Americans love their grim descriptions of things and places. It's in films, magazines and movies. And just take a sample of some of Netflix's titles. Need we say more? It's a national obsession. And it's not new. In 1936, on the occasion of a speech by the nationalist Gen. Millan…
We love cars, especially classic, luxury and exotic. We've had a bunch of them over the years, but we also realise that they have an impact on our planet, so we take the trains as much - if not more - than we do cars. But that doesn't reduce our love of beautiful…
We love football. And by that we mean the international game where you use your foot and your head to make the goals. We were glued to the television watching the recent World Cup 2022 matches, sometimes getting up at inhuman times of the day to catch the action. We won't divulge…
We're unashamed tech geeks here at Matouring, and probably our biggest thrill is aircraft. We love flying. Maybe not so much the squeezed seats and no legroom, but more about the aircraft themselves. Since the time of Covid 19, air travel (and most travel, to be fair) plummeted. No-one wanted to…
Ah, Paris. Can you ever get enough of it? We can't. The sites, the food, the museums. Well, how about this? Free museums in Paris. Almost seems too good to be true. But, true it is. You can save your Euros for a sumptuous lunch, instead. Finding…
This past week, we wrote a post about Cuba opening up again soon. For many countries, this is not necessarily big news, but for those living in the USA it is, as Cuba has been a banished country for so many decades that it's sad. It's a fabulous country with so much to…
Unfortunately, it's not a cabaret show, but it may leave you dancing in your seats. (Vegetarians, look away now.) Asia is home to some of the widest selection of foods and cuisines in in the world. They take their food seriously, and they treasure every bite. So, when you first set foot…
Yawn. Maybe you've already been around the world and have seen it before and done it before. Or perhaps your partner loves to hang-glide through enemy airspace on your holidays. Or, you might just want a bit of relaxation and "you time." Perhaps you just need a little time away (I…
When most people think of South America, it's usually Peru or Chile or Colombia. They're all fabulous places and if you haven't already been, we seriously suggest that you look into this most varied and truly wonderful part of the world. For those not in the know, nestled between the Caribbean, the South…
At last - the Cuba embargo is lifting! Delta Airlines intends to restart Miami International Airport (MIA) and José Martí International Airport, Havana (HAV), two times per day, starting on April 10th, 2023. Atlanta-based Delta tried to start operations in Cuba in 2016 after 55 years when the US Federal Government dropped restrictions on commercial passenger…
Well, let us once again, remind you of why living in this time in space is not bad at all. Technology brings us all together and not only can we explore our planet, but we can also find ways of saving money to do it. In this case, how does cheap flights with…
In the early 1860s, a few Westerners had seen China — but nearly all of them had seen it for themselves. The still-new medium of photography had yet to make images of everywhere available to viewers everywhere else, which meant an opportunity for traveling practitioners like John Thomson. “The son of a tobacco spinner and shopkeeper,” says…
Once upon a time, a clever person, L. L. Zamenhof, pondered how many languages there are (more than 7,100 languages are spoken in the world today) and wondered if there was a better way to communicate? Zamenhof then devised Esperanto, which is the world's most widely spoken constructed international auxiliary language. It was intended…
China - probably by the sheer need to do so - continues to burst forward into the future in its technological breakthroughs. As of December 2021, China's population stood at 1.413 billion.[2] According to the 2020 census, 91.11% of the population was Han Chinese, and 8.89% were minorities. China's population growth rate is only 0.03%, ranking 159th in the world.[3] China…
We expect that most of our hip and erudite readers have been to New York City: of course you have. And, probably many times, as there is no end to the entertainment in that most flamboyant of cities. It's hard to get tired of the city, as you pound the pavement. But…
For those not in the know, Mauritius is a small, multi-cultural island in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar, northeast of Reunion and southeast of the Seychelles. Mauritius also controls Rodrigues Island and the remote, sparsely populated Agalega and Cargados Garayos (Saint Brandon) islands. As luscious and serene as most of Mauritius is, there is a wilder side for those of you…
For those not in the know, the The Schengen Area is an area comprising 27 European countries that have officially abolished all passport and all other types of border control at their mutual borders. Being an element within the wider area of freedom, security and justice policy of the EU, it mostly functions as a single jurisdiction under a common visa policy for international travel purposes.…
As of this writing, at least where we live, it's cold and snowy, and it looks like it will stay that way for some time. Grey, wet and miserable. The sun goes down at 5:00pm and stays that way until April. Yuk. Boy, would we sure would like to be somewhere warm…
You know that, at times, you want to spoil yourself. You've worked hard, saved and have laid plans to relax and see the world. Part of that plan is to splurge when you can, make every minute count and create truly, truly unforgettable moments. Well, we have that for you, courtesy of our…
Those of us who are fortunate enough to be able to travel sometimes grumble at the hoops that we have to leap through in order to get good deals, or whine about how uncomfortable the seats are, or how miserly the on-board cuisine is. Yes, our lives are tough, indeed, Poor us. …