I’m sitting on the deck of my tent (an understatement, canvas walls, yes, but also full bed, wood floor, and shower bath) gazing over the savannah grasslands at snow-capped Kilimanjaro, when I hear a rustling. Elephants! Kenya’s Amboseli National Park, located in the savannah grasslands beneath Mount Kilimanjaro, is world renowned for its elephants. It’s … Continue reading
Category Archives: Destinations
Splurge-worthy five-star art-immersion weekends in Ireland
Save your pennies—or rather, your dollars—and splurge an art-centric weekend in Ireland. Two of the country’s finest properties, the five-star Merrion Hotel in Dublin and the ultra-haute Ballyfin, in County Laois, have teamed to offer Inspiring Irish Art Weekends that showcase each property’s museum-quality art collection. I haven’t stayed at The Merrion, but I have … Continue reading
Postcard from New Hampshire: Inn at Thorn Hill
Where: Inn at Thorn Hill, located in Jackson in New Hampshire’s Mount Washington Valley. The inn is situated on a hillside, with mountain views, but is just steps from Jackson Village, with its handful of shops and restaurants. What: Two-night getaway package booked through TravelZoo and including lodging, breakfasts, afternoon tea with sweets, one three-course … Continue reading
Postcard from Vienna: Gaststrube Pürstner
Where: Gaststrube Pürstner, Vienna; operated by the Purstner family for three generations. Menu: Traditional, prices from 7.20-23 Euros (most in the 14-16 E range) Dish: Spinatnockerl (Spinach spätzle with ham and blue cheese), came with a side salad for 7.80 Euros. Portion was huge. Why: I asked the concierge at the Palais Hansen Kempinski for … Continue reading
Reasons to return: Two new restaurants debut at Great Fosters
Last spring, I had the good fortune to spend one all-too-brief night at Great Fosters, a four-star country-house hotel with a royal pedigree set amidst 50 acres of gardens in Egham, England. The royal connections for the mid 16th-century main house (converted to Elizabethan design in the early 20th century) are deep—witness the original royal crest … Continue reading
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
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
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
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
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
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