On the road again. To the Pacific Northwest. Seattle, Portland, and mountains in between. Flew into Seattle, rented a car — through Hotwire this time. Bought the cheapest car, ended up with Hertz and, surprise, a peppy Mazda 3, far better than what I paid for. It happens. Thing about Hotwire is that you buy the deal,…
The icy breath of winter followed me all the way to Cuba. I have been heading south from Ohio since Jan. 2, and finally, yesterday afternoon, off Cuba’s northern coast, I found the 60s, full of wind and churning seas. The air contained enough warmth that I sat outside, wrapped in a blanket, and gave thanks.…
News from the middle of the Atlantic Ocean: Passengers on a trans-Atlantic cruise aboard the SeaDream II jumped overboard for a dip last week. The 56-passenger cruise ship, one of two luxury vessels owned by SeaDream Yacht Club, was on a route from Spain to Puerto Rico. Passengers said they wanted to swim, said SeaDream…
Newspapers, magazines, Web sites, blogs, writers and photographers win awards in annual Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Competition National Geographic Traveler wins two gold awards — for its magazine and its Web site — in the 2009 Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Competition. Among other winners announced today in Guadalajara, Mexico, sister magazine, National Geographic Adventure, takes top honors in…
Twenty years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, and end to Germany's Iron Curtain, David Molyneaux returns for the celebrations. This is his seventh blog. Eastern Germans remember 1989 as the year of the big surprise. Decades had rolled by without much reason for hope of democracy. Then, in a matter of months, the old East German regime…
Twenty years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, and end to Germany's Iron Curtain, David Molyneaux returns for the celebrations. This is his sixth blog. Folks who live in Leipzig, Germany, are proud of the museum dedicated to the horrors of the old East German secret police, the Stasi. Truth gains value after you live in…
Twenty years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, and end to Germany's Iron Curtain, David Molyneaux returns for the celebrations. This is his fourth blog. In late October 1989, when there were two Germanies, The Plain Dealer of Cleveland, Ohio, sent me to West Germany to write articles for the Travel Section. Dour East Germany, behind the Soviet…
Twenty years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, and end to Germany's Iron Curtain, David Molyneaux returns for the celebrations. This is his third blog. For today's young travelers who zip around Europe, where borders of countries sometimes seem irrelevant, Germany in the 1950s, 60s, 70s and 80s may be difficult to comprehend. Germany was two countries. Down…
Twenty years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, and end to Germany's Iron Curtain, David Molyneaux returns for the celebrations. This is his second blog. With its museums, theaters, outdoor cafes, fine restaurants, youthful atmosphere and thriving cultural life, Berlin has reclaimed its position as one of the great cosmopolitan cities of the world. But for 44…