LET’S GET STARTED
FEATURED DESTINATION
TRAVEL CORNER
England: Of forests and Cornish ales
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
Abu Dhabi: Taxi in the desert
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
Europe: Fortified homes
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
Italy: Beyond the towers of San Gimignano
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
Italy’s ‘Manhattan of the Middle Ages’
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
Abu Dhabi: The Louvre on the water
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
Italy: Siena’s eye poppers
UNESCO says that Siena’s historic center “is the embodiment of a medieval city. … The whole city of Siena was devised as a work of art that blends into the surrounding landscape.” I couldn’t have explained it better myself, the reason I found Siena
Italy: Of escalators and elevators
In my 2018 holiday letter to friends, I described my funniest travel experience for the year as follows: <<I visited Assisi in Italy and its Basilica of St. Francis. A sign at the basilica entry said, “no photos,” so tourists were sneaking shots like crazy.
Washington state: Finding ‘America’s Provence’
It was dumb luck that, this year, my sister and I alighted in Washington state right at peak season for the lavender crop. Lavender? When we started planning our trip, we had no idea lavender was a “thing” in Washington state. But it is, specifically