Editor’s note: I spent a couple days in Istanbul a decade or so ago, and will be returning this coming year with TRT writer Dan Warren. This itinerary by our traveling rabbi Sam Spector is a perfect starting point for my trip, and will be for yours as well. For more of Sam’s amazing adventures,…
Editor’s note: part two of Sam Spector’s UAE trip focuses on the capital of Abu Dhabi. I won’t lie; this was not a place on my bucket list until reading these pieces, but I now feel the urge to plan a trip. For more of Sam’s amazing adventures, click here to visit his index page.…
Walking around Berlin can be a little eerie, especially to a Jewish guy like me. From here, Adolf Hitler and the Nazis did their best to exterminate my people. And traces are all over, from historical signage talking about what a building was under the Reich, to memorials, to museums. Despite how much exposure I…
Editor’s note: Like Sam, I loved my time in the Rhine Valley, although I based myself in Bonn and Cologne rather than south as he did. His take on the religious history of the region is amazing, a wonderful contrast to my own experience. For more of Sam Spector’s adventures, click here to visit his…
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: I was fortunate to spend a full month in Lisbon in early 2020, prior to the onset of Covid. Like Sam, I loved the city, and you can click here to read my guide to it, which in turn links to other in-depth articles about specific neighborhoods and aspects of life in Lisbon.…
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: it gives me great pleasure to introduce you all to Reina Abreyava, our newest writer here at The Royal Tour. I’ve known Reina for more than a decade now. She is smart, kind, driven, and downright wonderful. She is also, as you’ll come to find out, one heck of a writer, with her…
Editor’s note: I have to agree with Sam. Kamakura is an amazing day trip from Tokyo for those eager for a charming day outside the capital. Sam, however, does a better job capturing the appeal of the city than I could hope to do, and makes me want to return. For more of Sam Spector’s…