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Italy

toptraveller — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 06:24:32 +0000

Positani, Amalfi CoastItaly’s endless charms have always drawn travelers in search of culture and la dolce vita. Few countries can compete with Italy’s classical origins, its art, architecture and wealth of historical remains left by an empire, which ruled the known world from Britain to Africa.

From the northern snow-capped peaks of the Alps to the sun-kissed coasts of Sicily lies a beautiful country with a plethora of distinctive regions and people. Throw in the great food, wonderful wines, warm, friendly people and a beautiful language that sounds sung rather than spoken and you have the makings of an enchanting experience.

India

toptraveller — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 04:45:20 +0000

India

India was the last place on earth I wanted to visit the very first time I went there. I was on a one-year trip around the world and India was cheap so I went reluctantly. It didn't help that in the very first afternoon of my arrival a large, grey ugly rat greeted me in the shower in the $10-a-night "hotel" in Bombay where I was staying. After three months, I was glad to leave, tired of the poverty, the beggars, the noise and the tongue-burning spicy food.

In a letter home I wrote: "India is a country with too many people, too many cows, too many customs and too many Gods."

About a year after I left, India began to draw me back. Perhaps nostalgia had settled in and blunted the sharp edges of my memories. I wanted to look out a train window again to see flooded rice fields, men dressed in white loincloths guiding bullocks by their tails, women in brilliant-colored saris whipping clothes against rocks in the river. I may have been miserable in India, but I was never bored.

Rome

tay — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 02:37:38 +0000

Beautiful View Of RomeDuring a day in Rome you can encounter more amazing art and architecture than in a year-long art history class. One interesting way to see the Eternal City is by spicing it up with intrigue and mystery. I am talking about the "Angels and Demons" tour where you visit sites featured in the Dan Brown novel, later made into a movie starring Tom Hanks.

The story unravels in some of the most magnificent spots in Rome, including the Pantheon, Piazza Navona and Piazza del Popolo, the Vatican and Castel Sant'Angelo. Hanks plays the role of Robert Langdon, a Harvard professor of art history and religious symbols, who, along with the beautiful Vittoria, tries to stop a secret society called the Illuminati from destroying the Vatican by unleashing a doomsday weapon.

Austrian Foods

toptraveller — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 05:09:05 +0000

A cafe in ViennaGo to Vienna for the Food

Although he would probably never admit it, I think one of the reasons my husband likes to visit Vienna at least four to five times a year is the food.

The opulent heritage of a splendid past, the music, the art and the architecture all make Vienna a wonderful place to visit. If you throw in Viennese cuisine and pastries, then it is a done deal.

Viennese cuisine has the distinction of being the only cuisine in the world named after a city.

Vienna

toptraveller — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 04:30:18 +0000

Vienna StadtparkI have visited Vienna at least 20 times, but only during my recent visit did I see its intrinsic beauty and grace with totally new eyes. The reason--I played tour guide to my sister who was visiting the city for the first time.

We arrived at our hotel in the afternoon, the Raddison SAS, perfectly located on the Ringstrasse and across from the Stadt Park where the famous golden statue of Waltz King Johan Strauss awaited us violin in hand.

As we began walking towards the center of town, about a ten-minute walk, my sister began photographing every building along the way. I watched indulgently telling myself that soon she will realize that if she wants to photograph every beautiful building in Vienna, she will have to photograph them all. That’s how Vienna is.

Tyrol

toptraveller — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 06:38:00 +0000

TyrolIt was late afternoon when my husband and I reached the Krimml Waterfall in the Tyrol area of Austria. It was the dead of winter and the place seemed to be deserted.

Not to be deterred, we walked through the enchanting woods to reach the path where the one and a half hour climb up the path to see the waterfalls begins. The waterfall cascades down three levels to the very bottom where the high volume of water crashes down with a thundering cloud of spray. At every turn of the switchback path through the woods, you can see Europe’s largest waterfall from a different angle.

The day we arrived, the path was covered with snow and slippery. Not being in the best of shape, I was getting winded. After about an hour climb, we reached level ground and a country inn restaurant. I was so happy. We stopped for a very late lunch. My husband was determined to finish the climb and get to the very top. I asked the proprietor about the rest of the climb. “How is it?” I asked. “Steep, very steep,” was the reply.

Peyia

toptraveller — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 06:40:23 +0000

View across part of PeyiaI will never forget my first trip to Cyprus. I flew into Paphos and as I stepped outside of the airport, luggage in hand, the first thing that caught my eyes as the bright sunshine beamed down on me, was the sparking blue Mediterranean Sea. I knew immediately that this was going to be a trip that I would never forget.

Competa

toptraveller — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 05:29:41 +0000

Finca in CompetaOn a few occasions, I have been lucky enough to holiday in a beautiful 'Finca' in the Spanish mountains of the Axarquia on the outskirts of the small white washed village of Competa.

Competa is located in the Sierra Almijara (in the Malaga region of Spain) and is approximately seven hundred meters above sea level, offering fantastic mountain views of the surrounding countryside. It is less than an hour’s drive to the village from Malaga’s International Airport, making it not only a beautiful place to visit but also an ideal and convenient location.