Abel Tasman rocks. And it also does the splits (see the photos above and you’ll know what I mean). Seriously though, any visit to the Nelson area of New Zealand should definitely include a visit through Abel Tasman National Park. This park, founded in 1942, is the smallest of all the National Parks in the […]

Let’s face it, Italy has a knack for making things look beautiful. True, their politics are absurdly colourful. And yes, the mafia thing is kind of dark. But when it comes to design and the visual shape of things, they really sparkle. It was Italy who took the simple form of the car and styled it […]

Iberian ham, or jamón iberico, might well be our favourite thing about Spain (beyond the Macarena and Rafael Nadal, obviously). If you count yourself a lover of prosciutto or jambon de Beaujolais, jamón iberico will be right up your alley. Read on to hear about jamón’s inglorious history, current prestige and our favourite tasting tips. Ham wasn’t always such a celebrated item on the […]

If you’ll indulge me, I’d like to talk statistics for a moment. The largest African elephants weigh in at around 13,000 lbs and stand 10 feet tall at the shoulder. Each of its two swiss-army-knife-like tusks can weigh in at 150 lbs with the largest recorded being 287 lbs each—which is kind of like having […]

Seems these days that everyone is an amateur food photographer. It’s not unusual to see diners standing over their dishes, lording an SLR or just their iPhone to snap some photos of a stack of pancakes or the perfectly runny eggs Benedict. Food though, can be a tricky beast (I mean who can make a […]

New York City is chock-a-block with shops that specialize. There’s an entire restaurant devoted to meatballs, and one just for grilled cheese, and of course one just for peanut butter. So imagine my delight (and not so surprise) when I came across The Meadow, which specializes in salt, chocolate and bitters. Inside the tiny store […]

There’s a reason we’re always heading back to the countries we love: Research. We do a lot of it, and its probably just about the best part of our jobs. Finding new things, meeting new people and visiting new places helps us grow, both as a company and on a personal level. It’s a bit […]

Taking a decent photo has been rendered as easy as it’s ever been. Digital cameras are so smart that as long as you have a steady hand, decent eye, and reasonably flexible index finger you’ll probably get a pretty good image. But capturing a great shot, really nailing it, still takes a whole lot more […]

There’s a camp, set high (so high you need a helicopter to arrive) in a valley in New Zealand. And at this camp there are no restaurants. No shops. Not even any trees. From an initial look, there’s nothing to do. Yet, it’s the background of one of the top ten experiences of my life. […]

The first thing about Sextantio that doesn’t make much sense is its name. Sextantio calls itself an “Albergo Diffuso”, which literally means diffused hotel. This is because the rooms and facilities are randomly scattered about the medieval hilltop town of Santo Stefano di Sessanio. The second thing about Sextantio that might make you scratch your […]

Brazil is a veritable piñata of sights and experiences. And while the Amazon, the epic Iguassu Falls, and Rio are all rightfully high on the must-see list, there is another compelling reason to visit (or revisit) this gigantic playground. And it’s called the Pantanal (say this to yourself in the echo-y voice of an omniscient […]

What follows is the tale of the time I tried to taste everything in Istanbul. Spoiler: I ate so much I had to take a nap. Our story begins at the charming locale of the oldest market in the world: the Egyptian Bazaar, where we meet our passionate and knowledgeable gastronomic guide Aylin. We’re surrounded […]

When the calendar ticks over from September to October, you’ll find me salivating at the gates of the the International White Truffle Fair in Alba, Piemonte. As if being home to the greatest Italian red wine of all, Barolo (I’ll brook no arguments), were not enough, Alba also just happens to be the epicenter of […]

Depending on where you live (we live in the Northern Hemisphere, where it is decidedly snowy/icy/chilly), right about now might be the perfect time to start daydreaming about a tropical vacation. Might we suggest you start daydreaming about somewhere sand and sunny? Yes? Ok then. Let’s start with what this cruise is not. It is […]

You may (or may not) have noticed that we haven’t posted a single new Sounder article since the tail end of 2012. What can I say, we’ve been busy planning a lot of trips. I hasten to add that our long-time, ever-steady and always-reliable Sounder editor, Amy Smithers, skipped town a month ago to travel […]

Let’s go out on a limb and predict that the world isn’t going to end tomorrow. Christmas and New Year’s will come and go, and then those of us in the northernmost parts of the northern hemisphere will enter what one Trufflepig planner calls “the long, dark tea time of the soul.” Give your soul […]