Travel Stories

December 17, 2024

Rome Christmas markets: The subtle, romantic way to get into the Christmas spirit far from family

Christmas is different in Rome. Despite being the center of the Christian world, Christmas celebrations are more subtle here. A popular way to celebrate Christmas is Christmas markets. There are many in Rome and we spent the weekend going to three of them. They’re great for snacks, shopping and generally getting into the Christmas spirit without drowning in bright lights and loud carols.

December 13, 2024

Rome to Sicily by train: Ten hours of beautiful scenery but didn’t Mussolini make the trains run on time?

Gabor Kavocs, a lawyer in London and a friend I’ve known since we met in Florence in 1978, recently took a 10-train ride from Rome to Sicily with his wife, Caroline. It was full of lovely scenery and was a comfortable ride, the long delay notwithstanding. This is a guest blog from a good friend.

December 10, 2024

Palestine: Tourism trying to show another side of a country at war

You like to get off the beaten path? Why not Palestine? Yes, you can visit. In fact, I visited with the marketing director of Palestine Tourism at the World Travel Market in London last month. He enlightened me about how safe Palestine remains outside Gaza. And there is so much to see and do. I’m ready to go. Read my blog and you might, too.

December 6, 2024

Txoko: Basques’ traditional feast a gastronomic peek into a delicious culture

A txoko is a traditional Basque feast that goes back 150 years when Basque men needed a place to gather, talk, sing and, especially, cook. They are still going strong today. They let in women but not members of the public. We got lucky. A member of my Travelers’ Century Club is also a Basque with connections to a txoko in the surfing town of Mundaka. We all got invited during our meeting in Bilbao. Believe me, it is a delicious tradition worth keeping.

December 3, 2024

Bilbao: Guggenheim puts Basque capital on world stage

Bilbao was an ugly industrial city better known for being the center of Basque violence before the Guggenheim Museum was built in 1997. Now Bilbao is one of the top destinations in Spain. We went for a meeting of my Mediterranean Chapter of the Travelers’ Century Club and found a terrific, manageable city with tons of culture, thanks to that unbreakable Basque pride.

November 19, 2024

Transylvania: Romania’s Baveria is a beautiful medieval tapestry that is more than Dracula

Once we got past Bran Castle and into the heart of Transylvania, we discovered a beautiful region of colorful architecture, lovely nature and interesting history. Brasov is one of the prettiest cities in Europe and Sighisoara, despite its overtourism, is worth visiting just for the wild skyline of towering spires.

November 15, 2024

Iasi Pogrom: A little-known dark period in WWII revealed in riveting museum in charming Romanian town

I’ve been to many World War II museums in Eastern Europe but a relatively new one in the Romanian town of Iasi blew me away. The Iasi Pogrom Museum details a few days in the summer of 1941 when Romanian prime minister Ion Antonescu ordered the slaughter of 13,000 Jews, one third of Iasi’s Jewish population. Many others died on horrific train journeys to concentration camps.

November 12, 2024

Moving to Italy: Trump’s victory leading thousands of Americans seeking pasta, vino and calm seas

So many people are disgusted with last week’s U.S. election that they are flooding expat websites trying to leave the country. A major target is Italy where I have received numerous inquiries, and the CEO of Expats Living in Rome says her emails have tripled. I examine the whole phenomenon with the CEO as we discuss the obstacles facing desperate Americans but also the rewards that are here..

November 5, 2024

Romania and Ceausescu: Dictatorship left scars on a bustling nation and a warning to the U.S.

With the U.S. election today, I found it ironic that I recently toured the home of Romania’s ruthless dictator Nicolae Ceausescu. I saw some parallels between what he did to his people and what Donald Trump threatens to do if elected. Ceausescu’s regime left marks on today’s society but I couldn’t tell while traveling around the wonderful country and strolling the pretty capital of Bucharest.

October 30, 2024

Bran Castle: This giant tourist trap is more trick than treat

About 1 million people pour through Bran Castle in Transylvania every year hoping to connect with the legend of Dracula. I didn’t. I knew the castle had little to do with the famous horror novel or the legend that followed. What I found was one of the world’s biggest tourist traps.

October 25, 2024

Moldova: Village life a drop back in time in the least visited country in Europe

On every trip, I try to take a couple days and do nothing but watch that particular world go by. Who would’ve thought that in the middle of Moldova I’d find a village that was a pseudo paradise? Butuceni was that for me. I spent two days at the Butuceni Eco-Resort, getting to know the owner and locals and spectacular scenery.

October 8, 2024

Travel tales from hell: Disease, machetes and the lessons we learn

(Director’s note: I’m traveling in Moldova, Europe’s poorest country which made me think of the worst trips of my life. I’m re-posting a blog I wrote five years ago on my travel tales from hell. I hope when I return I won’t add to it.”) To truly travel, one must truly suffer. It’s a backpacker’s […]

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