We had a two-week gap in the beginning of October and decided to take a road trip to Provence. It was a bit late in the season, but we decided to trust our luck. People go to Provence because of the good weather, great cuisine and charming towns. We found that the seasons took a [...]
Sprawling between the great rivers of Saône and Rhône, Lyon is a grand dame of a city. Sure, she's old - built by the Romans kind of old - a bit tired, definitely in need of a face lift, but confident in her powers of survival and adaptation. We had a bit less than two [...]
Are you rich enough to commission your own Matisse ? Or fill the walls of your palace with art so dense that it will be a challenge to distinguish one painting from another ? The man who answered positively to both questions was named Sergei Shchukin, a turn of the century Russian business magnate who [...]
There are some cities in this world that are so rich in history and culture and every kind of human emotion from greed to purest kind of love that they evoke a certain excitement even to think about, whether you've been there or not. Through their history they attract intellectuals and fanatics, kings and pirates [...]
About 12 miles off the north coast of the Isthmus of Panama, there lies an archipelago of 365 islands known as the San Blas Islands or more recently Kula Yala. They are the home of the Kuna, the indigenous people of Panama and Colombia. The Kuna believe there is one island for each day of [...]
I recently spent a a few days in my native Istanbul and had a special girls night out with my friends. We started at the hammam to properly pamper ourselves had a great time. While relaxing on göbektaşı, the large heated marble, my thoughts started to wander about the old traditions and just how deliciously luxurious they [...]
Who doesn’t like a glass of champagne? It’s the perfect drink for a celebration and a great way to start a party. It goes equally well with strawberries and seafood. Sometimes the mere sight of a flute of champagne can evoke mouthfuls of hidden delights. But tasting the bubbly in Champagne, its original home in [...]
