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Travel Solo

Travel Solo

Which way to the Shire?

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…

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Controversy

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…

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FREEDOM!!!!

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.…

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I wasn’t really naked. I simply didn’t have any clothes on.

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,…

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More sabor

Tripadvisor fans (like us) get around.  They every corner of the globe to discover the newest, the wildest, the most obscure and the, well,  just plain fun. It's almost impossible to travel without eating something.  And if your budget permits, the lure of "best of" restaurants is just too strong to resist.  Here, here to…

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Mama Prati

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…

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I’m sorry Dave, I’m afraid I can’t do that

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…

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The Sylvia Path

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…

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When football is all

We suspect that there are some football fans in our audience:  in this instance we are talking about the football played around the world - you know, the round ball, black and white. Some football fans are beyond passionate:  they get tattoos of their team, name their children after star players, relocate to cities where…

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The menace of Venice

Venice in peril.  If it's ancient foundations crumbling, and literal hoards of tourists aren't troubling enough, Venice is now being genuinely threatened by the gargantuan cruise ships that pull up to the ancient city. So much so, that UNESCO has put Venice on its endangered list unless Italy permanently banned cruise ships from docking in…

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I’m Antman and I will be your server tonight

Disney Cruise Line is upping the “ant-e” on immersive family dining with the debut of “Avengers: Quantum Encounter” at Worlds of Marvel restaurant aboard the Disney Wish. Premiering in summer 2022, this all-new cinematic dining adventure will assemble some of Earth’s mightiest and tiniest— Super Heroes in a larger-than-life showcase of revolutionary quantum technology and…

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True Xiqu

Every country and every peoples have stories to tell.  The Chinese have such a long and colourful history, it's only natural that their catalogue is perfect for relaying those stories via opera. The West Kowloon District in Hong Kong, has the Xiqu Centre which is dedicated to preservation of the art of traditional Cantonese opera,…

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Passports of power

In the past, have you been able to waltz through airport customs like you owned the place, simply based on your nationality? Well, it might be time to check your ego, because the world is becoming a very different place (for the better, in our opinion.) Now a new Henley Passport Index, the original ranking…

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Paintings on the ceilings

...and pink champagne on ice?  We are all just prisoners here . . . oh wait, wrong references. Being one of the oldest civilisations on Earth, Europeans have a lot to show for it.  Even beyond the splendors of Rome or Athens, there were generations and generations of forbearers who walked - and as it…

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Picasso between the sheets

If this story doesn't describe the European zeitgeist, then very few will.  As you likely know, Pablo Picasso had an insatiable appetite for life.  And he painted a bit, too. But now, a canvas bequeathed to Greece by Pablo Picasso will return on display at the freshly updated Greek National Gallery in Athens after its…

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Right, said Fred

We're happy to announce that Matouring is now an affiliate of Fred Olsen cruises. One of the things we like about Fred Olsen is the playful approach they have to cruises and touring.  They're a not the biggest name in the cruise industry, but being family-run, they can do things the way they want, and…

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