Sigmund Freud, apfelstrudel and Gustav Klimt’s The Kiss clinched my decision to honeymoon in Vienna. When you think about it, psychology, food and art are not the worst foundation for a good marriage. Oh, and Before Sunrise, the movie where Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke spend a day in this romantic Austrian city falling in love. Famous for being the center of the Habsburg dynasty in the 15th century, Vienna used its newfound power for good, at … [Read more...]
In San Sebastian, The Surf and the Fun Are All that Matter
I never anticipate travel delays. But lately, I’ve taken to relishing where they will take me. What adventures lie ahead if you’re willing to take the risk, and just go with what happens? I went to get my reservation for my train trip to Coimbra, Portugal and when I finally made it to the SNCF office they told me the train was sold out. The European soccer championships were being played in Lisbon, I was told. “You can ask the conductor, but … [Read more...]
Learn the Ropes to Cruise the Waterways of France
When I first went to Paris, I was struck by the beauty of this city. I was also amazed at how many boats I saw. Before I went I read about its history and about the things to see, food to taste and museums to visit. But being one who has spent a lot of time on boats, I was really surprised that I had not seen anything written about, or photos of, all the boats. Walking along the Seine I saw numerous vessels and wondered where they all came from. … [Read more...]
In Search of Dracula and Gothic Legends
At the foot of the mountain pass, tips of Gothic turrets and towers loom into sight above the stretch of dense evergreen which nestle between the Bucegi and Piatra Craiului Mountains. Having driven, (and survived!) through the Romanian winding roads since early dawn, the clouds now reveal a dramatic backdrop of ancient forests and mountain peaks. When the castle finally comes into view, distant memories of late-night films fill the impending … [Read more...]
BASQUE CASE: Separation Anxiety in the Pyrenees
“Before God was God and boulders were boulders, Basques were already Basques.” --Basque proverb A merry little trip to the Basque Country, an autonomous utopia containing a bit of both France and Spain is like trying to find the original site of the Garden of Eden, which Basques claim might be hidden in their unrecognized “country”: Euskadi! Inching along in your rented Renault time machine on the high mountain passes through the … [Read more...]
5 unmissable East German sites in Berlin
The history of the city of Berlin is absolutely fascinating, in no small part due to the period comprised between 1961 and 1989, which is when the city was divided by the terrible wall. If you're interested in history and want to find out some unbelievable stories, here are five places related to them that you cannot miss during your trip to Berlin. The fascination for everything East German is one of the main reasons why hundreds of thousands … [Read more...]
How to Brave the Budapest Baths
Spa guy John M. Edwards feels frigging fantastic! If you're in Magyarorstag (Hungary), do as the Daubians do: Say goodbye to "bliss" and splash around au Naturale in the "eau de vie" of a real thermal spa, with a Red Bull in Hand... When you first arrive in Budapest for both (clandestine) “business and pleasure”-- feeling like a dumb foreign doppelganger soaking with sweat and stinking of brimstone--say no to the Four Seasons Hotel showers and … [Read more...]
Cuisine Minceur: Eat, Pay, More
John M. Edwards explores the popular Foodie movement of “Cuisine Minceur” (small food), invented in Les Landes, France, wherein gullible gourmands counting calories get much less food for much more money. . . . I feel sorry for the people who use the term “FOODIE.” It is a term less about the ends justifying the means and more about just being mean. Whenever I hear the euphemism, I flinch involuntarily, as when your PC (“pretend … [Read more...]
Spain: Help, Help me Ronda!
John M. Edwards gets vertigo and yells help in a lofty Andalusian precipice town where Walt Disney’s family supposedly originally came from. . . . Away from the ugly urbanization of Spain’s Costa del Sol, along scenic Highway 44, I arriveD in my leased “Europe by Car” vehicle via Marbella to Ronda, one of the most beautiful villas blancos (“white villages”) in the Andalusian countryside. Perched, this improbably fantastic nest persists on … [Read more...]
Zell, Germany
Black Katz and Tiny Bubbles Ahhh, the hills are alive...no, that’s Julie Andrews and Austria. Black cats and voodoo dolls…no, that’s Ricky Martin and Miami. Tiny bubbles...no that’s Dean Martin or Frank Sinatra or somebody. I do know we were sitting at an outdoor café along the hills of the Moselle River. There were black katz on every bottle of wine we tasted. In fact, every signpost and even the hills boasted pictures of black katz. No … [Read more...]
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