About ten years ago, I promised my nephews (best friends’ kids but don’t tell me I’m not their “actual” uncle) that I’d take each of them on a trip for their high school graduation, assuming they were still nice to me at that point. Well, the first one graduated, and - somewhat surprisingly to me…
France has no shortage of quality wine, and of quality wine regions. It seems like everywhere you might go in the country, you can find incredible local wine. To be fair, basically every glass of the house wine in any restaurant I’ve ever had has been good, if not great. 90% of the bottles I’ve…
I would guess that in the seventeenth century, the completion of this ambitious project would be much like that of the Panama Canal about 250 years later. While the time saved was less, the more or less constant state of war - or at least competition - between European powers meant that for France, the…
Editor’s note: in the earliest days of The Royal Tour, I went to Arkansas to see Hot Springs National Park. I spent a single night in Little Rock, saw Central High School, wrote nothing about it, and moved on. I am so glad that writer Sam Spector spent a weekend there now to right this…
There is no question that the medieval walled city of Carcassonne is one of the most unique and beautiful places to see in southwestern France. While the surrounding modern city is home to about 50,000 people now, it is the tiny walled portion that attracts visitors in droves. And it rightly should. This is my…
Cities are never one-dimensional. They aren’t defined by a single aspect, or one industry. And yet, for some - even for some truly major cities - there is one things that stands out above all others for which they are known. Los Angeles and the entertainment industry comes to mind, or Frankfurt and finance. Here…
Editor’s note: I loved my week in Seoul. I wrote about it. It was great. But there is a vast difference between spending a few days as a visitor and living there, as writer Mike shares with us here. For more of Mike’s writing, click here to visit his index page on The Royal Tour,…
Do you all remember last year, when I was invited by Visit St. Maarten to come to their amazing island? I spent a week exploring the history of both the Dutch and French sides, and experiencing some of the culture of the world’s smallest divided landmass. It was amazing, and you can check out my…
Friends, we have done it! After two months in the south of France exploring artists via their national museums and homes, we have reached the final one, at least for this trip. (You can find links to articles about Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, Pierre-August Renoir, and Marc Chagall by clicking on their names.) Welcome to…
Editor’s note: ramen occupies a place in my heart and in my soul. And while I prefer gourmet ramen, even the instant variety still has meaning in my life. While I have not been to Yokohama, I’ve had incredible ramen experiences all over Japan, but now Sam Spector has inspired a ramen pilgrimage for my…