Lapland is a vast area within the Arctic Circle that stretches for 100,366 square kilometers. Covering Russia, Norway, Sweden, and Finland, it has a land area of 92,667 square kilometers and 7,699 square kilometer of water area. The Finnish Lapland is especially beautiful. It is a sparsely populated wilderness with frozen lakes and rivers, ancient pine forests, vast skiing areas, the stunning Northern Lights, and the home of Santa … [Read more...]
Mount Cook Scenic Flights, New Zealand
Why New Zealand? The answer is simple. It is breathtakingly beautiful! My first visit to this island country left me awestruck and mesmerised to say the least. I haven’t seen a more scenic landscape before this. Among many, most noteworthy is the Mount Cook Scenic Flights, New Zealand. To my utter surprise the experience of that journey surpassed that of Jungfraujoch in Switzerland. The country lying in the southwestern Pacific Ocean has two … [Read more...]
Brazilian Cachaça Trip, Day Three: Canela
Gramado and Canela were two cities that I didn’t have much interest in visiting. I’d stayed in Gramado toward the end of 2018 with my family. It’s a town that is popular among Brazilians and notable for its effort to create a Northern-Hemisphere-Christmas-Atmosphere year-round, as well as its plethora of chocolate shops. Canela is a more relaxed cousin of Gramado, with a similar affinity for chocolate, without the Christmas spirit. I hadn’t … [Read more...]
Cachaça Trip, Day One, Part One—Brasilia, Porto Alegre, Ivoti
I awoke as the orange rays of the sun bled through my bedroom window. Nerves always eat at me before I travel, and so it wasn’t surprising for me to rise early. Day one of my cachaça trip. There were so many unknowns. I shuffled around my apartment, ensuring my belongings were together, made my coffee, and ate a bit of breakfast. By the time that was done, my wife and kids were up. Besides being a travel day, it also happened to be my kids’ … [Read more...]
4 Days in San Miguel De Allende
In the July 2018 edition, Travel and Leisure voted the charming Mexican city of San Miguel de Allende the best city in the world for the 2nd year in a row! I’ve been dying to visit San Miguel de Allende and when I recently had the wonderful opportunity to attend a destination wedding on New Year’s Eve in this city, I couldn’t refuse! It was a blessing to be able to celebrate a dear friend and her fiance in one of the best cities in the world! So … [Read more...]
Ticos and Tica – the Culture and Food of Costa Rica
Costa Rica's name, "Rich Coast" was coined by Columbus when he stopped near present-day Limon and saw the indigenous people wearing "golden mirrors around their necks." As a destination, Costa Rica is rich in cultural and eco-tourism wildlife experiences with the added allure of the beautiful beaches of the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. Best of all, Costa Rica is only a few short hours away from the East Coast by air. Being from the east … [Read more...]
Blooming Where We’re Planted, and A Taste of Honey
We were a busload of older women off on a jaunt on a hot day in July. Departing from a Montreal seniors’ center, we rode off to Mirabel, located in the Lower Laurentian Hills. In less than an hour we arrived at Routes des Gerbes d”Angelica, a collection of 14 themed gardens which are the creation of 20 retirees who have invested their money and the rest of their lives, it seems, into creating and sustaining a sanctuary of natural beauty. Most of … [Read more...]
Art, Beauty, History, and Cuisine on the English Riviera
Along with my partner, I recently took a short trip down to the English Riviera where I found beauty, history, and the most incredible food! We were lucky with the weather, the sun shone the whole time we were there and the air was warm and balmy, but I imagine this place is almost as scenic when the weather isn’t as accommodating. This part of Devon is best known for Torquay, home of Faulty Towers, but we wanted something a little more off the … [Read more...]
History, Mystery, Art and More in Boonsboro and Beyond
Last year, during the holidays, I spent some time in Sharpsburg, Maryland, where I enjoyed a lovely stay at the Jacob Rohrbach Inn. During that time, my travels took me through the small town of Boonsboro, where I noticed a cozy, cute little Inn all lit up for the Christmas season. I was pulled to it like a magnet and vowed to return to explore the area when the weather warmed. That opportunity occurred just this month, when I was able to … [Read more...]
On Christmas Decorations and Syrian Food
The air was unusually clear for Cairo, a city notorious for its polluted, hazy skies. Perhaps it was only because it was my first time seeing all the Christmas decorations set up for the bazaar that it felt like a crisp winter day. The bazaar was an opportunity for refugee women to showcase their skills and talents. Many of them were selling handicrafts, and others were dishing up food from their home countries. The smells mingled throughout … [Read more...]
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