Columns

May 2005 issue

Catching flamenco performances in Sevilla, Spain

by Linda Ledray

QUESTION: I am planning a trip to Spain in the near future. I expect I will be traveling alone, as my friends don’t travel much these days. It’s a shame. I love flamenco music and dancing — watching, that is. I just don’t feel comfortable going out to a nightclub alone but cannot imagine not being able to watch flamenco while I am there. Any suggestions? — Emma Rose, Steamboat Springs, CO

ANSWER: I am glad to hear that you love flamenco, and I agree. I cannot imagine a trip to Spain without enjoying the national dance. But you don’t have to miss it and I...

CONTINUE READING »
June 2006 issue

Basque Spain and France, the Ghan, air vs. rail in Europe

STEVE, I want to travel only in the Basque country in northern Spain and France. Cobblestone Travel in New Orleans suspended business because of Katrina, and they were Basque specialists. Can you name another way to see this Basque area without other Spain highlights? — Larry I. Epstine, Fremont, CA

DEAR LARRY, I tried contacting Cobblestone Travel, but, as you indicated, Katrina may have done them in. There is a company in San Sebastian that should be able to help you: Tenedor Tours (P.O. Box 5070, San Sebastian, Spain; phone/fax +34 943 313 929).

I spoke with the...

CONTINUE READING »
January 2006 issue

Tragedy fuels debate re Antarctic cruising
By Lew Toulmin

The tragic death of popular cruiser, explorer and businessman Stephen Glyn Thomas in a hiking accident in Antarctica has fueled debate about the future of cruising and tourism in that region.

Stephen Thomas, 51, of Cambridge, England, was a successful businessman and multimillionaire who had launched three major information technology firms, including Geneva Technology, which he sold to a U.S. company for £500 million. Thomas had long had a dream of sailing to the high latitudes of both poles, and in 2003 he set off from Ipswitch, England, in his 66-foot sailboat Magic Dragon with...

CONTINUE READING »
September 2006 issue

The ancient mosaics of Tunisia

Moreen and I love to browse in Mediterranean bazaars and Middle Eastern suqs for small, locally made items. In Tunisia, we especially enjoy looking at the multicolored ceramic jars, plates and tiles for tableware use and, yes, tourist souvenirs.

Occasionally, in this small North African country, we’ve found beautiful mosaic items made by die-hard craftsmen who cling to the ancient tradition of using geometric and calligraphic designs, especially in green and yellow. The green is made from a blend of lead and copper oxide, with the yellow a blend of lead and antimony. It’s all glazed...

CONTINUE READING »
December 2006 issue

San Blas Islands, Panama
By Randy Keck

(Fourth of four parts, jump to part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4).

Just prior to the conclusion of my two weeks in Panama as a guest of tour operator Panama Jones, I had the opportunity to fly to the San Blas Islands and overnight at Dolphin Island Lodge.

These islands stretch along some 200 miles of Panama’s Caribbean coastline and are part of a large Kuna Yala reservation which extends from the seaward continental shelf to the top of the jungle-clad continental divide several miles inland.

This was my chance to glean some insight into the colorful Kuna Indian...

CONTINUE READING »
October 2006 issue

In search of Moorish Lisbon

Our getaway to Lisbon in early March 2006 was intended as a late winter escape from New York’s prolonged freezing temperatures. Lisbon’s temperatures were in the low 60s during the day and the flight from New York less than seven hours, making it ideal for my daughter Katie and me with only four days to spare.

Jet lagged and sleep deprived, on arrival in the early morning in Lisbon we decided on a couple of quick bicas at our hotel, the upscale Pestana Palace. Even with eyes half closed, we could tell we had lucked out in our hotel choice, but more on that later. Suffice it to say...

CONTINUE READING »
August 2006 issue

Sun and fun

We all love a sunny day, especially when traveling. The sun lifts our spirits, gives us vitamin D, warms us, lights our way and gives life. But the sun is a double-edged sword; it can cause sunburn, dehydration, heat stroke, drug reactions, premature aging of the skin and skin cancer.

The sun can do all this through electromagnetic radiation, primarily ultraviolet radiation, or UV. Most of the sun’s radiation is blocked by the ozone layer present in the Earth’s atmosphere, but as the ozone becomes more and more depleted, more of this radiation is making it to the surface of our...

CONTINUE READING »
April 2006 issue

Turkish delight
By Philip Wagenaar

(First of three parts, jump to part 1, part 2, part 3)

Language Note *In the introduction to this article, the Turkish word ılık is used. In Turkish, neither “i” in this word has a dot on top. The Turkish alphabet has two “i”s, one with a dot and the other without. The one with the dot is pronounced as the English “ee” and the one without the dot, as in the word “in.” — P.W.

“Çorba, çok ılık, lütfen” (“Soup, very warm, please”)*, I told the waiter when I ordered my first course.

Five minutes later, the lukewarm liquid arrived. I repeated the phrase, “Çorba, çok ılık, lütfen...

CONTINUE READING »