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...

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...

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...

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...

In Koh Samui, a simple retreat becomes an endearing masterclass in fortitude and grit.   The sight of a solid, 20-inch bluish-green body adorned with protruding red spots greeted us. In perfect stillness, I saw him glued to the wall like an exquisite adornment. His physical demeanor told me to stay...

If there is a place that has a certain hold on everyone, it's called hometown. Whether we love it or loathe it, and no matter how much we try to run away from it, it's a place that we all keep coming back to - time and again.   Just before...

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...

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...

Vienna allows a traveler to indulge in a waking dream, and there is nothing more real than setting foot in Austria's alluring capital.   Between Vienna’s imposing Parliament Building and its famous university, which dates back to medieval times, there sits a classic newspaper-laden Viennese café that bears the impress of...