Ah yes, Amsterdam - the city of tulips, the city of blooming festivals of color and fragrance in the springtime. However, when you travel to Amsterdam, you'll also find a teeming center of finance and culture, rivaling other European capitals. Begun as a tiny fishing village about 1200 AD, Amsterdam has grown into the capital of the Netherlands, the country that is still, today, called "Holland" by many tourists unfamiliar with the fact that … [Read more...]
Italy
When I was young, I once asked my mother where paradise was located. She told me that it was not a specific place but rather a place that is spectacular according to oneself. I did not realize that paradise was essentially one's own ideal part of the world. At the age of 18, I was able to see my paradise. I had been looking forward to this trip for an entire year prior to graduating high school. When the day finally arrived, off I went, a little … [Read more...]
Mt. Pelister
This article is about one of the most beautiful mountains on the Balkan Peninsula, Mount Pelister. This is not only my opinion, but of many people who came here and have visited Pelister, even the Gods. I heard a legend on television a few days ago - it said: The Gods asked Zeus why he settled at Mount Olimpus when there is a much more beautiful mountain to the north. Zeus became angry and decided to marry Pelister with Baba Mountain (baba means … [Read more...]
Royals Put Malta Back on Map
For a Mediterranean island with good year round weather, a friendly local English speaking population and facilities to rival that of any of her competitors, Malta is a surprisingly often forgotten island for many people planning a holiday in the Mediterranean. Malta missed some of her own government's tourist targets in 2005, but a recent visit by Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh resulted in four days of positive media coverage … [Read more...]
Palma
Summer time brings a Philippe Starck-designed hotel bringing Palma's Old Town back into the limelight. The capital of the Spanish island of Majorca it now overshadows the beach resorts. Palma ranks among most sought-after European weekend destinations partly due to the affordable renaissance flights from Europe. Palma's resurgence is credited to the revival of the historic center with cobbled streets, stone palaces, quaint plazas and Gothic … [Read more...]
Moscow
My sister had been working with a charity organization in Moscow, Russia for several years. Throughout that time we had been corresponding with her by mail and were fascinated with her tales and interesting stories and experiences in Moscow! It was at that time, to our surprise, she sent a message to my mother inviting us to come and help with some of the projects she was working on. After several months of preparation we were off to embark on … [Read more...]
Franco’s Ghosts
November 4, 2003: Today in the news, Franco is still dead but you can still vote for him. Two weeks ago, I stood in front of one of only three still-remaining statues of the late Spanish dictator who died on November 20, 1975. A week later, back home in San Francisco, my Spanish partner cast his ballot: a ballot which still includes Franco's political party "Falange" - Spanish fascists. There's no escaping Franco. Astride his horse, with … [Read more...]
Spain
Do you want to add exciting, motivating, and beautiful experiences to your life? Go to Spain!!! With my resourceful wife, Dana May, we lived in Spain for a year. We chose to make our home base an apartment in Madrid. Madrid's central location gave us easy access to Barajas airport, the central train station as well as a convenient bus depot. A good car rental system is also available in the city and at the airport. In Madrid, the … [Read more...]
Going Cal-ing in Ibiza
Every now and then, I'll combine English and Spanish words and come up with something that truly annoys my wife, who happens to be from Spain. These "Spanglish" concoctions are usually pretty cheesy, but I must say that I'm not the only one guilty of this. Spaniards themselves do it. For bungee jumping, for example, they've invented the word puenting combining the ing ending from English with the word "puente" (bridge) in Spanish to form a hybrid … [Read more...]
A White Trash Ski Trip
A few years back I went on my very first skiing experience which was unfortunately before I had a healthy respect for what is a very fun sport, but one in which to be careful. Arrogantly I was going to ski like everyone else who'd lived in the snowcapped towns of Sweden all their lives. They made it look so easy. I learned on the first trip not only down the slope, but up it too, that it's a tad bit more difficult than it looks. I was an … [Read more...]
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