Something rare happened during this trip: I failed to unravel what makes Berlin tick. Meeting Rafa for a four-day break in the midst of a guidebook research assignment, he planned to show me why he loves the capital so much. In fact, everyone I know raves about Berlin. We saw killer museums, found interesting World War II remnants & enjoyed beautiful architecture; however, something seemed to be missing. What could it be?
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Deustchland? Not my typical Mediterranean home turf, for sure. I hadn’t been to Germany in at least 20 years, & all the cities above were completely new to me. With little time to brush up on some rusty, dusty German, I hoped for the best… & was pleasantly surprised. This book assignment helped me rediscover what a great destination Germany is. Let’s get going!
Read More »germany: guidebook research 2024
Everyone raves about the Palácio da Pena. Spectacular for sure, but endless crowds & high ticket prices make visiting the palace little more than an exercise in patience. Zero fun. Go to Sintra for natural beauty, but a better glimpse of royal family life can be found without the crowds on the same train line halfway between Lisboa & Sintra. Twenty years had passed since my first visit to the Palácio de Queluz, & strolling through its well-kept grounds made for a gorgeous, crowd-free morning.
Read More »queluz: what a palácio!
Porto may have never been the official home of the royal family, never the capital of Portugal or never the seat of an archdiocese. However, Porto has long been homebase for the Portuguese bourgeoisie: a vibrant class of businessmen, merchants & all the wealth they generated. No wonder one of the most visited sights in Porto is a monument to trade & a way of life that continues to define the city’s entrepreneurial character.
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I’ll wager that almost everyone who visits Sevilla has walked past the Cervecería Bar Giralda on Mateos Gago. Beginning as a kiosk in 1923 on nearby Plaza Virgen de los Reyes, owners moved to this more permanent spot when architect Vicente Traver renovated a pre-existing structure. Regionalist style was all the rage in 1920s Sevilla, so Traver incorporated what he found into his design then left no written record of his work. Archaeologists would uncover this gem one hundred years later…
Read More »sevilla: almohad baths, rediscovered