John M. Edwards is drawn into the Wild Wild East of “Europe Minor.” After the collapse of communism in the USSR, inflation in the freshly minted Baltic republics of Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia rolled up the ruble into the cheapest toilet paper around, so I decided to go East and stock up. I needed a cheap place to wipe my ass because I was then unemployed, and an Orwellian year of freelancing in Paris had left me as restless … [Read more...]
Ramona Bruland, Adventure, Lifestyle & Adventure TV Host
While browsing Twitter I stumbled across Ramona's outdoor and adventure accomplishments. Discovering that she is originally from Adelaide and with a recent trip to South Australia including Adelaide, Kangaroo Island and Barossa Valley still fresh in the mind - this became a timely interview. Adrenaline and outdoor junkies take note - Ramona is just as comfortable carving tracks down the side of a mountain as she is jumping out of a plane or … [Read more...]
What do Van Morrison, The Godfather of Punk, and Seamus Heaney have in Common?
There is a theory of “primitive affluence” that suggests that when a society has its primary needs met by Nature...food, shelter, clothing…then it will turn to creativity. Bali, a tropical island in Indonesia where the rich volcanic soil produces an abundance of food and materials for fabrics and building, is held as an example. The trope is that “everyone in Bali is an artist.” Yet, while it is true that most everyone spends days carving, … [Read more...]
The New Alchemists of Prague
Prague Spring Break: Bohemian Rhapsody or Bozo Nightmare? The Unbearable Lightness of Being a Time Traveler in Prague In a possessed city Kafka called “a mother with claws,” John M. Edwards discovers the unbearable lightness of being a tourist in overcrowded Prague. Here a cost comparison of Communist and Capitalist Prague reveals a long history of alchemy and occupation, sorcery and intrigue, apparatchik chic and uneasy redemption. Welcome … [Read more...]
Grand dame hotels are two New England favorites
Elegant, old, stately and welcoming, they are perched high on bluffs overlooking the sea, two New England grand dame hotels with unique identities and charms all their own, especially cozy in the wintry off season when it’s far less crowded. Wentworth by the Sea in New Castle, N.H., and Harbor View Hotel in Edgartown, Martha’s Vineyard, off the coast of Massachusetts, the latter an icon on the Vineyard since 1891, the former since 1874, each … [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...]
Top 10 underrated beauty spots in Europe
Forget the stigma that some of Europe’s beach resorts have picked up over the years (Kevin and Perry, The Inbetweeners, Sun, Sex and Suspicious parents…), even the busiest islands have a diverse range of resorts to suit all tastes and their fair share of culturally significant tourist stops. Make sure you book your 2014 holiday now to get the best deals, and give yourself enough time to scour some European beauty spots. 1) Majorca Majorca is … [Read more...]
5 Best Hotspots in the UK for Couples
A UK holiday is a very thrifty holiday choice for British couples. Travelling abroad can be very expensive with flights, transfers, visas, baggage fees, currency exchange and more. However, more and more people are choosing to holiday on their very doorsteps. There are some fantastic quaint villages and bustling cities across the UK that are full to the brim with excitement and romance. Whether you want a boozy weekend away with your other … [Read more...]
Gothenburg and West Sweden – Autumn 2013
The latest selection of inspirational new holiday ideas and travel news from Gothenburg and West Sweden – including the World Food Travel Summit, new seafood safari trips, new accommodation, vintage Volvo tours of Gothenburg and a preview of Christmas. Foodie news New food website West Sweden Tourist Board has launched a new dedicated culinary website. The region is renowned for the wealth and quality of its natural, organic produce … [Read more...]
Cesky Krumlov: The Real Bohemia
John M. Edwards checks out the new Czech Republic’s “Cesky Krumlov,” where real “Bohemians” come from. . . . On my first visit to communist Czechoslovakia in 1989 (right before the Velvet Revolution), I drove down in my rented and probably bugged Skoda car to the legendary Bohemian locus of magnetic Cesky Krumlov, the most stylish picturesque village in the country. I realized to be truly “Bohemian,” you had to actually be from the … [Read more...]
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