Category: Travel

Situated right in the center of Slovenia lies its capital, Ljubljana. Almost an equal distance from Italy, Austria, Hungary and Croatia, this small but innovative city has a car-free heart, a hip attitude, and a mythical history.

Wherever you go in Ljubljana, you’ll see images of dragons. Legend has it that, many centuries ago, a dragon lived in the Ljubljana river preying on locals, until a Greek hero discovered a way to defeat it. It’s a perfect symbol for this charismatic university town that is fiercely protective of its environment, its history, and its people.

Step into the narrow streets of the town center, and instead of traffic, you’ll hear bicycle bells, and instead of gridlock, you’ll find riverbanks lined with cafes, pubs and historic architecture. In 2007, the council banned cars here and the city has been rolling out sustainable programs ever since. Continue reading “A City That Welcomes With Warmth and Delighted to Share Its Treasurer, Ljubljana”

100 miles from the coast of Britain, and just 14 off the coast of France, is Jersey, the largest of The Channel Islands. A Crown Dependency of the U.K., self-governing Jersey is a little slice of Britain, with a Gallic twist.

With an area of just nine miles by five miles, Jersey packs in more history, scenery, and character than destinations one hundred times its size. History looms large at every turn, from Neolithic architecture that predates the pyramids, to centuries of coastal defenses, which look as though they were abandoned only yesterday.

Jersey’s coastline is epic too, swept clean by some of the most extreme tides on the planet. Twice each day the waters rush out to sea, exposing miles of golden beaches and rock pools that stretch off into the horizon. Jersey’s capital, St Helier, embodies all the things that make Jersey so special, the history, the incredibly tasty produce, the tax-free shopping, and the picture-perfect scenery. Continue reading “Glance With History, Adventure, Incredible Food, and Total Relaxation on Jersey Weave”

Brazil’s Costa Verde is an incredible ribbon of coastline between Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. Here the emerald jungles of the Serra do Mar plunge into the Atlantic in spectacular fashion, but nowhere more so, than at Ilha Grande Bay.

Just a two-hour bus ride from the non-stop-energy of Rio, Ilha Grande Bay offers rhythms that are in total tune with nature. Once here, you’ll find yourself caring less about finding the perfect Wi-Fi signal, and more about connections of a deeper kind.

There are endless ways to lose yourself here: in the worn cobbled streets of colonial towns; in the cicada hum of pristine Atlantic forests; in the sacred hush of churches; and in the lazy tunes which drift from the noonday shade of cafes and bars. There are endless lessons to be found here too: in the local dishes which have been perfected by generations of cooks; in the patient hands of the fisherman who ply the endless art of net mending; in the faces of the people who seek not to bend nature, but are content to be shaped by it.

Continue reading “Reconnoiter the Natural Treasure of Ilha Grande Bay”

Portland sits on the southern coastline of Maine. Jutting out into the waters of Casco Bay, Portland is one of those special cities whose history and people have long been shaped by the sea. It’s a city whose character has also been forged by fire. Native American raiders burnt the first English settlement to the ground in 1676 and returned with the French fourteen years later to torch it once again.

In 1775, British warships set the city ablaze, and in 1866, a Fourth of July firecracker set off an inferno, which left thousands homeless.

But this is a city that refused to lie down, and today Portland is one of the most dynamic, and livable small metros in the USA.

Continue reading “Admire the City of the Songs by the Sea, Portland, Maine”

The city of Mérida is the capital of the Mexican state of Yucatan. While much of the peninsula is famed for its resorts, Meérida is the epicenter of Yucatan culture, history, and, Mayan pride. Continue reading “Sojourn in the Most Cultural, Historic and Coolest Cities of Mexico, Merida”

Long Island stretches eastward for 115 miles, from the New York boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens to the windswept bluffs and rollers of Montauk Point. In many ways, Long Island is the story of America.

It’s a story of Native Americans, some of whom welcomed Europeans settlers ashore in 1637, and of those who resisted. It’s a story of pirate treasure and hardy whalers, of Revolutionary War and the beginnings of a nation.

It’s a story of some of the world’s greatest industrialists, artists, and adventurers. And binding these epic stories together is mile upon mile of some of the nation’s best beaches and the warm summer rays of sunshine.

Continue reading “Befall in Inspirational and Reassuring Lights of Long Island”

Gibraltar is a small peninsula with an epic profile that lies in the south of Spain. Just a 3-hour flight from London, it is a tiny slice of the British Empire with a heroic colonial history and 300 days of sunshine each year.

Although it covers less than 3 square miles, Gibraltar’s strategic location has made it one of the most fought over places in Europe. For centuries, it has withstood political maneuvering, sieges, and battles, and today with its red phone boxes, Union Jacks and high street shops, Gibraltar staunchly stands as a small pocket of England in the heart of the Mediterranean. Continue reading “Experience the Exotica Taste of England in the Heart of Mediterranean, Gibraltar”

The Portuguese capital Lisbon lies on the western Iberian Peninsula, where the Tagus River meets the Atlantic Ocean. Settled to almost three thousand years ago the city predates Rome, Paris, and London by centuries, and possesses an epic narrative to match.

From its early days as a Phoenician outpost to its expansion into a 16th-century trading giant, from the Great Earthquake of 1755 to its glorious reconstruction, Lisbon has long been a city of shifting fortunes. For much of the 20th century the city floundered, but the winds of fate have again shifted in Lisbon favor. No longer a place of faded glory 21st century Lisbon is again a place of possibilities.

Continue reading “Welcome to the Queen of the Sea, Lisbon”

There are some cities that refuse to lay down. They possess a certain spirit that can push through the rubble of history’s most turbulent times, to grow, flourish and flower. The German city of Frankfurt is one such city.

For centuries, Frankfurt has been one of Europe’s most important and enduring trading capitals. Despite a history of fires, plague, occupation, and war, it continues to rise. Frankfurt today is home to the European Central Bank, The German Stock Exchange and an airport that handles almost 60 million travelers a year.

Yet surprisingly, it’s relaxed too, a place where tradition and beauty are lovingly cultivated and enjoyed. This balance of dynamism and tradition is best exemplified in the city’s architecture. Frankfurt is often called Manhattan, due to its position on the Main River and a skyline that often feels more American than European.

Yet the city, which was once home to one of the most glorious medieval centers in Europe, still nurtures its proud heritage through rebuilding and restoration projects. Despite its stature as a financial giant, Frankfurt remains surprisingly compact. Most of its attractions are clustered close to the city center, making the city perfect for exploring on foot or by bicycle.

Continue reading “Welcome to the City That Prospers Its Bounty to the Entire World, Frankfurt”

Welcome to Seoul, the capital of the Republic of South Korea. For decades the city known as The Miracle of The Han, kept its head down, barely raising a ripple as the country rebuilt in the decades following the Korean War.

Today, Seoul has re-emerged as an economic powerhouse and the epicenter of Hallyu, a Korean wave of culture that is sweeping the world’s smartphones, food halls, and dance floors.

But Seoul wasn’t always so outgoing. In the 14th century, a 12-mile fortress wall encircled Korea’s ancient capital; its gates closed each night to keep marauding Siberian tigers and invaders at bay. Since then the city has spilled out far beyond and above its great city gates and Guardian Mountains. 21st century Seoul is a city where glass and steel towers and the ancient curves of palace roofs coexist.

It’s a city where the brushstrokes of the past and contemporary public art tell stories of tradition and inspiration. Continue reading “Reconnoiter the Miracle on the Han’s Imagination in Seoul”