As a writer, I’m rarely lost for words. I pride myself on being able to take in an experience and distill it out onto paper (screen) easily, efficiently, and relatively well. And yet standing here inside the “forest” of columns inside the unique Basilica of the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, I can only come up…
Editor’s note: As we explore writer Sam Spector’s trip to India together over the coming weeks, you’ll hear me say this a lot: I am so grateful for Sam’s visit and writing since I am taking my own first trip to India in November. So you can bet that I’m eagerly writing down his recommendations!…
Anywhere you go in France, you are bound to have good food. Fresh baguettes, the very best cheeses, great wine, rich stews, and more… all of these make France one of the best - if not the absolute top - food destinations in the world. Here in Toulouse, in France’s southwest, you’ll of course find…
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…
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,…
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…
There is something magical waking up in Toulouse. I emerge from my apartment in the Saint-Etienne district, one of three that makes up the historic Toulouse center, and walk outside. I am immediately greeted by blue skies, briskly moving white clouds in the wind (Toulouse gets almost 300 windy days per year, a result of…