It was sometime in early 2011. I was having a chat with a couple of friends centered on a quote from the Tom Cruise starrer ‘Knight and Day’. Not exactly the kind of movie to throw up quotes worthy of discussion or much thought. But surprisingly, it did have one particularly special quote– moving, thought-provoking, enigmatic and slightly frightening if I may say so. “Someday. That's a dangerous word. It's really just a code for 'never'. … [Read more...]
Helsinki, Finland – a Quick Introduction
With approximately 600,000 inhabitants Helsinki and the surroundings comprises about a fifth of the countries' entire population. It is an International destination yet not large enough of a city to feel overwhelming; it retains a feel of a much smaller community and is fairly easy to get around with a well developed system of tram cars. During a recent visit a mix of using the tram cars and exploring on foot was the perfect recipe for getting to … [Read more...]
Bohemian Rhapsody
John M. Edwards takes the waters in the Czech Republic’s so-called West Bohemian Spa Triangle in order to spy out the local talent and bathe in the buff. . . . “Give me a place to stand on, and I will have the earth.” --Archimedes In the “West Bohemian Spa Triangle,” consisting of the old spa towns Carlsbad, Marienbad, and Franzenbad, now all hiding behind Czech names, I thought to myself that it doesn’t get any better than this! In … [Read more...]
Time for tapas in Madrid
The landscape of Spain’s Asturios principality, set amid the Cantabrian Mountains on the country’s north coast, is both spectacular and forbidding. Winters are cold, with snow present from October and May and rain lacing the winter winds with a high chill factor. This might explain, in some way, why Nicolas Parronda is serving tapas and Asturias cider from a bagpipe-like vessel to a crowded bar of Sunday lunchtime stand-up diners in … [Read more...]
Walking Tour of Vilnius with Viator
Waiting on the steps of the prominent Vilnius Cathedral bell tower, we met Yurga, our guide for the afternoon. A Vilnius resident who is fluent in several languages, Yurga would lead us for the next three hours on a Vilnius city walking tour with Viator and Travel Mindset. A tour like this is educational, is rich in history and allows one to discover parts of the city that only a local would know. The old part of Vilnius, Lithuania’s capital, … [Read more...]
Experiencing the Life of Anne
Have you ever had that feeling of complete darkness? Not from something unpleasant happening to you, but for a moment you step into someone else’s shoes and see their life from their perspective, or at least try too. This is the feeling that you get when entering a place like the Anne Frank House. It is a feeling that is hard to even prepare yourself for, and a feeling that you don’t get from anything else. I visited the Anne Frank House on my … [Read more...]
Experience Authentic Venice at the Enrica Rocca Cooking School
I've been in Venice for 10 days by the time I meet Enrica Rocca; long past the point where I can stomach another meal from a restaurant with unappetizing photos of pasta plastered in the window. I'm desperate for something authentic and, as I walk with her through the Rialto markets, I sense I've found it. A native Venetian, Enrica is on a first name basis with most (if not all) of the vendors and shopkeepers in the city. The fishmongers at … [Read more...]
Vulgar Wheat: A Trace of Thrace Bugaria
John M. Edwards chows down on subpar "Vulgarian" grub and survives a dangerous dispute over a restaurant bill in the Balkans. Oh well, there is always the region's lip-smacking yogurt. . . . Bulgaria has by far the best yogurt in the world, partly because they invented it. They also are (supposedly) responsible for the regional cuisine shared by many of its neighbors: Bulgar wheat, stuffed grape leaves, baklava, kebabs, goat cheese, and … [Read more...]
Amsterdam -Top Hats, Absinth and Chocolate Sprinkles
“I want to live in ONLY places where I can wear a pink wig.” These were the heart felt, love stricken words of my friend in love with the way Amsterdam made her feel. So far I have been to two cities that made me feel magic in the air. One is San Francisco where I have lived since I left home at 18; and the other is Amsterdam. There is something about the air there that makes you want to stay and never go home. I remember as a kid whenever … [Read more...]
The Kamping Fuhrer
Inside an Impressionist painting, in the French south, on the campground, inside the trailer, we were all talking and drinking up a storm like total strangers who’ve never met before. The bearded Brit nervously cleared his throat, extended his glass, and made polite overtures to my uncorked bottle of wretched red "vin de table." The mysterious Aragorn-like Englander looked like he hadn’t had a drink in an eon and that each sentence was framed … [Read more...]
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