hamilton -
Last month I traveled back to my old stomping grounds in Washington DC to attend an event and decided to check out one of the very few tourist attractions I hadn’t already been to (hey, I went to college here, and have been back quite a few times since). And I have to say, the decade-old International Spy Museum, in a downtown red-brick building right across from the National Portrait Gallery, turned out to be probably the best infotainment attraction I can recall ever experiencing.
And I do
Did you know that you can find frogs and toads on every continent except Antarctica? Just in Costa Rica there are 133 species of frogs and toads.
From real-life Kermit look-alikes to miniature candy-colored frogs, Costa Rica’s amphibians are so incredible you have to stop and take notice.
In the tropics like Costa Rica, you can’t help but be enamored with rainforest frogs. They have all kinds of neat features, like red eyes, or green bones, translucent skin and neon colors. At night, their bett
Whether you motor east or motor west on Interstate 8, you will find the friendly town of Yuma a delightful surprise and a hubbub of activities for all ages. Bordered by California, the Colorado River, and the country of Mexico, this southern Arizona jewel welcomes everyone: road-tripping travelers, retirees, and those who are looking for fun, family-oriented vacations.
Yuma also claims the Guinness World Records Title of “The Sunniest Place on Earth,” attracting not only snowbirds from througho
With its roots in the hippy/crunchy counterculture of the 1960s and 1970s, not all that long ago, much vegetarian dining was for hardcore veggies only, the type who really dig stuff like wheatgrass shots – as I recall from visiting one such spot back in the 1980s on Greenwich Avenue in New York City’s Greenwich Village.
But especially in recent years, the rise of vegetarianism, health consciousness, and the foodie movement have led to more mainstreaming of meatless dining and eateries that not on
The lighthouse at Cape Byron stands atop the rugged cliffs near Australia's most easterly point, in New South Wales. The stark white lighthouse with its ornate crown was constructed in 1901.
It contains two lights to warn vessels approaching the rocky coastline at night. The main light at the top of the tower shines its light 27 nautical miles (40 kilometres) from the coast. A smaller red auxiliary light warns ships approaching reefs, rocks and seamounts to the north-east of the lighthouse ne
Traveling to Morocco can present some challenges when it comes to planning the best place to set up camp, as its varied geography makes it a destination with several possibilities. The solution to this situation may be establishing the city of Agadir as your base camp, to then go on different one-day (or two, maximum) excursions through its territory, and thus be able to experience a country as close as it is mysterious for some of us.
To start, visitors must immerse themselves in this city full
image: MKB-DESKKART
Our Porsche Macan road trip started in Stuttgart continues from the Lake Garda area in the north of Italy to the west coast and the Italian Riviera. Our decision to stay in Sestri Levante, just south of Portofino, came from an inspiration after seeing a photo of an unknown beautiful seaside village several years ago, and researching until we found it… let's go there!
The mystery village was perfectly situated in the middle of the Italian Riviera and had easy access to the maj
Fewer foodstuffs in the world today seem to have more fans than xocolātl, the cacao-based infusion the Spanish conquistadors found quaffed by the elites of Aztec, Mayan, and other Mesoamerica societies they conquered. Back then, it was not necessarily always sweetened but also confected in varieties included fermented and chili-pepper-spiced.
But of course once chocolate made its way back to the aristocrats of Spain, then and onward to the rest of Europe and the world, it was transformed into
Our English-speaking tour guide at De Halve Mann Brewery in Bruges makes a point of telling us as we ended our visit, “I don’t care what the boat men tell you, we don’t use canal water to brew our beer with.” Then pausing for just the right effect, she added, “Well, except for the dark beer that we sell to the French.”
Her well timed shtick brings a chuckle from the English-speaking audience as we head for the tasting room and highlights that while French is one language spoken in Belgium, the Fr
by José Miguel Rodríguez
Several years ago, during a planespotting photo shoot near Madrid's Barajas Airport, I tuned in via airband radio (able to receive but not transmit on frequencies used by pilots and air traffic controllers) to learn what airline and aircraft model was next due over the horizon in the coming minutes.
While I was hunting for the right frequency, I passed one that some of my companions mistook for a controller communication with a pilot. But it wasn't; it was an ATIS.
One of Europe’s greenest, loveliest lands, the Emerald Isle – also fondly dubbed “the Oud Sod” – is a delightful mix of small, fetching cities; bucolic landscapes; and of course friendly, gregarious folk. At the same time, Ireland these days is dynamic (though not quite the “Celtic tiger” it was several years ago) and multicultural. It adds up to a winning blend of the traditional and the forward-looking, and there’s enough to see and do to keep you coming back for more. First-time visitors, t
Guanacaste, Costa Rica is one of the most popular areas in the country and a preferred Costa Rica vacation destination. But did you know these interesting details?
1. Try to pronounce the indigenous word “quahnacaztlan” and you’ll see why “Guanacaste” is a lot easier. The province is named after the beautiful tree indigenous to tropical areas of the Americas. Also known as the “Elephant Ear Tree” (Enterolobium cyclocarpum) for the shape of its dark brown seed pods, it was named the national tre
