Montmartre, Montmartre, where the throngs and the songs continue Montmartre, Montmartre, where Paris (Paree) on a spree gets in you Montmartre, Montmartre Can Can While not home to the most recognizable sights in Paris, Montmartre is perhaps the most famous neighborhood, heavily represented in popular culture for more than a century. It is the traditional…
Bonn doesn’t get much love from the tourist community. It seems to always be passed over for the larger Cologne, about thirty minutes north by train. Well, that’s a shame. Bonn, while smaller than Cologne, has a lot going for it, and the price differential between staying here versus in Cologne itself makes it -…
Stepping off my morning train from Bonn and exiting the central train station of Cologne, I can’t help but stop and stare - and I’m not the only one. My entire field of vision is consumed by a huge stone edifice, spires and buttresses soaring into the sky. Cologne’s cathedral is imposing, to say the…
Romerberg has become one of the symbols of Frankfurt. The fairly small square is fronted by buildings seemingly out of the Middle Ages, the traditional German style that represents what so many people think of as truly European. The old city hall is gilded in gold - or something with a golden appearance, as I…
Editor’s note: during my month in Lisbon, I visited Sintra (read about it here), but did not make it to Obidos or Evora. We are fortunate to have Sam Spector to fill in those gaps for us, as well as offer his insights on Sintra itself. For more of Sam’s writing, click here to visit…
Growing up in California, I learned all about missions. Well, I learned a watered-down story of them, one of Spanish friars civilizing and colonizing the area, bringing farming techniques to the natives. It was, and in fact still is, part of the fourth grade curriculum, complete with visiting a local mission and - in my…
Editor's note: getting off the beaten path can lead to some amazing experiences, like this trip to Serbia by writer Sam Spector. When I was in Belgrade ten years ago, I remember thinking that it was going to be a hot destination, but wasn't quite there yet. I'm glad to see it made it! For…
Editor's note: it is impossible to capture the magnitude of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in a huge book, let alone in an article about visiting Bethlehem. Some aspects of the conflict are necessary to explain as they affect the day-to-day experiences a traveler, like our Sam Spector, would have. We at The Royal Tour recognize that…
When most people think of the Southern California coastline, they think of huge flat swaths of sand, paths for bikers and roller bladers, bikini-clad women and muscular men lying sunning themselves by the bright blue waters. While these things are true, there are also spots where the mountains end into the sea and rocky cliffs…
So you've come to Granada to see the Alhambra. You spent a day touring the incredible site, one of the finalists for the seven new wonders of the world, and maybe even watched the sun set from one of the view points in the city to see it glow in the twilight. Tomorrow you'll wake…