I’ve come to terms with the fact that I often find myself going against the grain when I travel. Even though being a backpacker and staying in hostels is hardly outside the norm these days, to many vacationers who want nothing more than a “holiday,” the idea of…
But what happened after 1962? If it’s not abundantly clear by now, I’m a big fan of visiting museums wherever I travel. Whereas other travelers may quickly write these institutions off as “boring” and “stuffy,” I find them fascinating gateways that weave the historical, social and artistic threads…
It’s difficult for me to wrap my head around the fact that the islands of Trinidad and Tobago are a united country when culturally, historically and aesthetically they feel so distinct and separate. I don’t write this to cause division, but simply to underline the stark contrast between…
“In preparing for battle, I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable.” -Dwight D. Eisenhower I never thought I would be quoting Eisenhower in a blog post about Tobago, but there you have it folks. Although the former president was referring to his past…
Of the nearly 200 United-Nations recognized countries on this planet, it was the thirteen Caribbean-bound republics that I assumed would be my bête noire.
As I wrap up my postings on Luxembourg, the last stop on my Benelux sojourn, a hike along the Müllerthal Trail will be the perfect activity to reflect upon this foray into Western Europe
After my train from Brussels pulled into Luxembourg’s central station, I eagerly made my way through the city streets with my backpack in tow, but quickly sensed something was amiss. Shops were closed; flags were all lowered to half-mast; a police/military presence manned barricades near the Palais Grand-Ducal.…
I’m not particularly fond of the term “dark tourism.” In the travel industry, this traditionally refers to destinations that are associated with death and tragedy and would encompass places like The Killing Fields in Cambodia, World War II concentration camps, slave forts in West Africa, the genocide museums in Rwanda and Liberia and the prison cells where Sandinistas were held in Nicaragua.
Luxembourg is a deceptive city. The differences between its layout on a grid versus the geographical reality you will find there are vast.
As far as I know, Cole Porter didn’t have Luxembourg on the brain when he wrote those lyrics, but he might as well have.