Birthplace of the Renaissance, home of such great artists as Michelangelo and Donatello, Florence's influential roll in beginning the Renaissance is widely known. The city is very worth visiting for it's great art, fascinating architecture...
In my many years of traveling I've stayed in a variety of accommodations ranging from primitive tents to huts to luxury resorts. Never have I had a better stay than in Cape Town's wonderful Cape Grace Hotel.
I’d heard as a schoolboy that the Saguenay Fjord was one of the longest in the world. Years later someone told me the area around Tadoussac was pretty, sparsely developed and inviting. Given a spare day or...
Of the 2000 or so arches in Arches National Park, Delicate Arch is the most popular, to the point where it's become the state of Utah's unofficial symbol (appearing on its license plates). Situated near Moab, Utah, these arches are formed...
Conde Naste has published this year's Reader's Choice Awards, a broad range of awards but the one people most notice are the ranking of airlines. This year's top international airline, yet again, is Singapore Airlines. This year's top...
Dramatic light and landscape mark the beach at Vik, Iceland, famous for its black sand, which is composed of basalt, worn down over centuries from volcanic lava. The day of our visit, fog moved in and out, shrouding the beach in fog and turning the...
There are many great cities to visit in Canada, two of my favorites (for different reasons) being Vancouver and Montreal. Vancouver has one of the most breath-takingly beautiful settings of any city in the world, and I’ll be discussing it...
Thailand is considering charging a 30-baht daily fee for tourists, or 500-baht (about US $16) for stays longer than 3 days. The government believes it will bring in "better quality tourists," and deal with foreigners who overstay their visas,...
Whales are truly magnificent and fascinating creatures. The largest living animals on the planet, yet very gentle. It's always a thrill for me to see them on my travels. Gray whales live a migratory life wintering in the warm...
Ottawa is a vibrant and charming small city — so pleasant that it’s hard to believe it’s home to soooo many politicians. Of the national capitals I've visited, Ottawa seems the most livable to me (ie. if...
During one of our trips to Peru we visited Lake Titicaca, a very large and high altitude lake in the Andes, spending a few days in the lakeside Peruvian city of Puno. While on one of our day-trips we visited the ruins of Sullustani National Monument, from a pre-Incan culture.
True to its history, our visit to the coast of Normandy was cool, windy and wet -- but that's how it's been for thousands of years. Many an armada was delayed in leaving or landing on these shores because of inclement weather, including the D-Day attack, which had to be postponed.
The largest stretch of (relatively) flat land on Maui is the valley between the two volcanoes, Haleakala and the West Maui Mountains. This area is commonly called “Central Maui” and it’s here most locals live....
Dramatic night light gives an eerie look to the Roman Arena in Nimes, France. Built around 70 AD, when Gaul, as France was called, was an important trading area of the Roman Empire.
Volcanoes never cease to fascinate me! Something about their massive size and primal earth shaping power appeals to my sense of curiosity and awe. So it’s not surprising that I find Haleakala to be Maui’s most interesting place.