"Ouvea is everything you'd expect in a South Pacific island. Twenty kilometers of unbroken white sands border the lagoon on the west side of the island and extend far out from shore to give the water a turquoise hue. The wide western lagoon, protected by a string of coral islands and a barrier reef, is the only one of its kind in the Loyalties. On the ocean side are rocky cliffs, pounded by surf, but fine beaches may be found even here. At one … [Read more...]
Sydney Beaches, Fun in the Sun
Whether you're up for a Crocodile Dundee adventure or you'd just like a taste of the Australian sun, the beaches in and around Sydney can offer you all that and more. Being in the southern hemisphere, Australia's seasons are reversed from those in Europe, North American, and much of Asia, so if you're looking for good beach weather, make sure to travel some time from September to May - that is, spring to autumn. The Sydney shoreline encompasses … [Read more...]
Bringing Europe Home
July 16, 2004 Gutten tag! Hello friends! Greetings from the Viennese Internet cafe! I just returned from paying my respects to some of the great classical composers of our time! Some people make pilgrimages to Rome or Mecca, but I pay homage to people like Beethoven, Brahms, Schubert, and Strauss. Standing before all of them lined in a circle around me felt like a religious experience. I only wish I had the power to bring them all back to … [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...]
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...]
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...]
Five Days in Vegas
Our plane touches down at eleven o'clock pm after a five hour flight from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. My wife and I start our five day vacation in-famous Las Vegas. For fifty-nine years I have been meaning to pay a visit to the city where anything goes and finally I have made it thanks to a little incentive from Hurricane Ivan. We jump into a taxi and right away the happy-go-lucky driver wants to know if we want to take the freeway or the strip … [Read more...]
- « Previous Page
- 1
- …
- 132
- 133
- 134
- 135
- 136
- …
- 152
- Next Page »