There are places I remember was first sung by the Beatles, but it may as well be the traveler's mantra. There are those places we know from experience, those through books and movies and some, while not previously visited, bring forth "memories" buried in some universal unconsciousness.
Some places we long to visit or return to, sometimes once is enough. Whether well known, like Paris...
Tour Host Review
Renvyle House, is without a doubt the most comfortable and comforting hotel I have ever visited. Turf fires lit the common areas; the long narrow sitting room, solarium, cozy reception and of course, the bar, warming the body and the soul with the welcome only a fine country house can offer. Situated seemingly at the end of the world, this delightful resort surrounded by ocean, rivers and forest, ...
110 years ago, Bram Stoker’s Dracula frightened Europe and started the vampire-fashion, bringing Romania into the spot light and turning Transylvania into a magic land, home to incredible creatures and undying legends.
But few people know that things are not quite as Stoker presented them in his book. The likeliest of assumptions is that the main...
As a landmark in history, the Pennsylvania State House qualifies threefold. The Philadelphia building, considered the birthplace of the United States of America, was the site of: the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776; ratification of the Articles of Confederation uniting the 13 colonies in 1781; and adoption of the Constitution outlining the...
We were touring the virtually unknown to the public artist, craftsmen, wig and makeup rooms as well as the administrative area under the Festival Theatre that make possible the plays of the Stratford Festival – Canada’s epitome of literary events. The previous day, Molly, our guide, had taken us through a huge Stratford Festival workshop and the...
Since the end of the Korean War in 1953, Seoul, the capital of South Korea, has undergone an unbelievable transformation from a city destroyed by civil war, to one of the world's most modern cities. Nearly 12 million people live in this city of large apartment blocks, towering office buildings, fast and efficient transportation networks, and increasing numbers of parks and...
For a day we had explored Oaxaca, capital of the Mexican state with the same name, glorying in its Zapotec/Mixtec heritage, which saturated all facets of life from dress and cuisine to language and ages-old artisan products. Now, on a bus tour, we were on our way to Monte Alban, the main ruin of the 8,000 archaeological sites left by these Indigenous people who once had a...
Bonjour! Let’s spend some time in Paris, visiting the Eiffel Tower. This unavoidable symbol of our City of Light, known to most for its unique profile of scrolling wrought iron reaching towards the sky, was in its day a gravity-defying ground-breaking architectural feat.
From way back water has not only been an enemy to the Netherlands, but also an ally in times of war. As early as the days of Roman rule the River Rhine was the northern border of the Roman Empire. In the war of independence against the Spanish oppressor (1568-1648) the Spanish Duke of Alva complained that every time he seized a Dutch town or village he had to cross water....
The most majestically sited Greek temple and theatre in Italy is one of the world's most perfectly preserved survivors from the days of antiquity. The Segesta temple and theatre—impressively overlooking the Sicilian landscape and complete with mythical power, lies only one hour from Palermo.
Ordinarily, I'd feel uneasy walking to synagogue on a street patrolled by armed Arab Muslim soldiers and policemen. But Tunisia is no ordinary place. These soldiers protect Jews.
Tunisia is home to the oldest continuous Jewish congregation in the world and the most vibrant Jewish community in an Arab country. After the fall of Jerusalem's first temple in 586...
The county of Wiltshire, in the west of England is famous for its circles. The best known, probably, is the huge stone circle at Stonehenge, followed by the bigger circles at Avebury, thirty miles north. Less well known is the site of the circle of wooden posts … concrete pillars now mark where they were … at Durrington, near Stonehenge, at a site now known,...
110 years ago, Bram Stoker’s Dracula frightened Europe and started the vampire-fashion, bringing Romania into the spot light and turning Transylvania into a magic land, home to incredible creatures and undying legends.
But few people know that things are not quite as Stoker presented them in his book. The likeliest of assumptions is that the main...
