A Walk in Padua

A half hour by train west of Venice, Padua's piazzas are scented with a history that requires only one reference: Galileo taught there for years (starting in 1592) at the city's Bo Univeristy. Today, just over 200,000 people live in Padua, which continues to thrive because so many come to visit its vineyards, castles and trails. (Click on the article's title to read the complete story.)

Cobourg – Its Character

There’s no ordinary person,” a friend once insisted to me, “each is extraordinary.” He may have been right, more or less, and the proof is people such as Lena Fisher, who lived most of her life on a tree-shaded street in a town by Lake Ontario called Cobourg, about 150 kilometres east of Hamilton. (Click on the article's title to read the complete story.)

Little Britain: On The Isle of Wight

One of history’s most loved poets, Alfred Tennyson, truly liked the breezy air of the Isle of Wight off England’s south coast. He liked it so much he said it should be bottled and sold for sixpence a pint. My wife Barbara and I had been there years ago and recently decided to return. We were in the British architectural jewel of Bath, and caught a train heading south. Within a couple of relaxed hours, we were in the old coastal city of Southampton, walked onto a ferry and in half an hour had crossed to the island. (Click on the article's title to read the entire story.)

A Walk in Bath

The splendour of Britain’s famed city, Bath, is on its streets, like The Royal Crescent where our hotel was set. It’s been called the finest crescent in the world, a sweeping elliptical curve 150 metres long, with 30 adjoining homes, one of which, at its centre, is now the hotel where we stayed. (Click on the article's title to read the complete story.)

Baltic Cruising

Consider the cost and complexity of visiting in 10 days, these seven beautiful cities: Copenhagen, Stockholm, Helsinki, St. Petersburg, Tallin, Gdansk and Oslo. That’s the reason we chose a cruise. My wife Barbara and I went by ship with Princess line. It was a way to travel with manageable cost and efficiency, and included city tours by guides who knew them intimately and could provide intelligent commentary in clear language. (Click on the article's title to read the complete story.)