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...

Buzzing and exuberant, the Croatian city of Split, perched on the Adriatic coast, invites all travelers to experience the joys of Dalmatian life and fjaka.   W   hat does a wayfarer see when she climbs the 183 step-bell tower of Saint Domnius Cathedral in the old town of Split? In this thriving city...

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...

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...

There aren't many places left in Phuket where travelers can find peaceful retreats. But if you know where to look, the island could be yours.   I n Surin, that raw idyllic stretch, about 7 km of imperceptibly inhabited coastline across the Andaman Sea, which lies on the west coast of Phuket,...

Malaysia’s storied capital is teeming with contrast - from its jarring mix of ethnicities, cultures as well as beliefs all adding to its irresistible charm and intrigue.   The early morning call from the muezzin at the nearby Masjid Negara, Malaysia’s national mosque in downtown Kuala Lumpur reverberated in the silence...

Love it or loathe it, Malate is a kind of place that lives up to its legendary reputation and the best way to know it is to embrace it.   Between the patchy phone line and the tropical downpour brought on by an approaching typhoon, I could barely make out what...

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...

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...

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...