Sharing a few pics from my recent Extraordinary Journeys safari to two &Beyond lodges, both on private preserves in South Africa. I’ll tell you more about it, soon. Continue reading
Category Archives: Destinations
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
Destinations / England / Europe / Experiences / Touring
Soaking up history in Bath, England, a UNESCO World Heritage site
Bath, a UNESCO World Heritage city and home to England’s only hot springs, is an easy day trip from London via train. I only spent about six hours in this delightful city—with most of that exploring the Roman Baths and the Thermae Bath Spa’s New Royal Bath, but I hope to return and immerse myself … Continue reading
Chasing rainbows in County Donegal
On a map, Ireland’s northwestern corner appears as if a giant stepped on it, splaying the land into fingers webbed by a raggedy-edged coastline. Wind-scoured headlands cradle swaths of sand, forested valleys shelter shimmery ponds, and heath-clad mountains overlord barren peat bogs. It’s expansive yet intimate, tame yet wild. In spring, like much of the … Continue reading
Destinations / Dispatches / Europe / Experiences / Scotland / Touring
Aston Martin DB9 + James Bond + Isle of Eriska = luxury escape
Be Bond, James Bond: Put yourself behind the wheel of an Aston Martin and tour some of the iconic locations featured in The Spy Who Loved Me, From Russia with Love, and Skyfall. On the Luxury Ashton Martin 007 package, you’ll drive an Aston Martin DB9; stay two nights at Isle of five-star Isle of … Continue reading
Destinations / Europe / France
When Galaxies collide: Eating through Paris with my Facebook cybertwin
Despite all-but confirming it to memory, I glanced once more at the message on my screen as the Eurostar, the high-speed train from London, docked in Paris’ Gare du Nord station. “I have managed to get all days off while you are here,” my doppelganger had written. “Did I mention how excited I am! Feel … Continue reading
Making the ordinary extraordinary: Nova Scotia folk artists add pizzazz to daily life
In Nova Scotia, Atlantic Canada’s not-quite-an-island province, folk art and its makers are aptly described as quirky, whimsical, spirited, and resourceful. Born of farming and seafaring traditions, folk art surfs the tide between functional and fanciful. The best works are playful, yet provocative; naïve, yet sophisticated; familiar, yet fresh. They share a common heritage, but … Continue reading
Falling for New Brunswick’s Miramichi, hook, line, and sinker
Before arriving in Sillikers, New Brunswick, I knew even less about the Miramichi River than I knew about salmon, which wasn’t much. During my one previous fly-fishing attempt, I’d landed branches, hats, even a nearby canoe, everything but a fish. That’s not something one brags about over scrambled eggs and sausage while sharing a table … Continue reading
Charmed, I’m sure: Exploring Bermuda’s Railway Trail
As I padded along the boardwalk threading Bermuda’s Paget Marsh, the buzz of scooters diminished and pastel-colored white-roofed buildings disappeared. The elevated trail slices through tangles of red mangrove and forests of Palmetto palms and giant ferns and edges a sawgrass savannah. It ends in a stand of centuries-old cedars. “The Railway Trail is a … Continue reading
Edinburgh’s Writers’ Museum chronicles Scotland’s literary giants
Detour off The Royal Mile down Lady Stair’s Close, one of Edinburgh’s medieval pedestrian alleys, and step into Scotland’s literary heritage. The Writers’ Museum, housed in the early 17th-century Lady Stair’s House, immerses visitors in the lives of Robert Burns (1759-1796), Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832), and Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894). In addition to manuscripts, original … Continue reading
Travtastic 