My gosh, we’d really like to go off-grid right now. Somewhere isolated. Somewhere barren but still beautiful. Somewhere where you almost feel like you’ve reached the very edge of the planet. The island of Hamneskär, off Sweden’s western coast, is just that sort of place. For decades, this rocky island has been home to a lighthouse,…
Europe
We are who we are, like it or not. And we have every right to be that way, like it or not. And if some people have a problem with that, get used to it. Gay people are still having problems simply being themselves, even though being themselves has been part of the…
Here's an unusual, but at the end of the day explainable question. Why, if they're part of the EU (European Union) the Czechs don't use the Euro? It's the official currency of 19 of the 27 member states of the European Union and and over 340 million Europeans. The rest of the EU…
There is never a bad time to celebrate The Beatles. Can you think of many bands who connected so completely and creatively as The Fab Four? And this legend was only reinforced with Peter Jackson's Get Back series on Disney (which made your Admin burst into tears (of joy) several times.) Having…
As if life isn't mind-boggling enough, but now there are places you can go to get completely discombobulated. Almost like a bad psychedelic movie from the 1970's, you will step into this most wonderous of places and will then be "full of confusement" as Mike Tyson once said (supposedly.) What is this most miraculous…
We're big fans of camping, especially because it can be so economical. From throwing your sleeping bags and tent into the back of your car, all the way up to renting a comfortable campervan, it's a great way to see the world without going bankrupt. We're sure that many of you consider camping as…
Mother Earth is still fighting the good fight, despite so many of us giving her a hard time. She keeps warning us, but many of us are still not listening. And if things keep going the way that they are, there won't be any rooms where she will send us when we've misbehaved:…
By Patricia Filipovic, Senior writer So, you're going on an international vacation! You've figured out your budget and picked a place that should fall within said budget. Planned the itinerary and set a date. What else needs doing? What can you do beforehand to prepare?My travel mantra: Prepare for the unexpected. But mitigate wherever…
One of the things we like to expose and promote here is interesting architecture and its even more interesting usage. With the elastic and durable materials that architects have at their fingertips now, the sky is the limit. In this case - literally. We imagine that many of you were terrified when you…
The UK monarchy is never short of publicity, whether they like it or not. And notoriety via Netflix and other media giants only fuels the fire. Even though we - to this day - collectively think of the Royals as being an entitled and stuffy bunch, the truth is that's not the case…
If you're the shy type, then you might want to look away now. This article is about naturism. Naturism is a lifestyle of practising non-sexual social nudity in private and in public; the word also refers to the cultural movement which advocates and defends that lifestyle. Both may alternatively be called nudism. Though the two terms are broadly interchangeable, nudism emphasizes…
The United States is the United States. Europe is Europe. Correct? Apparently not, when it comes to flying. If you travel regularly, you'll know about the concept of codeshare. A codeshare agreement, also known as codeshare, is a business arrangement, common in the aviation industry, in which two or more airlines…
If you haven't tries churros yet, then run, don't walk, to your local Latin eatery. You will likely not leave your chair for some time, so wear comfortable clothes. Be prepared to relax after eating them, as they are deceptively "narcotic" in their hedonistic scrumptiousness. But what are churros? A churro…
In ancient Rome, thermae (from Greek θερμός thermos, "hot") and balneae (from Greek βαλανεῖον balaneion) were facilities for bathing. Thermae usually refers to the large imperial bath complexes, while balneae were smaller-scale facilities, public or private, that existed in great numbers throughout Rome.[1] Most Roman cities had at least one – if not many – such buildings, which were centres not only for bathing, but socializing and reading as well.…
We love history. We love trains. We love France. We love you! What a combination, bien sur. OUIGO has been preparing a nice surprise for you for several months now: trains on the classic line, with great prices. SNCF Voyageurs launched its first Ouigo Train Classique low-cost passenger services…
Here's an interesting idea. Get away from car payments. How about having access to dozens of models of automobiles that you can use, swap and refresh as often as you like. A car subscription. And you should see the choice! Meet FINN. Europe-based FINN are revolutionizing conventional car ownership and making driving…
This one is going to be hard to resist, we think. Who doesn't want to rub elbows with the rich and famous, even if we have no idea what to say to them? We watch the movies and see them in the tabloids and all over social media. Nice work if you…
Even Einstein failed... You might be on holiday, and perhaps things are not going the way you wanted them to. You've been waiting for years to get into the Prado or the Louvre. But, on the day, things just start to go south. Maybe it's raining. Maybe the queues are too…
We could be wrong, but it feels like Covid is on the decline and that we can again breath a collective sigh of relief, pun intended. But, to be sure, it's not gone completely so be safe out there, as they say. And, as thanks, we can start to live our lives again but,…
Nothing like walking along a beach and then - hey presto! - finding out that it's for nudists. That happened to us here in Vancouver, of all places. Luckily, our sunglasses were in place and covered our eyes even if they didn't hide our embarassment. We're not prudes, by any stretch -…