[ALAMOSA, COLORADO] — Here’s an overview of the Great Sand Dunes National Park in southern Colorado. A little bit of the Sahara in Colorado. What to do Great Sand Dunes National Park. ________________________ The U.S. has lots of natural wonders, but few compare to the incredible Great Sand Dunes in southern Colorado. Here in a sparsely populated agricultural valley, flat as a pancake with mountain ranges ringing on all sides, these dunes are one of the coolest natural wonders in the United States. It was thankfully quarried away as a national monument in the 1930s by Herbert Hoover and later turned into a national park. Despite its remote location in the middle of nowhere, over 400,000 people make their way here each year to ooooh
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[PLAN DE CORONES, ITALIAN DOLOMITES] — Here’s my overview of the Messner Mountain Museum Corones designed by Zaha Hadid. An amazing mountaineering museum by Reinhold Messner, the greatest mountaineer ever. Set on the Kronplatz (Plan de Corones) mountaintop it has amazing views of the Dolomites and Südtirol. You should go here. ____________________________ When I first saw pictures of this amazing museum, I told my friends “We have to go see this cool Messner Mountain Museum. It looks insane.” Being the idiot I am, I thought there was just one Messner Museum. When we were hiking in the Dolomites I saw the name Messner Mountain Museum on the map and dragged my friends there. It looked nothing like the pictures I’d seen, it was more like
[BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA]– I’ve stayed in Buenos Aires three times now, sometimes for nearly a week, other times just for a night or two on the way for some beach time in Jose Ignacio Uruguay or some exploring in Salta and Jujuy provinces of northwest Argentina. Here’s my overview of the best things to do Buenos Aires. What to do in Buenos Aires. Where to stay and eat in Buenos Aires. And all the cool things to do I could find. Not everything under the sun, just the best things I’ve experienced and would recommend. I mostly omitted the typical stuff, except some of my favorite things to do. Buenos Aires is the Paris of South America Most people don’t have a visual in mind
[ISTANBUL, TÜRKIYE] — I was in Istanbul many years ago and never got around to sharing tips. But Istanbul is more than 2,500 years old, so it never gets old, all the top sites live forever! I was there over the American Thanksgiving holiday in winter, so my stay was only for a few days — and it rained half the time — but it was a lively as can be… there are 15 million people that live there after all. Istanbul has really been on everyone’s radar lately, so here are the best things to do in Istanbul. And what to do in Istanbul over a winter weekend. Some of the top sites in Istanbul. A Very Quick History of What Makes Istanbul So
[PROVENCE, FRANCE] — I spent more than a month hanging out in this gorgeous corner of Provence, staying at three different places — two rented villas and a famous gourmet hotel — and scampered about each day, exploring some quaint village, hitting the rotating Market Days, hiking or seeking out a destination restaurant. It was a glorious month. These are the great places I found to go in the Luberon in Provence. The best villages and the best things to do in the Luberon. If you have some suggestions on what I missed, leave them in the comments below. My stay in Provence was conjoined with about another scattered month traipsing about all over rural France, visiting only small towns and natural wonders, no large
[ROME, ITALY] — Here’s a post all about my favorite things to do in Rome after studying there for a year and over a half-dozen other trips. Here are the best things to do in Rome. What to do in Rome and the Top sites in Rome. It’s not everything, other guides do that throughly, just my favorite sites. I studied in Rome my junior year of college way back in 1981. Those were different days then, Italy had yet to join the EU, the city was falling apart, everything was broken, trash was everywhere, communist street protests every week, the lira was 1000 to the dollar and everything was cheap. The city was a mess back then, but it was Our Mess to explore
[PARIS] — I’ve been to Paris a bunch of times over the last several decades, sometimes for a week, sometimes just a couple of days in/out. Several times over a quick Thanksgiving or Christmas bop-over. Sometimes I didn’t take any pictures, other times I just roamed around shooting everything. These are my favorite things, You Should Go Here in Paris. The best things to do in Paris. What to do in Paris. There are lots and lots of Paris guides, so I won’t go into much detail here, just think of this post like an old postcard rack at the train station, look for places that look good, then go find them. These are all my favorite places in Paris. I won’t go into much
[TORRES DEL PAINE, CHILE] — If you’re going to Patagonia the Tierra Hotel is the perfect base to explore Torres del Paine national park. Tierra Patagonia is one of the best adventure hotels in Torres del Paine. It’s actually inside the park, with stunning views of the steep granite mountains called The Towers. Tierra Patagonia–The best adventure hotel in Torres del Paine Okay, here’s the deal: the Tierra Hotels have an awesome setup, there are several in all the cool places of Chile, all built around the adventure side of travel. One is in the Atacama Desert in the north, another on the coast near Chiloé and this beautiful hotel, Tierra Patagonia, inside the incredible Torres del Paine national park on the Chilean side of Patagonia.
[SCANDOLA NATURE RESERVE, CORSICA] — An overview of a boat tour through the Scandola Nature Reserve in Corsica. The best things to do in Scandola Nature Reserve, one of Corsica’s great natural wonders. _____________________________ Okay, who’s been to the Scandola Nature Reserve in Corsica? Non? Strap in. You’re about to see something really amazing. You gotta gotta go do this. A huge natural preserve in the northwest of Corsica, with the most dramatic rock formations, canyons and wildly shaped rocks you’ve ever seen, plunging right into the sea. Dwarfing everything in their midst, namely you. Scandola is like being in a one-armed Grand Canyon, with the deep blue Mediterranean sea on the right side, and every color and shape of rock you’ve ever seen on the left. The
Brantôme is a sleepy little village in Périgord. A gorgeous little town on a u-turn bend of the river, originally built on an island, surrounded on all sides by the calm rolling waters of the river Dronne — which is why it’s called “Venice of Périgord”. This would be a great fort. It’s a great central base to explore Dordogne. Here’s a giant related post I made on exploring Dordogne. It really is one of the cutest list villages in France, I loved it. There’s only about two thousand people that live here and the immediate surroundings. Just loved walking into town in the morning to pick up the International Herald Tribune and a cafe au lait and sit by the river. It has all
[DORDOGNE & PERIGORD, FRANCE] — Here’s my overview on what to do in Dordogne France. The best things to do in Dordogne that I’ve found. The best villages in Dordogne. Where to stay in Perigord. And some of the best prehistoric sites in Dordogne. It’s not everything there is, just what I found to do one week in western France. _______________________________ You don’t read much about Dordogne in the U.S. travel press. But the French & English know about it, almost keep it all to themselves. In fact, this was one of the great battlegrounds of the Hundred Year’s War between the nobles of France and England. Now wealthy Brits have snapped up a lot of the incredible houses and chateaus. I spent a week there
[MOUSTIERS-SAINTE-MARIE, FRANCE] — Moustiers in eastern Provence is the gateway to the great Gorges du Verdon, The Grand Canyon of France. (see my post on the Gorges du Verdon here). It’s an Adventureland of fun, with trekking, boating, canyoning, climbing and just plain gawking at all the natural beauty. Here’s my review of Alain Ducasse’s incredible gourmet Michelin-starred hideaway La Bastide de Moustiers in the beautiful town of Moustiers-Sainte-Marie, high in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence. Bathe in Lavender on the Valensole Plateau Driving up from southern Provence, you first drive over the high and flat Valensole plateau, home to some of the largest and most stunning lavender fields in France. Miles and miles of sweet purple flowers, as far as the eye can see. If you’re in Provence
[AMALFI COAST, ITALY] — The whole Amalfi Coast is a string of towns south of Naples, roughly starting from Sorrento on down. Each town has its own charm and personality. Not a big fan of Sorrento, more of a modern city that cruise ships and tour buses visit and it’s the last train stop, so that’s as far as most people go. Keep going down farther, starting at Positano. This is my guide to Positano and the Amalfi Coast and why you should go here in Positano and and all the best things to do in Positano. You Should Go Here In Positano — I consolidated several posts into one comprehensive guide in one place, so it’s a giant post and dense with information. I’ve
[ROME, ITALY] — Review of the Pantheon Rome, in my opinion, the most beautiful building in the world. I am not alone on this. Here’s what’s iInside The Pantheon. How to plan your trip to the Pantheon and an overview of the wonderful Piazza della Rotonda. ________________________________ The Pantheon, one of the great wonders of the world and certainly my favorite building of all time. Every time I come back to Rome, the first thing I have to do is to go and see and touch this magical place. I’ve been inside The Pantheon at least fifty times and it never gets old. Even though… you know… it’s really old. Started by my friend Emperor Augustus and rebuilt after a fire by Big Builder Hadrian
[VERONA, ITALY] — Here’s my overview of the best things to do in Verona Italy. What to do in Verona. Where to eat in Verona. Where to stay in Verona. Verona was never on at the top of my list, I always heard it was just a place where bus tours stop to all stand under the Romeo and Juliet balcony. Boy was I wrong. When my buddies were flying out of the Verona airport we spent a day and a half checking it out. I loved it so much, I came back by myself the following week. I was blown away how gorgeous, clean and manageable this Italian city is. The city has so much history beyond Romeo & Juliet. From Dante to the
[ATHENS, GREECE] — This is from a trip I took several years ago for an overnight in Athens. My tips for a quick trip to Athens, including when is the best time beat the crowds at the Acropolis and what to do at The Acropolis. And a review of the New Hotel Athens. And what to do on a quick overnight in Athens Whether on purpose (smart) or randomness, most flights and ferries coming back from the the Greek Islands invariably end up with a forced overnight in Athens. On my last trip coming back from the beautiful island of Folegandros (my posts on that trip are here), this stop was shorter than most, but here are my tips for how to get in and
[BOLOGNA, ITALY] — Bologna was about 237th on my list of places I wanted to visit, but when a Rome school buddy of mine suggested we meet there to eat one long weekend, I jumped at the chance. We’d planned for a long weekend of eating, but unfortunately I caught a fierce bug on the plane that progressively got worse and worse until I was forced to spend several days in my hotel room with the cold sweats, swollen throat and was about as sick as I’ve ever been. So here is an abbreviated 36 hours of my visit to Bologna, long on pics of the beautiful city but short on restaurant recs. 😅 What to do in Bologna. The best things to do in Bologna.
[LANGUEDOC-ROUSSILLION | FRANCE] — I first came to the Aude region in Languedoc, never having heard of it before, nor that I was even going there! But realized I was in Aude during a four day stop at a cool friend’s place outside Carcassonne. I thought I was in greater Languedoc, but turns out Aude is the appropriate subregion in Languedoc. I spent most of my time hanging at my friend’s super cool gîte, so I didn’t get everywhere, nor get to spend great bits of time, but these are the coolest places I found in the southwest of France. The best things to do Languedoc. And now that I have the lay of the land, I can’t wait to go back. The Best Things
[JOSE IGNACIO, URUGUAY] — There. I said it. Jose Ignacio is it. Jose Ignacio is the World’s Best Beach Town. Here’s my overview of everything I know about Jose Ignacio Uruguay. After almost a half dozen trips, here’s my guide to Jose Ignacio. The best restaurants in Jose Ignacio. The best beaches Jose Ignacio. The best hotels in Jose Ignacio. _____________________________ This is my favorite place in this world. If you’ve followed me for some time or talk to me over Negronis, THIS is the place I always talk about. This is a huge post, combing multiple visits over ten years into a single comprehensive guide in one place. All the reasons that make this the world’s best beach town. Jose Ignacio is my favorite place
[SINTRA, PORTUGAL] — An overview of Pena Palace in Sintra, the perfect daytrip from Lisbon. Pena Palace in Sintra is the main draw and also the perfect day trip from Cascais. Sintra is not just a single town, but an entire wooded (unusually so in these arid parts) nature preserve about an hour and a half outside of Lisbon. It’s the perfect daytrip from Lisbon or the perfect day trip from Cascais. Definitely well worth the drive and easy to find — all the roads and signs in Portugal are outstanding. Pena Palace is the center attraction. It’s a big riot of color and architecture, surrounded by hundreds of acres of gardens and forests. Plan a half a day, at least, or preferably a whole