Catalina Island: Island of Romance
Catalina Island is a place to relax, to find adventure, and a renowned island of romance. Just an hour by boat or fifteen minutes by helicopter or private plane from the Los Angeles area, this sunny island resort with crystal clear waters and cool ocean breezes might be a distance of twenty-six miles but it feels a million miles away.
Read MoreKia Ora — Welcome — to Rotorua, New Zealand!
Visit Rotorua, “Second Lake”, and you will feel this spirit, passed down through the generations. In this heartland of Maori culture the Earth and its geologic wonders are part of the spiritual world.
Read MoreÎles de la Madeleine: The Magdalen Islands
The heat wave at home made us even more appreciative of the gentle cooling breezes on the beach in the Magdalen Islands. We were told National Geographic named it one of the top beaches in the world, yet on this sunny 70-something degree day in June we had it all to ourselves.
Read MoreGotland: Pearl of the Baltic Sea
We spotted the towers of Visby’s medieval cathedral as we approached Sweden’s island of Gotland. We were there to see the Old Town, a medieval Viking and Hanseatic trading post with a ring wall, towers, and moat. It is so well preserved that it seems to have come to life from a fairy tale. Today, Visby is a modern municipality and cultural center, a fusion of the best of the old and new. You can shop for innovative local goods and modern Scandinavian designs in historic buildings along winding 13th century cobbled lanes.
Read MoreTwo days in Chiba, Japan
Chiba is one of Japan’s forty-seven prefectures (a district similar to a state) in the Kanto region, bordering Tokyo on the eastern coast of Japan. Naritasan Shinshoji, one of the most important Buddhist temples in Japan, is a fifteen minute downhill walk from the train station past little shops in 300 year old buildings along Omotesando (Front) Road.
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