Bathers at the Blue Lagoon
In Moscow, an old Russian tradition finds new expression: the padlocked trees of Luzhkov Bridge.
The breathtaking Carpathian Range stretches in an arc from the Czech Republic through western Ukraine ...
There was as many tourists as local residents shopping at the Central Market, in Budapest.
Europe
Antwerp: spiritual, corporeal, coarse and refined
Definitive high-meets-low Belgian culture.
I got off the train to Antwerp, Belgium, at Central Station, named by Newsweek as the fourth most beautiful train station in the world, just around the crack of dawn. The town square was lifeless, ...
Skeletons in the armoire: Paris catacombs
Under the city's streets is a vast, ancient network of tunnels.
The air was cool and exuded a musty, almost earthy odor. The passageway with squat ceilings no more than six feet high was lit by small dim lights, each bright enough to see only a ...
Secrets of Ghent
Most of us in the U.S. remember the name “Ghent” from the Treaty of Ghent that finally ended the War of 1812 with the British. At the time, communication was slow, and Gen. Andrew Jackson ...
Spain's Costa Brava awaits
The road was treacherous. It was mid-Feburary. The blustery weather showed no signs of mercy. Driving along the northeastern coast of Spain from France, I felt like I was living some kind of nocturnal Spanish ...
Carl Durant is heading back to Belgium
Personal, political, economical
Belgian singer-songwriter Carl Durant, a mainstay of the local circuit for the past several years, is heading home. Durant arrived with his wife in San Diego during 2002 to work at an early-stages startup company ...
Iceland's Blue Lagoon
One of the strangest tourist traps in the world has to be the Blue Lagoon in Iceland, located 50 kilometers from Reykjavik en route to the airport. At a latitude equivalent to Siberia and Alaska ...
Outside Central London
Consider these 3 stops for your next UK itinerary.
Central London has so much to offer, most travelers never make it beyond the innermost neighborhoods. Seeing the main sights – like Big Ben, Buckingham Palace and the Tower of London – can easily fill ...
Perusing Poland
Gdańsk, Wrocław and more hard-to-pronounce Old World treasures.
A scenic train ride landed us in Gdańsk, at the edge of the Baltic Sea. Our apartment is 60M2. It's basically a two-bedroom apartment with a large living room that includes a third-floor balcony. I ...
Mesmerizing Mycenae
Window into the ancient world.
About 1.5 hours outside Athens, Mycenae is one of the essential stops for any visitor to Greece with an interest in ancient history. Arriving here, you're awed not just by the site and the ruins, ...
Jaunt up to Northern Ireland
Check off the UK province's must-sees, an easy drive from Dublin.
Ever since the peace accords of 1997, Northern Ireland has enjoyed a bit of a renaissance. Freed from 25 years of conflict, referred to locally as “The Troubles,” Northern Ireland has rebuilt its economy – ...
Krakow: The “Real” Europe
Street names and more: an analysis of this Old World city's charm.
Krakow is special. Paris is fantastic, but so over-the-top and tourist-oriented that emotional connection is limited. When we arrived in Krakóv, and walked out on the Old Town square (above), my eyes teared up. I ...
A Discovery: Prague's Josefov
Remainders of the Holocaust in one of Europe's iconic cities.
“Josefov.” The center of Jewish influence in Prague. A few other temples are scattered around the oldest part of the city, but Josefov is the vortex of Prague’s Jewish past. It was this name of ...
Trip to Basel, Birthplace of LSD
Behind Basel, Switzerland’s bourgeois persona is a mind-blowing history currently experiencing its 70th anniversary. Inside the walled-off compound where multinational pharmaceutical giant Novartis (formed when Ciba-Geigy and Sandoz merged) is headquartered is a futuristic glassy-steel ...
Istanbul Spice Market
Making my way through thick crowds of people slowly walking, talking on cell phones and holding shopping bags, I found the mounds of spices in the marketplace in Istanbul, Turkey. I'd arrived to buy various ...
Celebrate Amsterdam
Excuse to visit: 2013 is the legendarily tolerant city's jubilee.
Though it can be fairly said that Amsterdam is always ready for a party, this year the city is really celebrating. 2013 is the 400th anniversary of its famous canal ring, now a UNESCO World ...
Featured Photo
2011 Photo Winners
The Jama Masjid seen from the streets of Delhi's Chandi Chowk. Gives you an appreciation of how big the mosque really is.
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