This is the center of Toulouse. That statement is true both from a literal standpoint - the Place du Capitole is about halfway between the Saint-Etienne cathedral and Saint-Sernin basilica, the two most important religious sites (arguably) in the city - and from a practical one. This is, after all, both Toulouse’s current city hall…
Editor’s note: Like Sam, I was also in Hong Kong for a single day, although mine came after ending a cruise more than ten years ago. It was a time before the current ongoing political saga with mainland China cracking down on some of the city’s freedoms. In that light, while I would love to…
Traveling around Europe is neat. More importantly, it is efficient. Between public and private train lines, affordable budget airlines, and buses, I have never had an issue getting between cities without renting a car. (I hate driving in other countries, and to be honest, if I never had to drive again, even at home, I’d…
Sometimes, I get nervous about returning to a place. More often than not, it is because on an original visit, I did not enjoy the experience. So the thought of going back is a sort of dread, wondering how poorly my time will go on this next go around. (To be fair, my return trip…
Nice is nice. That’s something I said at least a few times a day during my month in the unofficial capital of France’s Côte d’Azur. But the reality is that Nice is more than just nice. It’s a really lovely city with natural beauty, good food, and some surprisingly cool history and culture. The odds…
Before coming to Nice, this was not an article remotely on my radar. The only Nicoise food I’d heard of was the same-named salad, a monstrosity of a thing with canned tuna, egg, green beans, tomatoes, and olives. I figured the rest was basic provencale, generic Mediterranean, or cliche French. Heck, even after being here…
There are a lot of things that go wrong during travel. The weather doesn’t cooperate and you do one of the most beautiful drives in fog so thick you can’t see more than a few feet. A museum you desperately want to see is closed for refurbishment unexpectedly. A flight gets canceled, illness pops up,…
Editor’s note: I loved Cartagena after spending two full weeks there in 2024. Colonial history, beauty, and stunning coffee made it a destination absolutely worthwhile. You can read my guide here. I am so glad Sam also enjoyed his time! For more of Sam Spector’s awesome writing, click here to visit his index page. I…
By 1946, Pablo Picasso was probably the most famous artist in the world. His career had stretched from the turn of the century to now, nearly 50 years of periods blue, rose, cubist, and surrealist. He had changed art, had mastered all forms he tried, and had achieved the professional acclaim most artists hadn’t found…
“The pain passes, but the beauty remains.” In the early 1890s, famed French painter Pierre-August Renoir developed severe rheumatoid arthritis. Only in his 50s, recently married to his model Aline Charigot, with one son born and another on the way (he would ultimately have three), he was told to seek warmer climates in the south…