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An Afternoon in Porto, Best Left Unplanned
Follow Your Appetite Every good afternoon has to start somewhere, and for me, that was Mercado Bom Sucesso, a large market hall packed with vendors serving everything from traditional Portuguese food to delicious treats. Here you can find just about anything to satisfy your cravings. If you want a real taste of Portuguese culinary culture,…
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The green drink everyone can’t stop sipping: Matcha
WHAT’S THE TEA? Matcha’s story begins long before Nora Ephron’s 1998 romantic comedy. Its deeper roots can be traced to China, where tea leaves were steamed and pressed into cakes or bricks for storage and transport during the Tang and Song dynasties. By the Song dynasty, powdered tea was whisked with hot water – a…
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One of Africa’s Greatest Surprises Wears a Tuxedo
A few thousand of these endemic souls have commandeered a popular swimming beach just outside of Cape Town in Simon’s Town to nest, socialize, swim, and strut, albeit clumsily, across the sand. Visit Boulders Beach, and share the shore with these charismatic charmers, a unique only-in-Africa experience. You’ll hear them before you see them. Their…
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Vacation shouldn’t come with a list of chores
MAYBE I’M THE ONE WHO CHANGED When I was younger, I thought you could measure luxury. A bigger room. A bigger kitchen. More bedrooms. More space. These days it’s taken on a whole new meaning. Luxury is someone else making the bed.Luxury is not wondering where the extra garbage bags are.Luxury is asking the concierge…
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The best of Bern: how to spend your free time in Switzerland’s capital
BERN IN REWIND In 1902, a 23-year-old patent clerk moved to Switzerland’s capital city and rented an apartment on the second floor in Bern. By day, Albert Einstein worked at the Swiss Patent Office, evaluating inventions. In the evenings, on walks through the city, and during hours carved out from a demanding work schedule, he…
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The one thing a video can’t capture
It’s a fair question. As an avid YouTube watcher myself, I spend hours watching DIY projects, interviews, travel videos, home repairs, and just about everything in between. Video is an incredible way to learn, discover, and experience places from afar. But it’s not a one-to-one replacement. So yes, I could send you a YouTube video.…
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The adventures we keep putting off
THE SWEET SPOT That’s what I really appreciate about these Roam by Tauck journeys. They don’t ask you to summit Everest or run an ultramarathon. They simply give you the time and the opportunity to do things that rarely make it onto the calendar anymore. To move. To break a sweat. To feel alive again.…
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In Florence, Connection Is Everywhere (If You Know Where to Look)
When Florence started to open up I found my footing when I stumbled upon a tiny sandwich shop along the Arno River. I had stopped in hoping for a bottle of water, but when the owner shook his head no, I assumed I was out of luck. Instead, he told me to wait. What followed…
