Roaming Northern Ireland’s Antrim Coast
Destinations / Europe / Experiences / Northern Ireland / Touring

Roaming Northern Ireland’s Antrim Coast

I attained enlightenment in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. Not the lights-flashing, God-appearing, Hallelujah! type of enlightenment, but rather a far-more-subtle, restorative, all’s-right-with-the-world kind. This enlightenment hit me not while clambering over the Giants Causeway, not while swigging a dram of whiskey at Bushmills, nor while white-knuckling my way across the tightrope known as the Carrick-A-Reed … Continue reading

Ranting & roaring: Skiing Newfoundland’s Marble Mountain
Canada / Destinations / Experiences / Newfoundland / Outdoor adventures

Ranting & roaring: Skiing Newfoundland’s Marble Mountain

Like every Newfoundland driver I’ve encountered, Ralph MacWhirter zips along the island’s serpentine, snow-packed roads at speeds that mock posted limits and gives merely a passing nod to stop signs. Left hand on the wheel of his Buick Park Avenue Ultra and right hand gesturing, he turns to me, grins and asks: “Where ya to?” … Continue reading

Destinations / Dispatches / Europe

Salzburg Marionette Theatre celebrates 100 years

One of my favorite scenes from The Sound of Music is when Maria and the kids stage a puppet show for guests of the Baron. Perhaps that’s why the news of the Salzburg Marionette Theatre celebrating its 100th anniversary caught my eye. Since 1913, this family owned Theatre has staged productions that include Shakespeare’s The … Continue reading

Postcard from Edinburgh: Forsyth’s Tea Room
Destinations / Europe / Postcards / Scotland

Postcard from Edinburgh: Forsyth’s Tea Room

While gadding about Great Britain by rail (especially easy with a BritRail pass), I stumbled into this delightful tea room, while exploring Chalmers Close, one of the many inviting alleys that radiate off the Royal Mile. The entire shop looked like a Hollywood set, and Christine, the proprietor, was right out of central casting. I … Continue reading

Arts & Culture / Destinations / Experiences / United States / Utah

What’s to love about Salt Lake City

Salt Lake City, once a pass-through en route to sexier Utah destinations, is now a destination in its own right. A frenzy of recent developments has remade the city’s core and added upscale shops, innovative museums, and fun shops. Don’t miss these draws. City Creek Center: This $1.5 billion project, funded by the real estate … Continue reading

A visit with Nova Scotia folk artist Barry Colpitts
Arts & Culture / Canada / Destinations / Experiences / Nova Scotia

A visit with Nova Scotia folk artist Barry Colpitts

EAST SHIP HARBOR, NOVA SCOTIA—It’s easy to find Barry Colpitts’s home gallery. Folk art adorns the house, lawn, barn, shed, fence, car, even the mailbox and truck. Hand-carved, two- and three-dimensional birds and fish, saints and sinners, mermaids and fishermen, augment every available surface. Even shutters, trim, railings, and newel posts have been transformed into … Continue reading