My grandfather gave me a copy of Goethe’s Italian Letters before I took the train south from Frankfurt to Lake Garda, in the Sudtirol region of northern Italy. I read as much as I could as I wound through the summer valleys of the Alps that peeked at me as I sped past, finding just enough [...]

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Mercadillo del Duque la Magdalena – Plaza del Duque / Plaza de la Magdalena, Seville, 41001, Spain
Located in the Arenal area of Seville, the Mercadillo del Duque la Magdalena is where shoppers go to find fashion and handmade jewelry, hats, scarves, bags (I’ve found some wonderful leather goods there), sunglasses, soaps and perfumes (among other [...]

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Nothing beats a European city break like a good cathedral.  Stained glass, vaulted ceilings, dusty floors and echoing walls – you don’t need to be religious to appreciate these gorgeous architectual monuments.  Here are some of my favourite European cathedrals:
Durham Cathedral – Durham, England

I think Bill Bryson says it best: “I unhesitatingly gave Durham my vote [...]

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Sweden is full of UNESCO World Heritage sites with quite a few of them just around Stockholm.  There’s Birka, the Viking Age town, there’s Drottningholm, a royal residence, and then there’s Skogskyrkogården. The woodland cemetery.

When I think World Heritage sites I think of historical buildings, or ancient towns, not cemeteries from the beginning of the [...]

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Germany and Austria have a centuries old tradition of Christmas Markets. The Markets are wonderful events that combine arts and crafts, such as wood carvings and glass crystals, with concerts and regional food and drink.
This cruise beginning at $499 on the Danube River features visits to three Christmas Markets and a Vienna city tour.
It includes:
•    [...]

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