The Golden Circle is the name given to a 190 mile (300 kilometer) circular route from Reykjavik and back which encompasses many of Iceland’s most famous landmarks. Most visitors to Iceland’s capital take a Golden Circle Tour, which will cover the three most popular stops along the route: Þingvellir National Park, Gulfoss, and Haukadalur where […]
Off the Beaten Path on Iceland’s Reykjanes Peninsula
The lunar landscape of the Reykjanes Peninsula, nicknamed the Steamy Peninsula, could be the setting for the movie Armageddon. The entire peninsula is a geothermal area and lighthouses outnumber the villages. Tourists are often in such a rush to get to Iceland’s famed sights like Gullfoss, Thingvellir National Park and Geysir on the Golden Circle, […]
Eagles Take Flight at Burg Landskron
The 9th century ruins of Burg Landskron are perched high on a rock that overshadows the village of St. Andrä by Lake Ossiachersee. The castle was surrounded with a double wall with seven towers. The main building had four floors, a high main-tower and strong defense-tower. In 1812, lightning caused a fire that destroyed the […]
Côte d’Azur
The Côte d’Azur covers the coastline from the Italian border through the sovereign state of Monaco to Saint Tropez in the west. The name was given to the coast by the writer Stéphen Liégeard in his book, La Côte d’azur, published in December 1887.Liégeard was born in Dijon, in the French department of Côte-d’Or, and […]
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 […]
Guide to Christmas in Zürich
Zürich’s Christmas atmosphere is simply captivating with snow-capped Alps framing Lake Zürich and a plethora of holiday lights and Christmas trees in every square! Zürcher Christkindlimarkt, located at RailCity, is Europe’s biggest indoor market with more than 160 wooden market stalls tempt shoppers with colorful handcrafted trinkets, delicious St. Nicholas pastries, gourmet chocolates, butter cookies […]
