How many of our readers recognise our main picture? If you're of a certain age, you may recall "dial-up" to get your Internet. Modems, blistering 128k transfer speeds, mortgage your child monthly fees. This article talks about speed - but slowing down. And not as in being lazy, but as in stopping to smell the…
Relaxation
We would imagine that many of our readers like - perhaps even love - France, like we do. What a place! The variety! The quality! The countryside! Paris! But here is a place that you will know of, but may not have visited - Dijon. Dijon is an unheralded French city that is worthy of…
Ah, airports. They're a funny old place. You never know what will happen next. Sometimes what happens next is that your flight doesn't happen. Or the caffeined-up kiddies go running, screaming up and down the concourse with no sign of letting up.
Or something else goes awry. It makes you want to hide. But here is…
If you're lucky, you live near trees. And if you're even more lucky, those trees will be plentiful. But, if you're really lucky, you might be able to find a rare habitat, one that would make Frodo feel at home - a tree tunnel: high or low canopies of the trees that create a nature-made…
With the benefit of hindsight, we can look back at things that raised the blood pressure of "the people," but can now look back and wonder what all of the fuss was about.
An example is Eileen Gray’s modernist villa E-1027, built in 1929. It resides on the Cap Moderne site. (The Cap Moderne Association is…
Hey tiger, want to explore the bush and find your inner animal? In style, of course. And a rather special place is the The Bushcamp Company in Zambia. It's been around for a while, but they've spent a number of months refreshing the place. The award-winning Mfuwe safari lodge is set in the most prolific…
Research out of the European Society of Cardiology suggests taking more than three weeks of vacation days may help you live longer. The 40-year study initially set out to examine the result healthy living (aerobic exercise, a balanced diet, and putting down the cigarettes) had on the long-term risk of developing heart disease. But researchers…
Every so often, a human mass movement comes along that subtly alters the zeitgeist of we humans. It could have been the art enlightenment in the 1920's. Or perhaps it was the peace and love Hippies in the 1960's. But one of these movements has persisted - the Chautauqua Institute. Chautauqua was an adult education…
Whether you want to get out of the USA or into Canada, or the other way around, your time has come. After nearly four years of conceptualizing and construction, the nation’s (USA) longest multi-use state trail is open to the public, reaching from the southern most tip of Manhattan right up to the Canadian border.…
It is always a good strategy to start slowly, and then taper off. But it's a fat chance that we'll ever be able to do that. Especially when we live in the electrified, accelerated world that we do. But, the geniuses in the world are always looking to find the next big leap. Here is…
PRUDES: look away now. Inspiration comes from the most unusual places. You can never predict what an artist will do to make a statement or grab your attention. Art comes in all styles, from the Romans to the Renaissance the Impressionists and beyond. And so much of it has been saved for us by museums,…
Sometimes, you wonder where peoples' minds are. The USA's TSA (Transportation Security Administration) Blogger Bob Burns once shared funny, but serious, messages with the public. Now, Lisa Farbstein and the team on duty now are doing a great job of keeping the public informed with light but serious messages about what can and cannot go…
It's always good to think ahead, when you can. And while you're enjoying the summer sun, there are probably a dozen or more items on your list that you're ignoring / forgetting. Well, let us give you a little prod to recommend that you start looking into your winter holidays now. Chances are good that…
As if Rome isn't fun enough - may we present to you Mama Shelter, Roma. Created by the owners of Club Med, Mama Shelter goes waaay beyond the normal. Just a short walk from the Vatican, and just 250m from the Cipro Metro station, everything is close and the nightlife is not far away. Treat…
The vast majority of Airbnb rentals go smoothly, but do you know what to do when they don’t? What happens if your host cancels your booking two days before you arrive, or the spacious bedroom shown in a listing turns out to be the size of a closet? Read more courtesy of SmarterTravel.com.
As you…
Ireland is one of the more hip, inclusive, free and charming places in Europe. When you meet an Irish human, you will inevitably strike up a natural and amiable conversation, no matter the situation. The Irish - the same as the Australians - are simply like that. Everyone tends to gravitate to Dublin and Belfast…
AirBnB, constant bad press notwithstanding, has created a wonderful new model on how to travel. Almost everyone wins. VRBO, an Expedia company (and one of our valued affiliate friends,) have taken the model and successfully given AirBnB a run for their money: in some recent months, they have marched past AirBnB in bookings. But, this…
"If looks could thrill it would have been us instead of him" All the children sing. These looks will thrill - at Reserva Alecrim EcoSuite & Glamping in Portugal. The properties, the views, the surroundings, the location - wow! And the bungalows look more like dwellings on the moon. Set by a lake in the Alentejo…
We're not sure if Sylvia Plath ever stayed at Sylvia's Restaurant and Lounge in Vancouver, but we're sure she would have felt at home. The Sylvia Hotel is a designated heritage building - there aren't too many of those in Vancouver - ideally located on English Bay, beside Stanley Park and just 5 minutes from…
Whether we want to admit it or not, almost all of us feel a little tingle when we think of Disney parks. The company knows how to push our buttons, and even lead us to new places. But, one of those places - Epcot - in Florida is a bit of an enigma to many. …