You likely already know that’s a trick question.  This tiny dot in the eastern South Pacific Ocean, but technically a territory of Chile, is actually properly called Rapa Nui.  The world over, Easter Island has been synonymous with exotic mysteries of an impossibly distant, long-lost civilization and mind-boggling human endeavor.  It may be the most remote inhabited island on the planet.  Only a few thousand people live on this remnant of oceanic volcanoes sticking out of the sea, and that’s the first miracle itself.  The closest inhabited island is 1300 miles away (Pitcairn Island with only 50 people), and the nearest continental point is Chile, over 2000 miles away.  Local…

More people visit the Louvre in Paris than any other museum in the world. The French President has announced a sweeping renovation plan for the iconic institution, to the tune of about 800 million euros over the next decade.  It’s hard to believe that the last time the Louvre had a makeover was over 30 years ago! That’s when I.M. Pei’s glass pyramid was added to the courtyard to serve as the museum’s main entrance.  Remember when that contemporary glass pyramid in the courtyard of the 16th-century royal palace in the heart of historic Paris was controversial? Now, next to the Eiffel Tower, it’s the most iconic view of Paris. …

Castles top the list of sights we want to discover when we travel. They let us walk in the very footsteps of history, where battles were won and lost and epoch-changing events took place. Castles were inhabited by history-makers and doers of deeds that became the basis for fairytales and legends that defined the romance of centuries past.  As defensive fortifications, they were often extraordinary structures built in extreme landscapes, and we marvel at the ingenuity and craftsmanship that managed to perch massive castles on hilltops, the edges of cliffs, on remote islands and in other impossible places.  As I describe castles, you are probably picturing Europe – those turreted,…

Scotland’s so-called ‘Second City’ takes center stage in 2025 as it celebrates its 850th birthday. If you’ve only been to Edinburgh, it’s time to put Glasgow on the top of your Scottish travel list and discover its history and the thriving, vivid, cultural hub of modern Scotland on the River Clyde that’s even a UNESCO City of Music.  Far bigger than Edinburgh, Glasgow’s size exploded during the Industrial Revolution, which led to its reputation being compared negatively to Edinburgh’s perennial medieval and almost fairytale charms.  But Glasgow has thousand-year-old origins, too.  Glasgow’s name comes from the Scottish Gaelic ‘Glaschu’, meaning ‘dear green hollow,’ reflecting its early pastoral setting along the River…