History
Traveling has made me a coffee lover. I’ve enjoyed the perfect espresso in Italy, strong traditional brews made in copper pots in Albania, cortados in Uruguay, and learned to take my coffee with coconut milk in Vietnam. Throughout my adventures, I’ve visited coffee plantations in India, Indonesia, and Vietnam. I thought I’d collected an abundance of knowledge about the caffeinated beverage but it wasn’t until I took a tour of the organic Finca Rosa Blanca coffee plantation in Santa Bárbara de Heredia, Costa Rica, that I realized I knew absolutely nothing about the cultivation of coffee.
Back in 1890, when much of New York's northernmost borough, the Bronx, remained undeveloped, a French immigrant was charged with laying out the then rural area's street grid.
With its cobbled streets, wrought iron balconies, and eclectic architecture, San Telmo is Buenos Aires’ oldest and most historic neighborhood. And, although it is the smallest one with an area of half a square mile, it is packed with fascinating local history and culture.
Whether you stay in Toronto for a week or a year, not a day will go by without you finding something new and exciting to do.
Tofino is a funky surfer town on the West Coast that has earned its reputation as Canada's top adventure playground. With its sprawling beaches, wild inlets, and ancient rainforests, it's easy to see why Tofino has become such a popular destination.
St. Simons Island in Glynn County, Georgia is filled with history. Its newest museum, the World War II Home Front Museum, gives a different view of the war from typical accounts.
It is no secret to anyone that tourism is a major industry and draw for Charleston, South Carolina. However, on my most recent visit, I became a fan of their county parks because of one particular experience. I visited MacLeod Plantation Historic Site.
Designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, the old Wieliczka Salt Mine is the most popular tourist attractions in Poland and offers a unique experience into the underworld civilization and local culture.
I was frustrated when the Wi-Fi died. My trip to the Great Blasket Island was hinging on the availability of a small boat, and I was now unable to contact the owner. However, after a ten-minute jog to the harbour in Dunquin, I was welcomed on board – the result of a last minute cancellation.
When travelers dream of Spain, most think about wandering down cobblestone alleys, listening to the Spanish guitar, and drinking wine under the shadows of a towering medieval cathedral. However, it’s a mistake to think of Europe only in terms of its beautiful cities and centuries of human history. There is still some wild left.
There are only two schools exclusively for the Deaf in Burundi (the other, also founded by my husband’s family, is five hours away). Without the chance to go to school and learn sign language, these kids would never have the chance to learn any language at all, a situation that direly impacts Deaf individuals in a country that struggles with poverty.
Before your wildlife safari or self-drive adventure, take a day or two to discover Windhoek’s history, particularly the township of Katutura, where the city’s black population was forcefully moved under Apartheid.
