This past December (2019), I arrived in Strasbourg, France, almost exactly 20 years after my first and only other visit. There have been changes — new construction and the like — but the historic center is reassuringly much the same. Indeed, I can offer a few old photos below (scanners
I got my first look at Thailand’s Phuket (the town) in late 2019 and regret that I did not have additional time there to absorb more about the local history, customs and architecture. The visit was a tease, which is why this blog will be a tease as well.
I had anticipated that Mackinac Island would be the centerpiece during a recent and very short driving tour in Michigan. But, the island had to share the honors with an attraction I had not anticipated. I planned this trip with two friends, and we agreed on October dates as a
I visited Brazil’s best-known city, Rio de Janeiro, a couple of times in the 1970s and, finally, this fall (2019) had the chance to revisit. The run-up to this visit was not especially auspicious. Earth’s lungs — the Amazonian forests — were (and are) aflame. The seemingly unconcerned Brazilian president,
Cornwall, in far southwest England, is home to the world’s largest indoor rain forest — and I had a chance to see it in late 2018. I was traveling with a number of American travel agents, all of us hosted by VisitBritain and a tour operator, Avanti Destinations. The Eden
I learned a new principle of travel this year. When taking a taxi into the desert, be sure the driver knows where he is going. Sounds obvious. In fact, on the trip I am about to describe, I did think the driver either knew the basics of how to get
I’ve just written a couple of posts about Italy’s medieval tower houses because I found them fascinating — and a kind of unifying theme for some sightseeing while in Italy last year. However, considering mankind’s penchant for war or for simple thuggery, I guess it’s no wonder I’ve encountered other
San Gimignano, in Italy’s Tuscany, is well known for its medieval tower houses, structures built for defense — and built to show off wealth and power. However, plenty of other towns and cities, in Italy and beyond, once had or still have tower houses, or something similar, built at least
San Gimignano is best known on the tourist circuit for its medieval tower houses. As a result, the town is sometimes called the “Manhattan of the Middle Ages.” However, in, say, the 13th century, the town wouldn’t have been so exceptional — the wealthy, or the merely well-to-do, were building
Last fall, I went to the Louvre and, with some luck, will be back again this spring. But I wasn’t in Paris, and I won’t be anytime soon. This Louvre, which opened in late 2017, is in Abu Dhabi, one of the seven emirates on the Arabian Peninsula that comprise