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Outdoors

Outdoors

Take your time

There are so many wonderful family-run hotels and inns around the world.  You'll do well to stay there, rather than anonymous hotels. We're featuring The Barachois Inn here for a number of reasons, but one particularly caught our eye:  you know that a place means what it says about its values when it endeavours to…

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Dolomites? Dynamite!

Sometimes, all you need is a nice low-level flight over a beautiful place.  How about Italy's Dolomites?  And when you touch down . . . The Italian Dolomites are divided into Western Dolomites and Eastern Dolomites by the Cordevole creek (a tributary of the Piave river) which flows through the province of Belluno. Dolomites are also divided…

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Close to the edge

Close to the edge, down by the river.  Down at the end, round by the corner. Seasons will pass you by. There are few places as mystical and magical as Iceland.  Still relatively untouched, the landscape shapes its people, and they respond in kind by returning the favour. You've all seen images of Iceland's volcanoes, but have…

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The oldest buildings in Canada

We have to chuckle a bit at this article - the oldest buildings in Canada .  We lived in London where we almost rented a house that was built in the 1400's, so considering that one of the oldest places in Vancouver is from 1921, it's not much of a comparison. But, fair is fair and Canada…

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Light, cameras, action!

If you find yourself hang-gliding through enemy airspace, you'll want to have the best camera to capture the evidence. This also applies if you like taking pictures of bunnies, or raindeer, or Big Foot.  Having the right kit makes all the difference in the world. Read here about some nice, but not expensive, cameras to take into…

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I ♥ you!

Having grown up in the USA, your editor has some ancient knowledge of the tenets, legends and rituals of that country by heart. One such standard is Pennsylvania's Poconos resort area.  Once considered a last-ditch effort for a (cheesy) romantic getway, time has now caught up with the legend and the place is back in action. The…

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Coffee 24×7

When visiting Colombia, it is a must to take a trip to Eje Cafetero Colombiano, a colorful destination that boasts marvelous nature views and is all about coffee. Moreover, the people there are hospitable and friendly, and always smiling. There is no doubt that people visiting the Eje Cafetero will feel at home. The department of Quindío…

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Adios, el Avila

In 1986, at the age of 21, Alejandra Melfo moved to Mérida, Venezuela. There, in the mountain city, she often looked out toward the horizon at the vast Sierra Nevada de Mérida: a large, muscular, towering expanse three miles in the sky and blanketed by snow and the broad sheets of glaciers. As the years went by, Melfo saw…

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Watch for low-flying planes

Wanna get high? Dubai has turned breaking world records into something of an art form over the years, and the emirate now has yet another to add to its list. The world's first and highest 360-degree infinity pool has just opened at the Palm Tower, a hotel and residential building from developer Nakheel that offers showstopping views…

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Show me the way

We've just hooked up with WeGoTrip, an innovative company who create audio guides for when you want to travel "do it yourself." It make so much sense, and can make touring so much more fun.  No noise in the background, no distractions, focused narrative, you can rewind and listen again, and you can use your…

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Take a look at Ghats

How lucky are we that there are so many fascinating places on earth, and that social media has made them so available to us.  No matter how long you have been alive, there is no shortage of new and wonderful places to go.  Take Yana, for example, in the western Ghats in India  Located 55 km…

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Hope springs eternal

As always, hope springs eternal.  Mankind will always correct its errant ways and will always achieve its highest aspiratiions.  And, humans keep trying to make that so. In 1900, Ida Hofmann, a German pianist, and her companion Henry Oedenkoven, the 25-year-old son of a businessman from Antwerp, purchased a hill in Ascona which had been known…

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Hail. I come from Nirivia

Here is something that you don't see often - a country within a state within a country.  Especially within the USA.  But, it's true.  Dear readers, please behold The Republic of Nirivia, which  resides in the middle of it all on the shores of one of the largest Great Lakes. Not only is Nirivia its own…

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Crash landing on you! *

No, we are not casting any aspirsions on Korean Air with the title of this article.  Quite the opposite.  We love all things Korean, especially the films and movies.  Our first exposure was "Crash Landing on You" (on Netflix.)  We recently watched "Psychokinesis" which is absolutely bonkers.  Hilarious.  Do yourself a favour. No, this article and…

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Aria of the desert

Isn't it a delight when you run across something so unusual, so unexpected and somewhat puzzling, as well?  We here at Matouring love that kind of thing - it gives us faith that not is all normal all of the time. Here is an example: Marta Becket's Amargosa Opera House.  Located on a barren junction of…

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Echo Bay, far away in time

It is sometime a surprise (and sometimes a disapointment) when legendary places seem to blow away in the wind overnight, even after years of shining in the sun. In this case, we're featuring Lake Mead's Lodge, in Nevada, USA. The lake itself is famous for its shining blue presence in the dry, dry desert, and, also, a…

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Low-key Smokys

The Great Smoky Mountains, popularly known as the Great Smokies or the Smokies, is a mountain chain in the Southeastern United States that runs along the North Carolina-Tennessee border. This mountain chain is one of the subranges of the Appalachian Mountains and is part of the Blue Ridge Mountains forming the Blue Ridge Physiographic Province. Read more…

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Dive light in

Deep blue waters that glow in the dark come night-time sound like something out of a fairytale. However, that's exactly what the world's bioluminescent bays offer, and they make for a pretty spectacular sight. The eye-catching effect is actually the result of a high concentration of plankton which, when they move, causes the waters to light up…

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