Last year’s canceled flights, shortages of pilots, flight delays, deficiency of ground crews and airport personnel, endlessly slow-moving security queues and images of luggage piled sky-high, gave us plenty of reasons to reconsider our upcoming flight to Europe. It would be our first major trip following the more than two-year lockdown. But as we were…

Years ago, when I got my history degree, I said to myself, “I’d better get a business degree, too, so I have something useful.” But I’ve learned over the years that if more people knew more about history, our world would be a better place. History is constantly speaking to us. Travelers enjoy a privileged…

Milan can’t compare with Rome and Florence artistically, but Italy’s second city hosts two noteworthy masterpieces: Michelangelo’s last pietà sculpture and Leonardo’s Last Supper. At Milan’s Sforza Castle I get a rare opportunity to enjoy a Michelangelo statue with no crowds. Michelangelo died while still working on the Pietà Rondanini, his last pietà — a…

When I tell my British friends I’m going to Blackpool, their expressions sour and they ask, “Oh, God, why?” My response: Because it’s a carnival-esque tipsy-toupee, ears-pierced-while-you­-wait place, where I can experience working-class England at play. For over a century, until the last generation, Blackpool, located on the west coast north of Liverpool, was where…

Even with COVID-19 and $7.50 to $9 a gallon gasoline, the basic rules for getting around within Europe remain as they were years ago: — Rent a car for exploring the countryside and staying in country inns. — Use a low-fare airline for long intercity or international trips. — Take trains if you’re staying in…

Two hours west of London, Glastonbury is a mecca for seekers. It gurgles with a thought-provoking mix of history and mystery. For the views, hike up the 500-foot-tall Glastonbury Tor (a grassy, conical clay hill capped with an old church tower), and you’ll notice the remains of the labyrinth that made climbing the hill a…

Nicknamed “the Brain of Veneto,” Padua is home to the prestigious university (founded in 1222) that hosted Galileo, Copernicus, Dante, and Petrarch. Pilgrims know this city for the Basilica of St. Anthony, where the faithful assemble to touch his tomb and marvel at his holy relics. It’s a great place to experience Italy: to make…

What’s on the menu this busy Friday night in Athens? A traditional menu says Katia lordanidou. An eggplant salad, fried cheese, Greek salad followed by stuffed tomatoes and peppers and a traditional dessert — mini fried donuts topped with honey and almonds. But we aren’t in a trendy Athens restaurant. We’re in Katia lordanidou’s and…

Like a cowboy at a rodeo, I sit atop my spot on the fence. A loudspeaker declares — first in Spanish, then in English — “Do not touch the wounded. That is the responsibility of health personnel.” A line of fluorescent-green-vested police sweeps down the street, clearing away drunks and anyone not fit to run….

Leaving Mostar, in Bosnia and Herzegovina, I drive south to yet another nation that emerged newly independent from the ashes of Yugoslavia: Montenegro. During my travels through this region, my punch-drunk passport has been stamped, stamped, and stamped again. While the unification of Europe has made most border crossings feel archaic, here the breakup of…