Title Where To Go Category Doing Date   Description What to do, what to see and how to enjoy it. Address   Phone   Email   Price Range Cheaper than Cancun Text Playa Del Carmen is a little seaside town that has a hip, young and laid-back vibe. The main strip (Avenida 5) is [...]

DELFT, Netherlands Campanile Hotel Delft The Campanile Hotel Delft Is A Modern Hotel Located Amidst Greenery And Next To A Leisure Center Within Five Kilometers Of Delft’s Historic Center. The 95 Guestrooms Have Modern D’cor With Light Wood Furnishings And All Include Coffee And Tea Making Facilities, Direct-dial Phones, Hair Dryers And Televisions With Free [...]

"This bloke had his backside over the edge of the dinghy” said Colin, our host, nursing his fifth beer of the evening, in a strange and desolate place called Shark Bay in Western Australia. “His shorts were down by his ankles, but mate, ya know, when ya gotta go, ya gotta go. I told him, [...]

Getting There Centrally-located Salzburg is easily reached by rail from almost any point in Europe. Munich is a mere 2 hours away, Vienna about 3. From Paris, Berlin, Budapest, Amsterdam, or Rome, a bit less than a day’s journey will bring you to Salzburg; if you prefer to wake up there, sleeper services are available [...]

Chances are that some time during your stay in Brussels, the messages on your answering machine will include an unexpected announcement of the imminent arrival of an old friend, who would like you to show him whatever there is of interest in Brussels. This is the time to consider churches, particularly St. Nicholas, at the [...]

Cycle touring in India has it’s extremes, from the most enjoyable to the damn right frustrating. India offers everything, coastal palm fringed pathways, high altitude mountain passes, tropical forests & off course, mass cultivated open flat plains.   The biggest problem you’ll encounter is knowing what particular area will bring the best quality of good [...]

Despite last year’s somewhat abortive trip to Brainard Lake (see trip report here), Tom Weedon still wants to come on a backpack trip with us (he must also think that being sweaty, smelly and knackered is a laugh!). So I’ve picked out one of my favourite hikes – Alta Peak, which we’ve done a couple [...]

The absinthe burned my throat on the way down. Breathing in through my nose I contemplated how it was getting easier every time and when I felt it was safe I let out a high pitched roar. It was 11.30pm and there was me and Scooby and Corco and Masterson-Nolan and we were in our [...]

The absinthe burned my throat on the way down. Breathing in through my nose I contemplated how it was getting easier every time and when I felt it was safe I let out a high pitched roar. It was 11.30pm and there was me and Scooby and Corco and Masterson-Nolan and we were in our [...]

        Denmark is not for dieting. Breakfast included in a Danish hotel can easily be an overwhelming display of fruit, cereals, pastries, cheese, bread and cold cuts. Delicious open-faced sandwiches beckon from the more than 2,000 cafes, snack-bars and bars that dot the Danish capital. Larger restaurants offer a bewildering array of options in [...]

If you are interested in seeing or learning more about delftware, you can visit the De Porceleyne Fles factory and take a tour. The factory is an easy twenty-minute walk from the city center. It is quite fascinating to learn the history of delftware, which was created by immigrant Italian potters inspired by Chinese porcelain [...]

An utterly spectacular mountain drive awaits you in Western Crete. From the city of Hania on the Northern coast, the roads go south through the Lefka Ori (White Mountains) to the soutern coast of the island. We hit Crete during a heat wave in the dead of summer, so we got a rare oppurtunity to [...]

  Description A dem fine piece of engineering, wot! Address Westminster, London Phone   Email   Price Range A tube ticket! Text Each of the new stations of the Jubilee line extension must surely qualify as modern works of art in steel and glass. Their scale is huge in an otherwise human-sized city, dwarfing and [...]

However, my favourite macabre sight there is not the Lenin mausoleum, but the Novodevichy cemetery, tucked away behind the old monastery. Besides Chekhov, Kruschev and some other greats, you can find a scientist with the sign of the atom on his tomb; a group of airmen in the shade of a giant Zeppelin model; urns [...]

By way of an introduction, Finland is situated between the 60th and 70th degree of latitiude, covering an area of 130,000 square miles – 10% of this area is covered by water. It has a population of approximately 5 million people. The land in the north of Finland forms part of Lapland, an area inhabitated [...]

Certain cultures give off different feelings to the viewer, resonate different auras. Two places, that are only a few hundred metres apart geographically, can give off a totally different emotional response on an outsider. After London, I took a train along the coast to Scotland. I instantly fell in love with the area and all [...]

"Cologne, or Köln, is 43 miles by rail from Aix-la-Chapelle. This famous city was originally the chief town of the ancient Ubii, the Oppidum Ubiorum of Tacitus; but it became known as Colonia Agrippina from A. D 51, when Agrippina, who was born here while her father Germanicus held command in the district, induced her [...]

An utterly spectacular mountain drive awaits you in Western Crete. From the city of Hania on the Northern coast, the roads go south through the Lefka Ori (White Mountains) to the soutern coast of the island. We hit Crete during a heat wave in the dead of summer, so we got a rare oppurtunity to [...]

Pikes and Towers of the South Pennines Darwen Tower , Darwen – Built in 1898 to commemorate both the jubilee of Queen Victoria and the victory of the local people to win access to the moor. This octagonal tower with its two viewing platforms looks at a distance like a space rocket. In later years [...]

Sights of Budapest… Citadella. Located at the top of Gellert Hill (a quick bus ride or character-building, calf-bulking walk to the top) provides the best view of Budapest ‘s green hills and dense downtown. The Liberation Memorial used to be joined by Red Army soldiers, but these statues were taken down after the communists left [...]

Stories from a Market Pasar Mardika, like any market, is a microcosm of the society it serves. On the surface it is the thriving, if ugly, commercial heart of the city, but the market also exemplifies the roiling tensions and brewing conflict that threatens to tear Indonesia apart. Within Mardika are sold those goods which [...]

BREAKFAST IN HOLYWOOD Panini, a small shop in a town 6 miles east of Belfast, Northern Ireland, is an Italianate delicatessen stocked with dried pasta, salad dressings, a wide variety of Olive oil, and cooked meats from continental Europe. Inside there are three raised tables and a counter bar and outside, three wrought iron tables. [...]

Rick Steves’ "Postcards from Europe" Riviera on the Rocks Rick Steves I’m unable to travel in Europe anymore without doing a little research. Hoping to round out my coverage of Vernazza, I have a list of reader-recommended B&Bs to check out. First on the list is Ivo. Ivo, who runs the best bar in town, [...]

My mode of time travel was ANA flight 9 that was decorated with large Pokemon figures. I got an outrageously good deal on plane tickets, the kind that makes you want to ask your row companion what they paid, just so you can gloat. But I didn’t. I sat there quietly and watched a Midsummer [...]

Lodging abounds for every traveler’s preference, even camping and hosteling. My favorites are; Hotel Martha Bühler, Sennwies 15, FL9497 Triesenberg (phone 41-75-262-57-77, fax 41-75-268-15-20). Frau Tschikof-Bühler was the first female member of the Liechtenstein Ski Team in the Olympics. The rooms are Alpine cozy, with sweeping views of the Alps and the river valley. Breakfasts [...]

A guide to hotels, inns, restaurants and guest houses is available from the tourist office. Some hotels have special weekend rates from $200 a person, which usually includes all meals from dinner on Friday thru lunch on Sunday. Other hotels start at Eur70 to Eur80 a day, based on double occupancy. Findel Airport is four [...]

Rockland to Camden Amalfi Mediterranean dining with specialties from Spain, Southern France, Italy, Greece, and  Morocco.  (ROCKLAND). Breakwater Cafe Casual oceanfront dining at the Samoset, inside or outside on the porch or stone terrace (ROCKPORT).  Grapes Pasta, seafood, steak, salads, and pizza (ROCKLAND). Kate’s Seafood Fresh local seafood: broiled, baked, steamed or fried (ROCKLAND). Marcel’s [...]

Category Town Description Mining town in Sierra Madre Mountains at over 8000 feet altitude. Almost desereted until a few years ago it is coming back to life with many outsiders moving to the area. Address Real de Catorce Nearest Larger Town: Matehuala State: San Luis Potosi By bus Real de Catorce is about 10 hours [...]

Karczma restaurant is a maze of rooms underground; it sits on the old town square which was destroyed during the 1945 Warsaw uprising by the retreating Nazis, and since rebuilt stone-by-stone using old plans and drawings. A typical Warsavian dinner is loaded with cholesterol: there was bread on the table when we arrived, and in [...]

Specialty shops throughout Portugal sell Port wine at inflated prices. Often, the same bottle can be bought in Canada for much less. The exception in Sintra is the Adega das Caves, a restaurant serving delicious, traditional Portuguese food at reasonable prices in a converted wine cellar. They also sell Port, vintage and recent, by the [...]

Italy Rail Passes Want to engage in La Dolce Vita? Feast on giant bowls of pasta, paper thin-prociutto and aromatic wines while passing through the dazzling landscapes of Italy. Spend as much time as you want in the countryside, Sicily or any of its great cities. Linger in lovely Venice, view all the facades of [...]

Category Town Description Mining town in Sierra Madre Mountains at over 8000 feet altitude. Almost desereted until a few years ago it is coming back to life with many outsiders moving to the area. Address Real de Catorce Nearest Larger Town: Matehuala State: San Luis Potosi By bus Real de Catorce is about 10 hours [...]

The fame of these Moldavian churches reaches well beyond the borders of Romania. What is so special about them? They were built in the 15th and 16th centuries, at a time of great political and cultural development of Moldavia. The frescoes were typical of Byzantine churches of that time, but what makes them so unique [...]

Some Recommended Tapas Bars "What a pity to eat a normal meal in a restaurant when you can have tapas (snacks)!. The city is credited with their invention and has more than a thousand bars where the choice of food is virtually unlimited, from seafood to ham and sausage, from vegetable to cheese. The Sevillians [...]

Events include Midsummer; the Lucia festival in December, (it commemorates the martyrdom of a pious Sicilian Girl), parades, plenty of glögg , (an alcoholic fruit punch), for adults, and singing. Christmas trees are decorated, cooking and baking begins and Santa delivers presents in person to each child. Ham is the major Christmas fare, complete with [...]

Hints for wine lovers: Local wines are usually available in decanters of 2,3 and 5 decis, (deci-liters); the 5-deci size gives a small glass each to five people. Try to drink the wines of the region you are visiting. From the eastern regions: Lake Zurich and surrounding areas, the Thurgau, Schaffhausen and Lake Constance areas, [...]

From Katmandu with the millennium approaching we bused down to Varanasi, the sacred Hindu city on the banks of the enormous Ganges river. Here we spent a few days getting lost in the tiny lanes that criss cross the city completely reliant on the street children that show you the way back to your guesthouse [...]

Travelling Tools     The New York Pass They offer visitors admission to 40 of New York City’s top attractions, unlimited public transportation on the City’s buses and subways, line-skipping privileges at select attractions, a free 132 page full color, pocket size guidebook and special discounts and offers across New York city.       [...]

TOPKAPI PALACE When Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror took Istanbul in 1453, he first ordered the construction of a new palace for this new Ottoman capital, on a site in the district of Beyazit where Istanbul University stands today. But before long, he changed his mind and had a number of buildings constructed on the headland [...]

Italy Rail Passes Want to engage in La Dolce Vita? Feast on giant bowls of pasta, paper thin-prociutto and aromatic wines while passing through the dazzling landscapes of Italy. Spend as much time as you want in the countryside, Sicily or any of its great cities. Linger in lovely Venice, view all the facades of [...]

  Description A dem fine piece of engineering, wot! Address Westminster, London Phone   Email   Price Range A tube ticket! Text Each of the new stations of the Jubilee line extension must surely qualify as modern works of art in steel and glass. Their scale is huge in an otherwise human-sized city, dwarfing and [...]