A man poles his way up the River Arno just outside the Uffizi Gallery, one of the very first modern museums, open to the public since 1765. At 150 miles long, the river Arno originates up in the Apennines at…
On Wednesday I leave for ten days in Tuscany. I've been to Italy a number of times but never Tuscany and I haven't been back to Italy since my last visit to Venice in 1998. Needless to say I'm excited…
Yes, I know how easy it is to get into total relaxation mode as soon as you step off the plane and into the Spanish sun. Down the beach by day, lying on a sun lounger by the pool at…
"Albeit they have neyther meadows, nor pastures, nor arable grounds neare their city...they have as great abundance of victuals, corne and fruites of all sorts whatsoever...being plenteously ministred unto them from Padua, Vicenza, and other bordering townes and places of…
Editors note: this is an updated version of an article I published here nearly three years ago. Ancient Games Go North Here's a study I stumbled across that combines three of my favorite things: The Arctic, the Arab world and…
Méchain took his initial measurements from the fortress in what is now Parc Montjuic Barcelona and then the Spanish arrested him. France and Spain were at war again. From the inn room where they confined him, Méchain took a second…
Findan was an Irishman from Leinster. The Nordmanni took his sister. Findan’s father gave him a satchel of coins and instructions that he was to go the raiders and bring her back. Joined by some friends he set out to…
My shot for today is actually a year old. One year old exactly in fact. These Whooper swans passed over the kids and I on March 5, 2012 while we played on the ice in the Gulf of Bothnia next…
There are lots of things you need to consider when planning on going on a holiday. You need to consider when especially with cruises and some destinations are limited by their extreme weather. The following article lists the best destinations…
Yesterday I was up in Taos Ski Valley with the kids. We were tubing with my daughter’s school. It was incredibly fun. My little boy, watching the skiers on the slopes around us asked if he could learn how. “Oh…
Just last September (2012) archaeological excavations at La Bastida in Murcia, Spain revealed some astonishing discoveries. La Bastida Spain was perhaps the most powerful Bronze Age (~4000 years ago) city in Europe, and excavations turned up a unique and imposing…
In many countries and continents, their rivers are the life-givers that have seen villages, temples, traditions and even religions built up from their shores. A river is often ground-zero for the history and culture of a nation. For many travellers…