The winter holiday spirit is alive in every step, with the steaming mulled wine in festive mugs, roasted chestnuts served in paper cones (perfect for warming cold hands), spiced cookies, and other yummy treats. The winter markets, or as the Germans call it, Weihnachtsmarkt or Advent Market, transports you into a magical land, reminiscent of those beautiful, miniature, wintery villages placed on mantels during the holidays.
Visiting the Grand Strand in November is always a good plan. The weather is pleasant, with average daytime temperatures a balmy 70-75 degrees, and only a minimal number of tourists. However, one of the best reasons to visit in the fall is that for twenty-six years, the Waccamaw Indian People have held their annual Pauwau in November, inviting numerous other regional tribes to participate.
I have found a place where I do not need to answer my cell phone, read emails or feel chained to my computer. Here I can savor the delicious tropical breeze coming off Biscayne Bay. Entering this green hideaway, I am serenely transported to a refuge where I can relax and enjoy its sights, sounds, and fragrances in slow-time.
If a luxury spa is your idea of bliss, the destination spa, Mii Amo, is where you’ll find happiness. Surrounded by Sedona’s red rock spires and the Kachina Woman Vortex, professional expertise and nurturing healing energy will be yours.
Oahu is, perhaps, the most-visited Hawaiian island and is known for its dazzling Waikiki Beach lined with skyscrapers and luxury resorts. Honolulu is bustling with tourists enjoying the many activities and attractions of this heavily-populated area of the island. However, maybe the best-kept secret of the island can be found along its less-traveled northern shore.
Aparan in a small town in Armenia, which itself is a small country in the Caucasus. Despite its tragic history of wars and genocides, few know the whereabouts of this hidden gem. I spent four months living there and can say if you want to visit a unique country with an abundance of kindness, get yourself on a plane to Armenia.
A welcome wood fire burns in the hearth as we shake off the snow and enter Kaffee Klatsch Lounge. We wind our way through the tables in the Kaffee restaurant to the adjoining Sports Bar where the air is thick with laughter and chatter (klatsch). It is après-ski time in Klosters Switzerland when winter sports fans flock from all over the world to this region.
Every September millions of migrating Monarch Butterflies fly the sky road clocking over a hundred miles a day to a winter destination in Central Mexico where they will end their remarkable nine-month life cycle. Where do they go exactly? Why do they do it?
First, there are a few, then hundreds, quickly followed by thousands. Soon the sky is dotted with over a million bats off on their nightly forage for food. They are cheered on by hundreds of spectators who crowd the Congress Avenue Bridge in Austin. Hundreds more line the banks of Lady Bird Lake, and even more watch from tour boats in the water.
When I need a respite from the hectic energy of New York City, I head to Strand Book Store, located in the heart of Manhattan, on Broadway just south of Union Square. Boasting “18 Miles of Books,” Strand has been tantalizing book lovers with new, used, and rare books since 1927.
