Europe
Fitness Afar: Great Places to Hang Out at the Bar
Going abroad needn’t mean going flabby—determined globe-trotters can find pull-up bars and other outdoor gymnastics equipment in some of the most unexpected places.
July 03, 2012 |
By Alastair Bland
Wrecked Rivers of T.S. Eliot’s ‘The Wasteland’ Teem With Life Once More
“The river sweats / Oil and tar / The barges drift / With the turning tide,” wrote T. S. Eliot in an ode to the River Thames in The Wasteland. Indeed, oil and tar and other industrial pollutants for years plagued Britain’s rivers, from the “Great Stink” of 1858 when human waste choked London’s Thames [...]
July 03, 2012 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Cork Trees: Soft-Skinned Monarchs of the Mediterranean
A cork tree stripped of its bark will be harvested again in nine years—if people are still using cork by then
June 28, 2012 |
By Alastair Bland
The Hunt for a Bottle of Asturias Cider and the Stories of More Drinks From Northern Spain
In this part of Europe, a glass of rioja is nice, but nothing beats apple cider, a way of life
June 27, 2012 |
By Alastair Bland
Things That Are Surprisingly New: Forks, Lunch, Huge Drinks
Who knew that there existed a time when some of our staples of modern eating habits — the use of forks, the existence of lunch, and, unfortunately, the ubiquitous super-sized drinks found at every fast food chain around the U.S — did not exist. Forks are taken for granted in modern western eating, yet relatively [...]
June 27, 2012 |
By Rachel Nuwer
The Real Scottish Landscapes That Inspired Pixar’s “Brave”
Disney/Pixar's "Brave" is based on real places in Scotland. Now, "Brave"-centric vacations lets families experience the adventure first hand.
June 26, 2012 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Spain: Of Sun, Siestas — and Salmon?
About a dozen Spanish streams support native runs of Atlantic salmon, but anglers are deeply divided about how to fish for them
June 21, 2012 |
By Alastair Bland
Pirate Vampire Dug Up in Bulgaria
Sorry, Dracula, Bill Compton and Team-Edward. An older vampire is in town, at least in Bulgaria. In the Black Sea town of Sozopol, a 700-year-old skeleton was found with metal stakes where the man’s heart had been, attracting flocks of onlookers to the church graveyard where the remains were discovered. Visitors also crowded to see [...]
June 21, 2012 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Six Ways to Celebrate the Summer Solstice Around the World
From Eagle Summit in Alaska's White Mountains, watch as the sun dips, dips, dips---but remains just above the horizon
June 19, 2012 |
By Alastair Bland
A Toast to the Astoria Hotel in St. Petersburg, Russia
A Russian icon in the Art Nouveau style on St. Isaac‘s Square near the Neva River, the Astoria evokes a Belle Époque world gone by
June 13, 2012 |
By Susan Spano
Can Brown Bears Survive in the Pyrenees?
The keepers of sheep and cows helped eliminate the Pyrenean brown bear in the first place, and shepherds are not thrilled to see France's largest predator return
June 12, 2012 |
By Alastair Bland
On the Cheese Trail in the Pyrenees
Make a fuss in the road and stomp your feet, and someone will appear. Spit out some gibberish about “fromage a vendre,” and that should do it. You'll get your cheese
June 07, 2012 |
By Alastair Bland
The Family that Never Quits Pedaling
I thought cycling with a sack of lentils, a laptop and a bottle of wine was hard. Then I met a pair of Dutch cyclists on tour with a grown dog, a puppy---and a baby
June 05, 2012 |
By Alastair Bland
Where Lance Remains the King
Among the peaks, cirques and summits of the French Pyrenees, the greeting call to an American on a bike may always be "Armstrong!"
May 31, 2012 |
By Alastair Bland
Sleep Like a Pauper, Eat Like a King
Between grocery stores, wine shops, artisan bakeries and farm stands, I regain each calorie I burn in style and taste
May 29, 2012 |
By Alastair Bland
Tasting France’s Finest Wines
Sauternes is a cute little village near Bordeaux that would likely have been just another manure-splattered cow town if dumb luck, microclimatology and royal wineries had not showered the region in fortunes
May 24, 2012 |
By Alastair Bland
Take a Vacation on Volvo
Once you get your car you’re free to hit the road along the west coast of Sweden with its fishing villages, traditional folkways and islands
May 23, 2012 |
By Susan Spano
Resistance to Nazis in a Land Riddled with Caves
We wondered if the cave's tenants cooked inside or out, if they peered down at the valley and if they wrapped all glassware and metal in cloth to prevent reflective giveaways to the Nazis below
May 22, 2012 |
By Alastair Bland
A Medieval Castle in the Making
The construction of a medieval fortress in France is answering important questions about 13th-century building techniques
May 21, 2012 |
By Susan Spano
Free Beer in the Dordogne Valley: Come and Find It!
These beers should last for several hot summers and cold winters. Where exactly are they hidden? Here are the directions
May 18, 2012 |
By Alastair Bland
