Beautiful Barcelona—Spain’s second most populated city and the capital of the country’s autonomous community Catalonia. Barcelona’s prime location on the Mediterranean coast has made it a sought-after spot over the last 2,000 years, notably by the Romans, whose grid plan remains today in the city’s historical center, the Barri Gòtic (Gothic Quarter). The area was then […]
Though Italian cities such as Rome, Florence, and Venice seem to receive the majority of travelers’ attention—and deservedly so—the country is home to many special towns full of medieval history, picturesque views, and unforgettable experiences. Urbino, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is one such place—a walled-in Renaissance town nestled against twin hills in the Marche […]
Bangkok, known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon, was first settled in the 15th century as a village and trading post on the west bank of the Chao Phraya River. It has since grown into not just the named capital of Thailand but also its political, economic, cultural, and spiritual center. More than 12 percent […]
According to legend, in the 8th century CE, a Czech duchess and prophetess named Libuše stood on a rocky cliff overlooking the Vltava River and ordered the building of a castle and town “whose glory will touch the stars.” That town was to be called Praha, also known as Prague. By the year 800, a […]
When sailor and writer Richard Henry Dana Jr. visited Southern California in the 1830s, he described San Juan Capistrano as, “the only romantic spot in California.” Author Johnston McCulley was so inspired by the surroundings he set his first Zorro novella, 1919’s “The Curse of Capistrano” (which later became the novel “The Mark of Zorro”), amid […]
Las Vegas. The city’s name immediately conjures visions of bright lights, showgirls, blackjack tables, and all-you-can-eat buffets. People from all over the world flock to Las Vegas looking for gambling, shopping, dining, and entertainment—and often make decisions meant to stay within the confines of county limits.
Set on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida, Miami is named for the river running through it, which came from the nearby Lake Mayaimi (now known as Lake Okeechobee). Indigenous cultures inhabited the area for thousands of years before explorer Pedro Menéndez de Avilés claimed it for Spain in 1566. Spain ceded Florida to the United […]
Human presence in Sedona, Arizona, has been documented as far back as 11,500 BCE. Originally inhabited by the Paleo-Indian people, who were big-game hunters, the ecologically diverse landscape and large amount of resources then attracted the pre-Archaic people to the area at around 9000 BCE. These hunter-gatherers left traces of their rock art at heritage […]