For years I planned trips never taken. But since I had an American Express card and was registered with my favorite airline’s frequent flyer program, I found myself receiving enticing email travel bargains. Before the days of internet, I would scour the Los Angeles Times for ideas but it was the advent of email along with photos of destinations that really changed my life. One day, while extremely low on funds but desperate to get away, I eyed an … [Read more...]
Exploring Historic Tallinn, Estonia
Prior to our most recent trip to Finland and the Baltic States - I was expecting frigid temperatures combined with grey days and rain. Watching the weather several months before this trip we noticed brutally cold temperatures continuing week after week. Therefore we have been pleasantly surprised the past week - to have received a "weather bonus" if you will. It was 29.5 in Helsinki (33 is their all time record) and 31 in Tallinn several days … [Read more...]
Unique Martinique: A Napoleonic Retreat
John M. Edwards, a future inductee into The Napoleon Society, storms Martinique in search of his own Josephine. A huge fan of Napoleon Bonaparte, the hero of post-Revolutionary France, I left the U.K. Crown Colony of Montserrat in the days before their volcano blew up for the fatal shores of Martinique via a scary Island Air prop plane. Landing with a jarring whump, my galpal and I, along with the burdensome baggage of my Sistah Sah, then … [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...]
Exploring Kangaroo Island, South Australia
Kangaroo Island was originally uninhabited until an Englishman, Matthew Flinders "discovered" the island in 1802. Today about thirty percent of the island is preserved either as a National Park or wilderness area - and only about 4000 people live here. Most of the population is on the Eastern side of the Island. This is Australia's third largest island and is located about 3 hours from Adelaide - 2 hours by road and then 45 minutes on the primary … [Read more...]
The Old House in Silay
For many generations the same families have owned and preserved ancestral houses in the Philippines as part of their culture. Several houses of prominent families have become points of interest or museums in their communities because of their historical, cultural or architectural worth. Some of these houses, too, have become endangered because of negligent businesses that have no interests in preserving them. I find “preservation” of these homes … [Read more...]
Local Insights with Kuku Yalanji Cultural Habitat Tours
Brothers Linc and Brandon Walker run Kuku Yalanji Cultural Habitat Tours located just north of Port Douglas in Queensland. They are part of the Kuku Yalanji Aboriginal heritage; they grew up here - they know the land, they know the ocean, they know the habitat and they have a strong relationship to their environment. Their ancestors have been here thousands of years and they are passing on their unique heritage through a variety of cultural and … [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...]
Amsterdam
Capital of the Netherlands, Amsterdam is an incredible city to visit filled with an incredible history and excitement. One of the cultural must-sees when getting to the city is the Begijnhof. Dated back to 1307, it is one of the oldest inner courts in the Netherlands. The court was originally a secluded area where only women lived promising obedience to the parish priest. A soothing sight with beautiful architecture and a perfect little … [Read more...]
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