The Barossa Valley, when compared to the age of the European wine regions is rather young. However if you look deeper you realize there is a lot of "history" here. These are some of the oldest soils on the planet - the mountain ranges have been so well weathered they are now just gentle rolling hills. The Barossa is one of Australia's earliest wine regions - having been founded not by the British but by German settlers in the early 1840's. … [Read more...]
A Trace of Thrace: Balkan Adventure
In Plovdiv, Bulgaria, John M. Edwards snitches on the mystery-shrouded Balkans’ best-kept secret: an ancient (and enduring) heresy I was on the way slow train from Budapest through the Balkans, on my way to Bulgaria, chainsmoking and guzzling Egri Bikavier (Bull’s Blood) wine, when the train came to a juddering halt and was boarded by heavily armed Serbian soldiers. A Serb with an impressive handlebar moustache and an assault rifle demanded … [Read more...]
Waltzing through the Kaffehaus Kultura Vienna
“The [Café] Central is a place for people who have to kill time, so as not to be killed by it. . . .” --Alfred Polgar “I AM SIGMUND SPIELBERG!!!” The obviously unemployable flaneur with umlaut eyes landed at my marble-topped table without a proper invite, brusquely pushing aside a Thonet wooden chair. Brandishing a copy of Der Spiegel on a wooden rolling pin in his left hand, and reeking from an unfortunate cologne resembling turning … [Read more...]
The Best Artist in Slovakia
John M. Edwards pulls up his proverbial time machine into communist Slovakia (1989), where appearances are illusory and life is lived on a virtual movie set. . . . “I AM THE BEST ARTIST IN SLOVAKIA!” The Best Artist in Slovakia bruited. With a cavalier wave of his hand, curved like a grinning alligator shadow puppet, he added in slow mo, “I paint you a picture you would not believe!” “Oh, really?” I said with a terse forced smile. “I really … [Read more...]
A visit to Marchesi Antinori Chianti Classico Cellar in Tuscany, Italy
Getting Here The estate is located about 25 minutes outside of Florence Italy in the small town of Bargino. This is almost directly south of Florence, off of Highway SR 2 and only about 30 minutes from the beautiful town of Siena. Many airlines and flights connect to Florence including Alitalia, Air Berlin, Delta, KLM and Lufthansa. The Family The Antinori's own one of the world's oldest continuously operating family businesses. … [Read more...]
Szechenyi Baths and Pool, Budapest Hungary – May 2013
Budapest is known for its thermal waters and there are a number of baths in the city that you can choose from. One of the more accessible baths are the public Szechenyi Baths and Pool. This was the first public thermal baths to open on the "pest" side of Budapest - opening in 1881. There are a number of covered baths that range in temperature from painfully cold to reasonably hot. Several saunas set at various temperatures are also available. … [Read more...]
The LA Waterfront Has Something For Everyone This Season
SAN PEDRO, Calif. – Oct. 24, 2012 – Milder temperatures and smaller crowds make the fall and winter season a great time to explore the LA Waterfront in San Pedro and Wilmington. Set against the stunning backdrop of America’s Port®, the Port of Los Angeles -- the LA Waterfront is quickly earning a reputation as a destination filled with all kinds of activities for visiting families, cruise-bound tourists or people looking for a fun night of … [Read more...]
Quick Glance at Budapest
Buda, Obuda and Pest are the three towns that melted to form the city of Budapest. The beautiful capital of Hungary, located on the banks of the Danube, is always ready to receive visitors from all latitudes. Budapest is clearly divided by the Danube, on one side there are the hills of Buda, where the old part of the city is and on the other side the flat area of Pest, in which the most important buildings were erected during the … [Read more...]
Budapest: City of Change
There is a lilting quality to Budapest that changes to crashing crescendos as one visits different parts of this medieval city. Budapest has been prey to many conquerors...the Mongols, the Turks and more recently - the Germans and then the Russians. Now it has been restored to its own people, the Hungarians who arrived to create their first settlement early in the 9th century. This beautiful city straddling the Danube has much to offer to … [Read more...]
The European Nightlife
A big appeal of a big city for visitors and residents equally is the variety in its cultural offer but also in its nightlife. Where it is rather easy to find your way around to visit the most important cultural and historical sights and monuments, it is always nice for visitors to know where the local crowd goes for a drink and some music. What is to follow is a list of several cities in Europe that I have been to and that are known to have a … [Read more...]