Kuala Lumpur has long been a home to leafy canopies of tropical trees. These days, as skyscrapers dominate its skyline, the drive to reconnect Malaysia’s capital to its green origin is making a comeback.   Kuala Lumpur is going through an identity crisis. For visitors, it is a place that embraces...

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...

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...

Picture the South of France without the beach, boatload of tourists, and the bling. You get Uzès - a hidden and meticulously preserved town known for its Renaissance architecture and Roman flair.   Winter is like my neighbor’s receding hairline. Inconspicuous. Its decline is subtle and gradual. While seasons regenerate, renewed...

Bulgaria's capital is a city steeped in a layered past, a contemporary urban cool with its sights firmly set on the future.   A t magic hour, when cotton clouds roll in and drape a cool shade over the land below, a girl lights a candle at the St. Nedelya Cathedral. Military...

In Madeira, Quintas are becoming the new cultural touchstones and enduring icons that define Portuguese hospitality.   It was the best of times. I am traveling to Madeira. It was the worst of times. The plane that would take me to Portugal's ethereal island in the Atlantic, was nowhere in sight. It...

Famous for its cuisine, medieval ramparts, and opera, Lucca is Tuscany's best-kept secret that makes for a different kind of Italian drama.   A ugust is coming to a close in Lucca, a masterfully preserved medieval Italian city situated some 50 kilometers to the west of Florence and a short 15-minute drive...

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...

Just a short boat ride from Sabah’s capital, Kota Kinabalu, Gaya Island in Malaysian Borneo offers a serene escape and natural refuge for both people and wildlife.   From the deck of a speedboat scuttling along at 25 knots, I saw Kota Kinabalu, or KK as locals would refer to it,...

In travel, there is foreignness and familiarity. It's like flipping a coin, you get one or the other. The most fascinating part? The sense of wonder and surprise.   Every so often, when the occasion arises, I would find myself traveling to one of my favorite European cities. I never get...