While traveling in Spain and the Netherlands I couldn’t help but notice the two countries differing architectural styles. In both San Sebastian and Amsterdam older, traditional buildings showcased their approach to ornamentation and, in some cases, over-the-top ostentation. Today I’ve got photos of rooflines, tomorrow decorations. The thing is, I don’t have a preference. In […]
Yesterday I showed rooflines; today I’m focusing on architectural embellishment. While I didn’t have a preference for the rooflines in San Sebastian or Amsterdam, Amsterdam wins hands down for embellishment. Dutch merchants wanted to show off their wealth. On many of their buildings there are gold adornments, sculptures, elaborate coats-of-arm or fancy trimmings. They liked […]
The first time I visited Athens, in 1996, the Parthenon thrilled me, as did the Plaka, the statuary, and the overall vibe. The next time I visited, my enthusiasm had waned. Athens looked dirty, was hotter than hell on a bad day, the sky had a brownish tinge from pollution, and there were too many […]
Early this afternoon I arrived at the port of Piraeus (Greece) to board the Oceania Vista. The size of the ship surprised me, though it shouldn’t have. My stateroom is on the tenth deck and there are six decks above me. The ship can accommodate 1,200 passengers. The ship is just over one year old […]
Last night I slept better than I have in many nights—the gentle sound of the ship’s engines lulled me deep into dreamland. When I woke, we’d dropped anchor in Santorini, part of the Cycladic group of Greek islands. Santorini is a beautiful island. Well, it used to be a single island, now it is a […]
This morning the ship docked at Antalya, the first port of call in Turkey. I haven’t been in Turkey since 1997, and when I visited, I never made it to Antalya. I’d been hoping to visit some of the historic sites, but the excursion desk staff talked me out of even attempting any of them. […]
I’ve been told that Bodrum is the playground of wealthy Turks, Greeks, and other Europeans. Judging by the yachts in the area, it must be true. However, I never made it into Bodrum, just viewed it from the water. I took a tour on a “gulet,” a traditional two-masted wooden sailing vessel built and used […]
An excerpt from my new book “Wanderlust: Extraordinary People, Quirky Places, and Curious Cuisine,” out October 4th. The White Sands National Monument is about seventy miles from Las Cruces and is notable for two reasons. First, it is the site of one of the world’s largest above ground gypsum deposits. Gypsum is a widely used […]
An excerpt from my new book “Wanderlust: Stories of Wanderlust: Extraordinary People, Quirky Places, and Curious Cuisine,” out October 4th. For the two weeks I traveled around Newfoundland, cod came up in conversation several times a day. I was never the one to bring it up. “We’ve all become outlaws.” one man told me. “We’re […]
An excerpt from my upcoming book Wanderlust: Stories of Wanderlust: Extraordinary People, Quirky Places, and Curious Cuisine Our tour itinerary included a homestay in a small farming village ninety minutes outside of Xi’an, the city known for the Terracotta Warriors. While I didn’t know what to expect, I was looking forward to the experience. It […]
