Dusseldorf was the last stop on my recent trip to Germany. After the non-stop excitement of Berlin and the Grande Dame beauty of Dresden, my expectations were low. Dusseldorf was a city I associated with trade fairs and big business, neither of which hold my interest. Instead, what I got was a city bursting at the seams with a vigorous art scene, robust cultural life and plenty of culinary mojo. It’s a convenient city to visit, thanks to … [Read more...]
Experiencing the lights and sounds of Lille
It is true that France is a beautiful country that offers something special and distinct in each one of its cities. Lille is a city located in the North Eastern region of the country and is inarguably one of the most beautiful of all. It’s beauty lies in its perfect tranquility, peaceful environment surrounded by some of the most fascinating structures in architectural history, lush green parks, galleries and museums dedicated to the history of … [Read more...]
Little Denmark
At a British- or Irish-style “public house” in an old colonial town, a fictional action figure named John M. Edwards sucks down suds with serendipity. I was standing at the bar at the Jolly Trolley in Westfield, New Jersey, staring at my Fuller’s London Pride, when I decided I was so drunk I would indeed have a hangover in the morning. The red label reminded me of the Protestant solidity of London and the infinite possibilities of drinking … [Read more...]
Secret slopes: Europe’s hidden ski villages
If you have always assumed that a skiing holiday is out of your price range, or you've been on a trip but were put off by busy slopes and over-crowded restaurants, then think again as there might be another option. Go 'off-piste' with your choice of resort. Mainstream does not suit everyone, and whilst the big famous resorts are well-established and set up with great facilities, by their very nature they bring in a lot of tourists at peak … [Read more...]
Tips for Visitors to Majorca
The largest of the Balearic Islands, Majorca is the perfect holiday destination for millions of tourists a year. There is absolutely nothing not to like about Majorca where bustling coastal resorts give way to tiny villages and all within easy travelling distance of some of the most glorious stretches of white sand you will find anywhere. The beaches are a massive draw but the interior also has much to offer, especially in autumn and winter after … [Read more...]
Brr-cold in Barbes-Rochechouart: Christmas in France
In Paris’s Muslim quarter, Barbés Rochechouart, John M. Edwards finds ho-hum Christmas cheer, but no champagne or beer. . . . Back when I lived in Paris, one of the most comically incongruous things I saw as a temporary expat was a pathetic Pere Noel with a guelle de bois (“face of wood” = hangover) peeing in the snow, with an excessively painful grin, on the legendary Boulevard St. Germain (namedropped ad infinitum in Hemingway’s elegy to the … [Read more...]
Praying for Rain on Patmos
John M. Edwards plans to tour the cave where St. John wrote the Bible’s “Book of Revelations” on an idyllic Greek island called Patmos. . . . On the little-known island of “Arki” near Patmos, Greece, four travelers stared at the boat docking under a cliff-shrouded curl of surf and sand resembling a sneer. “Smugglers!” my new friend Leo, an Argentine of Italian descent and owner of a “finca” in Welsh Patagonia, exclaimed. All of us … [Read more...]
The Maltese Beercan
John M. Edwards takes a ferry boat, complete with a small steamer trunk and a traveler’s liquid pride “In Sicily, it’s fine, you can change money everywhere,” the lanky traveler lectured, popping the tab on his beercan, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. A white floppy sunhat, popularized by British sunbathers in Brighton, shaded his head from the fierce Mediterranean sun, though we were hidden in the subterranean hold of a ship … [Read more...]
Eating my Way Around Berlin
Spend just one day in Berlin, and there’s no denying it’s cutting-edge city. It pulses with non-stop energy day and night, the air infused with creativity, culture and promise. There are many ways for travelers to gain some insight into this complex and ever-expanding metropolis. On my recent whirlwind visit, I got a feel for the city by exploring its cuisine. As a frequent traveler and devoted foodie, my key to a new destination is usually … [Read more...]
Lourdes on 25 Prayers a Day
The Lowdown on Tacky Souvenirs and Christian Kitsch - Hautes-Pyrenees France I think it was Goethe who said that the imagination was man’s “deadliest enemy,” but how could that be so when all of us have dreamed up so many fabulous places to visit, celebrity people to admire, and unique pleasures to seek out. Even so, nightmares notwithstanding, we are all vaguely astonished when legend becomes reality and we actually arrive in a place we … [Read more...]
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