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...

To experience a different side of Bangkok, hop on a river taxi and sail through its ancient Siamese wonders.   From a distance, the pavements shone like fresh galvanized iron sheets straight out from the nearby factory. Last night’s tropical rain shower made them appear even brighter as I strut cautiously...

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...

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...

What can a landscape teach a traveler? In Andalusia, it’s as simple as living like a local and embracing its transportive landscape.   T   o live in southern Spain on the coast of Andalusia - where the occasional sand laden wind blows, is to embrace la calima. It’s been an hour since I...

Lyon is a fitting escape for pilgrims in search of culinary delights as well as feeding the hungry soul with the city's cinematic sights.   T here are these moments in Lyon during summer when the heat seems to be far removed, tempered by a cool breeze where the Rhône meets the...

Step into the spotlight and explore Madrid's cinematic quirks. For any traveler, the city can become a center stage for discovery and Almodóvarian drama.   The capital city of Spain invites you to play a part. Take a stroll. Linger in the park. Kiss under a lamp post. Have a smoke....

Postcard-perfect Lisbon with its dramatic scenes and slopping terrains, there's no better place to experience all that Portugal has to offer than its capital.   Lisbon is in no hurry. It takes its time. The city wakes up when it wants to and sleeps only when it needs to. Slow. Like the...

When trips don't go according to plan, don't panic. Travel mishaps make travelers wiser. The best part is the journey to self-discovery.   Just as summer is about to make its anticipated entrance, our car zoomed along the curvy asphalt, passing several “Ausfahrt” signs with France miles away. The further we...

It’s the scruffiness that turns you off. It’s the realness that turns you on. ‘Berlin ist arm, aber sexy’ as the saying goes, which translates to ‘Berlin is poor but sexy'—and if there’s a neighborhood that best represents that idea, it’s Kreuzberg.   Throughout the years of self-shame and retrospection, Berlin...