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World Culture

World Culture

The second most romantic hotel in the world

Second best is not usually where we see ourselves appearing.  We're winners, are we not, even in a small way?  We've got moxie!  Nothing's gonna keep us down.  Chin up.  Pip pip.  So here's a story that will bring a smile to your face. A small hotel in Guadalest has been voted the second most romantic…

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Niagara Falls, slowly I turned

Slowly I turned, step-by-step, inch-by-inch..... Niagara Falls: you can smell the glassy, bottle-green water thundering over the treacherous cliffs, roaring down to the gorge below, clouds of damp spray greeting you every step of the way. Hypnotized by the endless torrent of water that never stops, you can get lost in time gaping and -…

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Can you Canfranc?

War is hell.  There have been too many.  But, humans always find a way to pick themselves up, dust themselves off and start again. After the end of the First World War, during the euphoria following one of the most awful periods of world history, the Pau-Somport rail tunnel had been driven beneath the Pyrenees…

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There’s a place

In his documentary, filmmaker Paul Saltzman retraces his journey of 50 years ago when he spent - almost accidentally - a life-changing time with the Beatles at the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi’s ashram on the banks of the Ganges River. In 1968, he discovered his own soul, learned meditation, which changed his life, and hung out with…

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Gala Malaga

Nearly 3,000 years old, Málaga, Spain, on the banks of the Mediterranean, offers an intriguing mix of the ancient and modern. Images of Phonecians in long tunics and mantles trading goods at the port have given way to happy locals in brightly colored sundresses and espadrilles. The Phoenicians named it Malaka (meaning salt), but the city is…

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Rumba rumbles

Emerging from the poor districts of Havana and Matanzas in the 19th century, today rumba is one of Cuba’s most popular art forms. Influenced by African and Spanish traditions of music and dance, its distinctive, syncopated sound requires masterful musicianship and fierce passion from its performers. But, despite being born of marginalisation and oppression, modern…

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Who am I? Where am I?

Some people have all the problems.  For example, they live in Paris, not so far from Gare de Nord.  They opt to take a night train.  Luxurious, fast and totally European. But, they wake up suddenly, only to realise that they're in Venice, not three stops down. Tsk.  Such problems. All jokes aside, European rail…

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Star wars

Food fans are aware of where food has gone in the past decade or so.  Between blow-torched puddings to accompaniments made of foam, our ancestors wouldn't know what to make of it all. However, one constant that has always remained with chefs everywhere is the inexhaustible desire to have a Michelin star on the door.  This…

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I know, but I don’t know, y’know?

Does imposing the death penalty lower rates of violent crime? What economic policies will lead to broad prosperity? Which medical treatments should we allow and encourage to treat novel diseases? These questions have a few things in common. They bear important consequences for us all, and so policymakers and the public would like to know the…

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Luvlee!

We periodically write about Wales, the oft-forgotten member of the United Kingdom's family.  The country sits in the background, reinventing itself over and over. Once known only for coal and sheep, Wales has been transforming into a destination, as both of those means of putting food on the table are diminishing. The natural path is…

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Irony Curtain

At its heart, Russia is a fabulous place.  With so much history, expansive terrain and the sheer diversity of its population, its lure as a place to visit is often obscured by politics and other kinds of maneuvering. When we talk about history, we must remember that the Soviet era is now history, too.  And,…

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You see Phou Si

Asia has so many wonders, and so much rich and deep history. One that is well-known, but not always on at the top of everyone's list is Mount Phou Si in Laos.  It is a 100 m high hill in the centre of the old town of Luang Prabang in Laos. It lies in the heart of…

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With ease, the Peloponnese

British author and playwright Patrick Leigh Fermor said of the Peloponnese region of Greece in his novel Mani: Travels in the Southern Peloponnese, “Passing by, you see Mani in three days, walking in three months, and in order to see its soul, you need three lives; one for the sea, one for its mountains and…

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Don’t falter in Gibraltar

Gibraltar, colloquially known as The Rock, (or simply 'Gib'), is an overseas territory of the United Kingdom sitting at the entrance to the Mediterranean Sea. It is bordered by Spain to the north and the people of Gibraltar are ferociously loyal British citizens despite being bilingual in English and Spanish.  When you step inside, you'll feel like you're on…

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Yes you can, mama in Panama

Panama is world-famous for its 48-mile canal that connects the Pacific Ocean with the Atlantic Ocean. Each year, over a million people visit the canal and are able to witness this engineering marvel at work. Panama is very proud to have this magnificent creation operating 365 days a year, enabling the world's cargo to be…

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OK, we take it back. The Airbus 380 will NOT be leaving the skies.

GEEK ALERT:  if you visit this website often, you'll know how much we love technology, especially aircraft. We've recently written that one of the giants (literally) of the skies, the Airbus A380 might be heading off into the sunset, to fly no more. As the world gets smaller and aircraft get better (ie: better fuel…

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Let’s be specific: Oregon’s mid-Willamette valley

Many Americans have a way of saying where they live in this format:  "Oh, I come from West Irishtown in the upper Cuyahoga Valley" instead of saying "Cleveland."  Many non-Americans sometimes get confused with that very specific sentence structure.  It's an endearing thing, but it can baffle others. So this article follows that pattern in…

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No future tense

The European Union is a marvelous thing.  Twenty seven united countries.  Almost as many different languages, customs and levels of advancement. An estimated total population of about 447 million. One of its main tenets is to make all countries equal, with good social health and freedom for all.  Equals among equals.  And it does a good job…

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