It is apparent from the moment my tour bus begins the approach into Kalabaka, a small town at the foot of the Meteora rock formations. Photos and descriptions just cannot do this place justice. They can’t capture the beauty of the monasteries atop narrow rock pinnacles. They can’t give proper scale to the enormity of…
From the dawn of the Greek world under the Bronze Age civilizations of the Minoans and Mycenaeans, the wisdom of the gods was sought. Would we be successful in war? Would the harvest be a plentiful one? Would one grow up to kill one’s father and marry one’s mother? All these burning questions, and more,…
Editor’s note: it has been a lot of years now since I visited Madrid in the early days of The Royal Tour. (Click here to read my guide from back then.) I loved it, and my visit to Toledo while there. Funny enough, I tried to also see El Escorial, but did a poor job…
Editor’s note: I have a Morocco trip booked for next year, which begins in Casablanca. After reading this, I’ve decided to add a couple extra days in the city prior to my tour starting. What can I say? Sam Spector’s writing has that effect on me! For more of Sam’s awesome adventures, click here to…
Editor’s note: I’ve been to Tzfat twice, although not since I was much younger. My tallit (Jewish prayer shawl) is from here, and is one of my most valued possessions. For Jews, or for those who seek to learn more about Judaism, it is an amazing place to visit. For more of Rabbi Sam Spector’s…
Editor’s note: I’ve been to Japan twice, but have not made it down to Hiroshima. It is the single top place on my Japan bucket list for my next trip, and I’m grateful to writer Sam Spector for his brief but awesome guide to a visit. For more of Sam’s adventures, click here to visit…
Editor’s note: with the third on a series of Uzbekistan, I can safely say that readers will add this Central Asian country to their bucket lists thanks solely to Sam Spector. You can click here to read about Bukhara and here to read about Tashkent. And for all of Sam’s amazing writing, click here to…
Editor’s note: this is the second article of TRT writer Sam Spector’s journey to Uzbekistan. Click here to read the first, about Tashkent. If these two pieces don’t make you want to make this trip, nothing will! For more of Sam’s amazing adventures, click here to visit his index page. Outside of Uzbekistan, if people…
Several years ago, after my first trip to Japan, I wrote an article about how I thought Kyoto was overrated. (Click here to read it.) But fresh off my return trip to my previously least favorite city on the planet, Naples, which led to a redemption of sort, I was excited to go back to…
I’ve done this trip twice, once on each of my journeys to Japan. And both times, it has been among the highlights of my entire time in the country. After all, combining one of the coolest temples in a country full of cool temples with a chance to feed the sacred deer is a day…