As the winter chill draws down over the Northern Hemisphere and the superyacht fleet sets sail for warmer climes, it’s time to turn our attention to the exotic winter yachting destinations that will extend your summer. From the remote coral atolls of the Maldives to the sugar-white beaches of the Caribbean, here are some exotic places to relax under the palm trees, dive in warm clear waters, and enjoy some fantastic winter sun. Yacht Charters Cruise the bewitchingly pretty … [Read more...]
10 Disappearing Beaches
When seas rise, beaches disappear. And even setting climate change aside, scientists predict a twenty-five–thirty centimeters rise in ocean levels by the end of this century. And for each two and a half centimeters the ocean rises, a beach gets on average one meter narrower. You may add to that sinking coastal lands, increasing violent storms, and humans interfering with natural beach architecture by dredging channels and building seawalls and jetties, and you'll have a recipe for … [Read more...]
Beautiful Budapest
Budapest is a city crossed (and divided in two) by the Danube, and it is the capital of Hungary, a Catholic country former part of the Hapsburg Empire. Hungarians themselves are descendants of Turkic populations from Urals Mountains which invaded the Carpathian Basin around 862 AD, mixed with Khazars. They are not Huns. They may have some Gepidic blood, because Gepids are the ones who defeated Huns and erased them from historical existence after 454 AD. The name comes from Buda and Pest, the … [Read more...]
Cyprus, the Half-European Island
What’s not to love about Cyprus? With its scenic coastline, breath-taking views, delicious cuisine and friendly locals, this is one destination that needs to be added to your bucket list. As the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily and Sardinia, the island is geographically located in Asia, however, politically it is a European country. It is also a half member of the European Union. Legend speaks of Cyprus being the birthplace of the goddess Aphrodite. It is only … [Read more...]
Pulpit Rock, Norway
Preikestolen, also known by the English names of Preacher's Pulpit, or Pulpit Rock, or Preacher's Rock (only such a thing exists in USA already, on the Georgia portion of the Appalachian Trail), and by a Norwegian local name translated as "the carpenter-plane’s blade", is a massive cliff of 604 meters above Lysefjorden, in Ryfylke, Norway. It is one of the coolest places on earth, visited unfortunately by just between a hundred and fifty thousand and two hundred thousand people per year. After … [Read more...]
Bangkok, the City of Angels
Most travelers first arrive in Bangkok at the new Suvarnabhumi Airport, a glittering and spacious introduction to a city where claustrophobia and crowds generally rule. I have arrived there by ship, so I was "parked" somehow on the river running through the center of the city and despite not knowing the language, I never considered Krung Thep ("City of Angels") that annoying sort of challenge. They say it's tiring and difficult to pass freely. They have a traffic, I assure you, but it's a … [Read more...]