Croatia has some of the most spectacular coastline anywhere on the planet. One interesting part of that spectacle? All the Europeans who come there to get naked at the beach. In this post I’ll talk about the history of the nudist scene in Croatia, and some of the practicalities of checking it out, if that’s your thing.

I hope everyone is nurturing some travel dreams for the not too distant future, and in this post I’ll give my top recommendations for where to travel in Eastern and Central Europe over the next year. As much damage as the pandemic has done to the travel industry, for people who are ready to hit the road again soon, you’ll find some incredible opportunities and bargains.

If you want to do a deep dive on the most important family in European history—or, heck, even if you don’t want to go fully down the rabbit hole, but do want to learn a bit more—then I’ve got some resources for you. These are a few websites, movies/tv series, and books (besides the one I wrote) that are all worth exploring. Enjoy—I’d be interested to hear if you have any favorites!

You can easily imagine that the Habsburgs, as the most important family in European history, amassed some pretty amazing real estate. And who hasn’t dreamed of living in a palace, of relishing the crème-de-la-crème life of European royalty? The Habsburgs didn’t have to dream, of course, but we can all indulge our “let them eat cake” fantasies by touring the lavish homes they left behind. So let’s play “House Hunters International” with my picks for the most fabulous Habsburg palaces!

If you could live anywhere in the world -- money, career, and family ties aside -- where would that be? What’s your shortlist?

Vita nuova translates to “new life,” and through prose and poems Dante describes his relationship with the love of his life, Beatrice. These two first met in Florence when they were nine years old, and then again when they were 18. The early poems in Vita nuova show Dante as a young man besotted with Beatrice’s beauty, love-sick like a hormonal teenager. As in any pop-culture romance, his infatuation has its ups and downs. He’s devastated when Beatrice refuses to greet him in the street. He even has a dream in which Love appears to him personified, and feeds Dante’s heart to Beatrice.

The Czech Republic’s Vltava River begins in the Šumava Mountains, ends near Prague, and flows through some of the country’s most beautiful scenery. That’s why it inspired the most famous piece of classical music in Czech culture: the symphonic poem Vltava (you might know its English title, The Moldau), named after the river, and composed by Bedřich Smetana. Smetana’s piece is a paean to the wonders of the Czech landscape.

Move over, Mardi Gras. Slow down that samba, Rio de Janeiro. There’s another Lenten carnival that’s just as fun a party—plus it’s got monsters. I’m talking about Ptuj’s kurentovanje.

One of the most storied areas in the Czech Republic are the Krkonoše Mountains, on the border with Poland. Krkonoš is the Czech name for the famous local mountain spirit, also known by his German moniker Rübezahl... who sometimes takes the form of a giant.

What do escalators have to do with democracy?

Sounds like a riddle, right? Well, as with most riddles, the answer is pretty obvious when you hear it. In this case, Medellín, Colombia’s second city, provides the clue.

It’s something I wish weren’t true, but I have to admit it: I love carbs. I mean, what’s better than hot, fresh bread? You know what else I love, despite myself? Fat. I think most people do; it’s probably hard-wired and evolutionary. So what actually is  better than hot, fresh bread? How about smothering it with something deliciously fat—like cheese?