Florence is the place to feast on the world's finest art. In so many ways, it's also the perfect place to apply for a US tourist visa.
How do you keep a still gaze on Michelangelo’s David? Well, I did not. Forget about his biblical nature. David is butt-naked!A quick...
The French Wine Country is a fairytale landscape of chateaus and idyllic vineyards. Bordeaux invites everyone to enjoy a tipple and dream altogether.
In many ways a story can always be written and, at times be told. If I have to start mine, I would like to begin in the...
Barcelona's appeal begins with its iconic buildings, and the best way to appreciate them is to know the artist behind the city's most impressive landmarks.
My
first glimpse of La Sagrada Familia, a fanciful-looking cathedral and the most imposing landmark in the city of Barcelona, is of curious tourists gazing toward...
From a rocky gorge to Spain’s oldest bullfighting ring, Ronda is not just a place to see monumental architecture but also dreams and dramas.
Through the large glass paneled windows blurred by the cold mist of the Andalusian winter, the clip-clop of well-shod hooves from the carriage horses striking the...
Seville is a city of story and souls—from its flamencos, architecture, and multi-layered faiths. Dazzling and bewitching come night or day.
He could have been a converso. But he is definitely a gitano.
He has the song that echoes of his father's. A primitive cry. A spiritual chant. Yet somewhere along...
There is nowhere in the world quite like Istanbul - spread across two continents, a city exuding with culture and contrast and always on the move.
Everyday mostly at six, old wooden carts pass and move along the narrow cobblestoned alleyways hauling merchandise of freshly picked cucumbers, tomatoes, nuts and...
The effervescent city of Marseille possesses a unique charm and character. The best way to appreciate France's second-largest city is to sample its soup.
Bouillabaisse . For first timers, getting the correct pronunciation is hard. Spelling it is even harder. For first timers, it’s easier to have a bowl of...
High above the French Alps and an arm's reach from the Swiss border, Lake Annecy draws all crowds and artists alike in pursuit of a restorative escape.
Either he picked up the wrong colors or has probably run out of paint; Paul Cézanne, the most rebellious of the 19th-century French...
Mallorca, an enchanting Spanish island in the Mediterranean, has lured generations of artists, writers, poets, celebrities, and musicians, inspiring their works and legacies.
W
hen William Graves opened the door of his father’s old casa in the undulating hillside of Deià on the island of Majorca, his eyes twinkled. Elena, whom...
With its mild Mediterranean winter climate, Spain's largest island in the Balearics is a travel secret hiding in plain sight. Overflowing with an endless array of galleries, restaurants, baroque churches and medieval streets, Palma is a winter city to enjoy sans the madding crowd.
I knew that you brought a...