Be In the Know. Sign up to have DesignDestinations delivered right to your inbox, weekly.
At the very end of our Christmas Markets River Cruise we taken to Switzerland and stayed in Interlaken before heading home from Zurich. This trip was organized by the Smithsonian. It was an odd time to be there. Definitely off season. Interlaken is one of the oldest and most popular holiday...
I probably wouldn’t have chosen to go to Switzerland in early in December, especially the area we visited, but Smithsonian Travel added it to a Rhine River Cruise of Christmas Markets so there you have it. Off we went. We went to Switzerland after the active warmer weather seasons for...
by guest bloggers, Ann Wojtysiak and Leonardo Tombelli Flying in from Rome, whitewashed hill towns, centuries-old farmland, and hundreds of kilometers of Mediterranean coastline came into view as we landed in the southern Italian port city of Bari. Arriving first at the port city of...
On a Moving Hotel Taking a river boat cruise in the winter months has never been on my bucket list, but when I saw the advertising for one that focused on the Christmas Markets, I thought, “How fun. I can learn some German history and culture and do my Christmas shopping all at once”....
When we signed up for a Christmas Markets River Boat Cruise, I mused “I wonder how many people would sign up to spend a week going to Christmas Markets. Well it turns out a whole boat load of people. Actually more than that. While we were on the Silver Amadeus, I saw other […]
Berlin has always been one of those cities that has held a magnetism for me. When I think of the city images of the 1920s and club scene come to mind. The Nazi’s marching and put up their right arms. Straight and disciplined. Interesting art. German Expression. I wanted to see it all so...
by Sheryl Jurries, Guest Blogger As I was wandering around our local senior center, I spotted a travel flyer drumming up interest in a “Discover Ireland” tour. “Well,” I thought, “that sounds like something I need to do.” Next thing I knew, I was on a tour bus with folks from 3 countries set to...
In October, I got a proposal for a Photo Workshop in Paris over New Year’s and my gosh, I wanted to do it. Capturing Paris when it isn’t crowded with tourists would be so cool. A special New Year’s dinner all organized. Put together by a well known and excellent Street...
by guest blogger, Kate Dernocoeur I had never heard of the Lofoten Islands until I read this: “Take in the magnificent archipelago within the Arctic Circle, with its jagged peaks, sheltered bays of bright blue water, white sand beaches, and windswept grasslands.” A visit there was being pitched...
by Guest Blogger, Kate Dernocoeur For two years (thank you, Covid), reservations for a three-night stay in Norway’s second-largest city lingered, awaiting my eventual arrival. At last! The opportunity came and I grabbed it. I’ll just put it out there: I fell in love with Bergen. Traveling on...