Described by Lawrence of Arabia as “vast and echoing”, Wadi Rum is a protected area covering 720 square kilometers of dramatic desert wilderness in the south of Jordan. The huge mountains of sandstone and granite are home to several Bedouin tribes and their goat hair tents are a feature of the landscape. We had the […]
The Red Rose City: Petra
We’ve all seen Indiana Jones ride down the canyon with the temple coming into view in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. That canyon is actually called the Siq and that “temple” is the Treasury in the ancient city of Petra in Jordan. Petra was lost to the Western World from about the 14th century […]
Floating in the Dead Sea
The lowest point on the face of the earth at 1400 feet below sea level, this vast stretch of water receives a number of incoming rivers, including the River Jordan. Once the waters reach the Dead Sea they are land-locked and have nowhere to go, so they evaporate leaving behind a dense, rich, cocktail of […]
The Holy Lands: Madaba, Mount Nebo and Bethany-beyond-the-Jordan
The land around the Jordan River Valley and the Dead Sea plain is revered by Muslims, Christians and Jews as blessed. The Bible calls it “the Garden of the Lord” (Genesis 13:10). Our own visit to the Holy Lands brought us to Madaba, Mount Nebo, and Bethany-beyond-the-Jordan. Madaba Best known for its spectacular Byzantine and […]
Jerash: The Most Complete and Preserved City in the Eastern Roman Empire
Jerash, or Gerasa in ancient times, is the most complete and preserved city in the Eastern Roman Empire. The city was inhabited up until the middle of the 8th century AD when a major earthquake destroyed many of the buildings and the city’s water supply system, The people were forced to abandon the city. The […]
La Strada del Vino Friuli (The Friuli Wine Road)
The Friuli Venezia Giulia is a land of ancient wine vocation, where the production takes place seamlessly of the Colli Orientali del Friuli and Collio, which give the best white wines of the peninsula. Starting with the composition of its terrain, Friuli is a region perfect for grape-growing. The lower plains of Collio, the area […]
Igloo Village Kranjska Gora
It takes a cable car ride up the mountain and a nighttime snowshoe hike to get to the Igloo Village in Slovenia, but once there, the adventure truly begins! We were welcomed to the Igloo Village with Eskimcek, or Eskimo shot, at the bar. This is not your average bar – unless you’re used to […]
Running Santas, Sand Nativity and a Snowy Beach – Jesolo, Italy
Each December, running Santas, or Babbo Natale in Italian, take to the streets and beach in Jesolo for the annual Babbo Natale Run. There is a 2.5K family run and a 10K competitive run. The only requirement – you must don a Santa suit! Nativity displays or presepi are an important part of the Christmas […]
Natale di Luce in una Cometa di Vetro – Murano, Italy
Murano is an island in the Venice lagoon, easily reached from Venice by vaporetto. Murano’s reputation as a center for glass-making was born when the Venetian Republic, fearing fire and destruction to the city’s mostly wood buildings, ordered glass-makers to move their foundries to Murano in 1291. Murano glass is still interwoven with Venetian glass. […]
Château de Versailles
Originally a small royal hunting lodge, this structure became the core of the new palace, or Château de Versailles. The court of Versailles was the center of political power in France from 1682, when Louis XIV moved from Paris, until the royal family was forced to return to the capital in October 1789 after the […]
