Be In the Know. Sign up to have DesignDestinations delivered right to your inbox, weekly.
The two vans pulled up in front of a stunning black beach, huge rocks visible in the distance. Known as the “stacks’ in Iceland, they were plunked there centuries ago by a volcano and carved by a retreating glacier. The landscape in Iceland, a small very “new” land in terms of world history, is...
In Tallinn, I went on the most interesting tour I’ve ever been on. It was as much theater as anything. Organized through Blue Drum Tours, Olavi Andla, arrived to pick us up in an old Russian bus, dressed like a KGB officer. Before we knew it, the bus wouldn’t work so some of the folks...
I did a blog post about the grandeur of St. Petersburg a couple of weeks ago. The city that Peter the Great established in 1600 is amazingly glamorous. Parks. Palaces. Gold and Gilt. Big on the tourist trak is visiting the lavish palaces, but we we saw other views on our brief visit there last...
I love Stockholm Gosh, I love Stockholm. So much to enjoy. It’s hard to narrow them down but I’m going to share five things I particularly will remember. Number 1: The Vasa Museum First and foremost is the Vasa Museum. I enjoyed and loved this so much I did a blog post on it already. […]
“To err is human, to stroll is Parisian. ” —Victor Hugo This quote from the 19th century expresses the best of Paris. The way to truly experience the city is to get out and walk. Meander. Have no purpose. No agenda. See what you can see. Truly, nothing is more quintessentially Parisian...
I have a friend who made it a goal to go to the 100 best golf courses in the world. He spent several years tracking them all down and enjoying their delights. I always thought this was a fun approach to travel. So, I’ve decided I to create my own travel challenge to visit all 20 […]
View from our Paris apartment window I often get asked about where we stay when we go to Paris. My response, “I like to stay in an apartment in different neighborhoods each visit.” It is the best way to really experience Paris. The Parc Monceau neighborhood was our home on a recent visit to the...
I don’t usually do posts that are “First we did this, and then we did that,” scenarios, but in this case I’m going to string together some sights and scenes of a French village that chances are you wouldn’t go to unless you know someone who lives there. We did….we were guests of Pascal and...
by R.J. Regan, Guest Blogger In April 2015, I chose to walk the pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago for my first trip to Europe. For over a thousand years people from all different backgrounds, faiths and generations have completed the 800 km (about 500 miles) journey from St Jean Pied de...
Last week I had a chance to visit Ireland in Chicago. Spending a couple of hours at the The Institute of Art’s exhibit “Ireland: Crossroads of Art and Design 1690-1840” was like taking a wee trip to the Emerald Isle. Now I’d rather go to the real Emerald Isle, but this exhibit was a […]