‘Tis the Yuletide season once again, but while some may have visions of sugar plums dancing in their heads, I’m thinking about fire, pageantry, sheep and the winter solstice in Portugal’s hinterland. It’s been something of a hobby of mine for a few years now to get up to the Tras-os-Montes and Alto Douro regions […]
Driving south from my home base in Jerez, I naturally like to put some flamenco on the radio. Flamenco is that uniquely Spanish art form where, encapsulated within the syncopated rhythms, electrifying guitar, lyrics, melismatic wails and cries, is the history of Andalusia itself: Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, Jews, Muslims and Gypsies, who all contributed their […]
The first time I attended a piracaia was during my honeymoon. What my spouse and I expected to be a festive dinner with local food and local music felt much like remarrying just a few days after our wedding. The word piracaia is formed by the junction of two tupi words: “pira” = fish and […]
Norway is a place of abundance, where luxury comes not in form of five star hotels (with a few noteworthy exceptions) but in striking natural beauty at every turn. I’ve been lucky to have visited this magical world of fjords and trolls, glaciers and waterfalls many times, but there was one place that always eluded […]
Cariocas like the Carioca way of living. So the last thing you want to do in Rio is look like a gringo, or seem lost in the multitude of social interactions and signs so particular to this city. You’ll want to mingle and feel part of it, sure that Cariocas will be very welcoming and […]
In a world where fast fashion and mass production dominate, there are still places where tradition, patience, and artistry thrive. Oaxaca is one such place. Here, generations of artisans have preserved techniques that date back centuries, creating extraordinary works with their hands, their hearts, and the natural world around them. Visiting these maestros is not […]
Most people know Kenya for the Masai Mara and the famed river crossings of the Great Migration. Yet to me, that’s almost the least exciting part. I find Kenya to be utterly compelling in far broader ways. It’s a place that remains in my imagination, a frontier, a place where an older type of less […]
In the gastronomic pantheon, hundreds of foods take their names from famous figures, spanning the whole alphabet from Eggs Benedict to Caesar Salad, Beef Wellington to Peach Melba. In Italy the most popular dish in such a category has to be the pizza Margherita, which, according to the legend, was created by Raffaele Esposito Brandi […]
Sifnos is the island next-door for me. Serifos is “my” island – I started going there a good 25 years ago, and from the moment I set foot on it, I knew I’d be back and start spending my summers there. I still do. It’s mountainous, wild and unpolished; beaches are virgin, and the occasional […]
There is a cluster of islands, right off the coast of Naples, that look like pebbles scattered in the sea by the hand of a giant. Some are big, some tiny, some just deserted rocks: Capri, Ischia, Procida, Li Galli (also called Le Sirenuse), Vivara, and many more… As myth has it, this is the […]
In the midst of lockdown in the summer of 2020 there wasn’t a whole lot of trip related email flying around, but one rather hot afternoon in July the following missive landed in my inbox which I found intriguing: “To find the Azores, look on Google Maps on Portugal, turn towards the Atlantic Ocean, and […]
After a steaming plate of fresh mussels has been set on the table to replace the mound of sautéed pimientos de Padrón (Padrón sweet green peppers) that we’ve just worked our way through, I reflect on how unanticipated moments like these make great travel. In front of me at the table is 2 Michelin-starred Galician […]
The clock strikes 9:15 AM in Rio de Janeiro. It’s April, and the heat is not excessive, so the weather allows for a lazy Saturday morning. Yet, there is an urge to explore the vibrant streets of the city and pay homage to the ever-present sun. I get up and take a quick shower, while […]
Picture this scene: seated under a pergola on a crisp but sunny morning in late November, I’m enjoying freshly made harcha and msemmen (panfried semolina and flatbreads respectively) drizzled with honey and olive oil. Clearly in the distance, the sing-song call and response of local Berber villagers is clearly audible, as they are underway with […]
Bold statement coming in: I’m declaring 2023 the year for Peru and, heck, why not 2024, too! The short and the sweet of it is as follows: the shadow cast by the pandemic, coupled with political unrest earlier this year, has resulted in a slower return to travel than many other countries have experienced over […]
Uruguay is of wood and marble, of grain and sheen; where rural charm sits at the table next to aristocracy and both happily have sand between their toes or dirt under the nail from the outdoor explorations of the day. Olive orchards, hillside wineries, cattle ranches and small fishing boats all populate this tiny pear-shaped […]