If ever the name of a place could conjure up specific imagery, Tombstone, Arizona is such a place. The town, a silver boomtown in the late nineteenth century, has been sensationalized in books, songs, and films as a rough and tumble western outpost, with its entire history summed up by a singular event: the gunfight…
The last time I was here I was maybe eight years old. I was not the same person and this was not the same Watts, a neighborhood in South Central Los Angeles best known for a series of riots in 1965. But these are the same Watts Towers. The soaring man-made pinnacles, the tallest of…
Solvang looks like any other Danish village. Wildflowers line streets filled with buildings looking like they are straight out of a Hans Christian Anderson fairy tale. Heck, there is even a statue of Anderson in the local park! Bakeries are everywhere, serving danishes and butter cookies. The sun is shining, and the nearby Mission Santa…
Lyon is France's third largest city and second largest metro area. Sitting at the confluence of the Rhône and Saône rivers in the shadow of the Alps, it is a perfect base to explore eastern France. More than that, it is an incredible destination in its own right, and is easily my favorite city in…
In the year 43 BC, what is now Lyon was founded as the Roman city of Lugdunum. 2,062 years later Jonathan from The Royal Tour visited the city, now a proper modern metropolis. As the great Rabbi Hillel would have said, "That is the whole history of Lyon. The rest is commentary. Now go and…
Lyon, France's third largest city, is beautiful, and the Presqu'ile - the "almost island" between the Rhône and Saône - is especially so. The buildings here are nineteenth century marvels, with intricate stone facades, domes, and balconies. It is only natural, when walking around, to look up at them. However, visitors also need to make…
Bordeaux is best known for being the wine capital of France - and rightly so. But it is much more than just a place to get good wine. It is a historical center, a bastion of creativity, and a place to just live a good and happy life! In a month spent living in this…
In 1305, Pope Clement V, under pressure from King Phillipe IV of France, refused to move to Rome and instead established his court at Avignon, where he purchased the city and its surroundings from the Provençal ruler. This began the only period of popes ruling from outside Rome, and led to decades of competing popes.…
Thinking of Southern France evokes images of sandy beaches and blue waters, and it has those in spades. However, for those who desire a bit more history and culture, just a short one hour train ride (or two hours by bus) from your base in Marseille lies Nimes, home to some of the best preserved…
Outside of the Mediterranean, there are a few areas in the world with a Mediterranean climate: the cape of South Africa, Chile, and the California coast. Perhaps that's why, when oil tycoon J Paul Getty wanted to build a replica Roman villa on the cliffs of Malibu to house his art collection, nobody called him…