I was an Athenian last Summer, and like any good Athenian, I used to take weekend trips to islands near Athens. My favorite escapade was to Hydra, The island famous for the absence of motor vehicles (you can choose between walking or riding a donkey) is extremely chic, with stylish shops and luxury accommodation. The […]
A Taste of the Exotic – Top 3 Places for Portuguese Food in Macau
Macau has always captured my imagination for its rich traditions and unique qualities. Once a Portuguese colony, it is today a special administrative region of China, just like Hong Kong. Thanks to its colonial past, it offers some fabulous Portuguese cuisine, which has earned several well-deserved Michelin stars. Macau is, however, more famous for its […]
Casapueblo – A perfect blend of Art, Nature, and Architecture
Few artists have had the chance to create their own living museums, their perfect havens. Carlos Páez Vilaró is one of them. A disciple of the likes of Picasso and Torres García, Páez Vilaró created Casapueblo, a dreamlike affair that combines a hotel, an artist´s workshop, and an art gallery. I once had a romantic […]
Before I returned to Rio de Janeiro after last Christmas, the idea of the city I had in my mind was a mix of images of Corcovado, Jobim and Vinicius melodies, and a story about my friend Ana and one of her girlfriends ending up in the wrong side of town, in their car, in […]
5 Unforgettable sights from South Island, New Zealand
Sunny beaches and snowy peaks Anyone with a passion for the great outdoors will enjoy New Zealand´s South Island. Whether skiing at the top of the Southern Alps or exploring the fiords, relaxing on golden sand beaches or hiking through the forests, any visitor can get a feel of this quintessential Maori territory by experiencing […]
The Ultimate Bucket List – From frozen waterfalls to Mars-walking
Seven exotic destinations that will captivate anyone with a desire to visit the road less traveled: Petra, the Amazon, Macchu Picchu, Antelope Canyon, the Norwegian fjords, Iceland, and Bora Bora.
Ultimately, that is what life is all about, creating as many unforgettable moments as we can, for as long as we can, every single day of our lives, and cherishing them for as long as we are in this world.
Nine fabulous things to do on a Spring Break cruise
I have been lucky to be able to do my fair share of traveling and cruising. Although I have never been much of a “tourist,” I have had many near-paradise experiences over the years. Much of my cruising was actually done during Spring Break, so, I came up with the idea of suggesting some fabulous […]
The transformation of Limerick – A prime destination in Ireland
Even visitors who are familiar with Limerick may be surprised with the fabulous transformation the city is currently undergoing. Accompanying a steady transition from old to new, stylish new waterfront developments and numerous new attractions are being added to the traditional atmosphere of Limerick's bustling bars, lively music scene and historical landmarks.
I have always loved Punta Ballena and Portezuelo. I used to go there with my family when I was a child, I have stayed at the magnificent Casapueblo, I often attend jazz concerts at Medio y Medio, and frankly, as soon as I get there, everything always seems perfect. It´s a perfect love story, as […]
We travel, supposedly, to know the heart of a place, to find what is unique about each corner of the world. In our globalized world, however, especially when visiting big cities, we tend to get, in reality, a bit of many worlds.
Top-rated cruise ships in the world – A photo blog
Cruising can be a fun, comfortable and trouble-free option for seeing many different places over a short period of time. While I favor longer cruises with overnights and long port times, I also LOVE Hawaii, which requires spending about 4 days in a row at sea, and often dealing with sea-sickness, depending on what Neptune […]
10 Cruising myths exposed – It’s not always like on The Love Boat! (by a former cruise staff)
Someone asked me to try to share some of my expertise on cruising here, So, I came up with a list of things most people commonly expect from cruising, which they do not always get.
Antes de poner un pie en las Malvinas, lo único que realmente sabía acerca de ellas era que había habido una guerra entre Argentina e Inglaterra por la posesión de su territorio en los ochentas.Los uruguayos, con una cercanía cultural muy profunda con la Argentina, nos habíamos visto naturalmente inclinados a apoyar el lema de […]
Fascinating Gibraltar: Mysteries of a Mediterranean beauty
As things are, I am probably the only person I know who has been to both Gibraltar and the Falkland islands. These two special places have one interesting thing in common: they are much contested UK territories outside of the UK, people are bilingual Spanish-English in both of them, and they seem to have a […]
New Zealand – A seafaring paradise with awe-inspiring traditions
As it usually happens to me with films and places, I fell in love with New Zealand for the first time after watching a movie. In this case, it was Lee Tamahori’s superb ONCE WERE WARRIORS. This is a 90’s movie, so, NZ and I actually go way back, but many years would pass until […]
I visited Hilo many times. Every single time, it rained at some point. Meanwhile, when I sailed into the other side of the Big Island, the sun was always shining. Apparently, there is a scientific explanation for this, but I won´t go into that now. I remember two special times fondly. Once, my Canadian friends […]
A few years back, I crossed the Panama canal a couple of times on a cruise ship. Oddly enough, my most vivid memory of the canal is of a gay Philipino boy named Joy who was withening my teeth at the spa in front of the window, during the crossing. I did actually write a […]
Though I wouldn't call myself adventurous, I have a flair for the unexpected,
for wandering down strange alleys and deserted beaches and going to the other side of the sand dune
to see what lies behind.
As soon as I saw the sunflower fields far as the eye could see, I knew we had entered Tuscany. No other place could be this beautiful, so green and inviting to all the pleasures of the world.
The only thing that this little Caribbean island, not to be confused with the Dominican Republic, is known for is because the famous writer Jean Rhys once lived there.
It is very hard to connect the images of charming little Dubrovnik on the Dalmatian coast; with its cliffs overlooking blue seas and the perfect beige buildings with their orange roofs scattered across the hills, to Croatia´s violent past.
Venice is a labyrinth of canals. It is easy to get lost on its narrow meandering streets, no matter how many maps you are carrying. The good thing about Venice is that getting lost there is a bliss.
Impressive rock formations, crystalline water, delicious seafood, a dolphin swim and fired up tequila on your coffee to top it off. You gotta love Cabo.
The Med is one of my favorite places on the planet. Since Europeans decided to switch to Euro and the dollar went downhill, European travel has become very expensive. Coming from Uruguay, some of the local prices seem outrageous, considering the exchange rate with the Uruguayan peso. In any case, I have been around the […]
One place I will never tire of seeing in Rome is the iconic, if anything was ever iconic, Trevi Fountain. Eversince Anita Ekberg dipped her feet in the fountain´s green waters in Fellini´s “La Dolce Vita”, everyone who comes to Rome wants to see the place.
One of my most vivid images of Waikiki is of listening to a Hawaiian band playing Iz´s version of “Somewhere over the Rainbow”, with the sun going down behind them. There was just something fundamentally Hawaiian about that scene, the beautiful music, the Hawaiian-shirt-clad musicians with their ukeleles, and the silhouettes surfing into the sunset in the background.
I just didn´t want to go back to sleep on the ship. Simply, I NEEDED a connection. It was not about booking a hotel and staying there by myself...
This was MAUI!!! I had to see those Maui stars, whatever the cost.
