Category: Travelogues

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  Vientiane, Laos: An Afternoon at Buddha Park

  Marry Buddhism, Hinduism and a touch of whimsy, and the result is Buddha Park – a sprawling green space dotted with more than 200 concrete sculptures near Vientiane, the capital city of Laos. Hopping out of a minivan shared with French and Swiss travelers we’d met at Vientiane’s bus station, we expressed relief that we…

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  Santorini Wine: From an Eruption to Effervescence

  Each year, nearly half a million visitors flock to the striking island of Santorini. Many come to the legendary Greek island in search of black and red beaches, cool-blue infinity pools, and rugged cliffs speckled with whitewashed buildings. And many, I suspect, are unaware of the island’s intriguing and violent geological history, which shaped its tantalizing cuisine…

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  Sunrise, Sunset on Santorini

  Santorini days are bookmarked by some of the most majestic sunrises and sunsets I have ever seen. During the ten marvelous days we spent on this legendary Greek island, our sole task was to decide how to spend the time in between. And so we filled our agenda with a Santorini cooking class, learning how…

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  Cooking with Class in Santorini: Discovering the Greek Island’s Unique Gastronomy

  As we bid farewell to our charismatic Greek cooking class Sous-Chef, Daniel, he shared parting culinary wisdom with a twinkle in his eye: “Use your imagination and everything is possible. And remember – you needn’t measure – you must feel the taste.” We’d come to the elegant, highly-acclaimed Selene restaurant on sun-drenched Santorini, Greece. We would…

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  Savoring the Sunset at Greece’s Meteora Monasteries

  As we looked into the sea of Meteora’s dramatic rock formations illuminated by the setting sun, our Greek host, George, asked the five of us to observe two minutes of silence. Up until then, we’d been marveling at the beauty of Meteora’s monasteries perched atop the sheer rocks, snapping photographs, and continuing conversations started earlier…

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  Hiking to Greece’s Majestic Meteora Monasteries

  The monasteries of Meteora, Greece offer an impressive blend of natural and human-made beauty. Incredibly, some of these Eastern-Orthodox monasteries have crowned the tops of Meteora’s otherworldly rock formations for more than 700 years. Monks who were trying to escape persecution originally built 24 monasteries in this part of central Greece. Over the centuries, weather…