Vieques

I grew up in Puerto Rico and visited most of the island during those years and trips since, and yet I had never ventured to Vieques, one of two smaller isles (with Culebra) just…


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San Juan After “Maria”

Puerto Rico was devastated by Category 5, Hurricane Maria, almost a year and a half ago, but I had heard they were making headway in the recovery efforts; electricity and…


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MARRAKECH FOR CHRISTMAS

Today, Marrakesch, that was once one of the capitals of the region, which gave its name to the country, Morocco, is an enclosed area with red walls (by royal decree) located in a…


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Bastides of Gascony

There are about 300 bastides (bastidas in the provencal language, or the langue d'Oc) in Gascony and the Guyenne to the north of Gascony. These fortified towns were built in the…


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The Basque Coast

The Maria Cristina, built in 1912 and extensively restored in 1987, is part of ITT Sheraton's Luxury Collection of exclusive hotels. It maintained as San Sebastian's finest hotel…


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Gascony September 1996

We were tired, but hungry and eager for some local food when we arrived in Toulouse. Using the Michelin and Gault-Millau guides, we picked three bistros as likely candidates to…


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Brittany July 1997

France has steadily moved away from it's rural agricultural heritage over the last thirty years. Changes in Brittany have been particularly noticeable. The traditional coiffe,or…


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Foie Gras

"Foie Gras Event Is Killed by Protests"is the headline that caught my attention in the NY Times on Tuesday, August 24, 1999. Michael Ginor, whose Hudson Valley Foie Gras is prized…


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Brittany July 199

In July of 1999, we were back in Brittany to attend a family wedding. It turned out to be a typical French country wedding -- a ceremony in a 15th century Gothic church followed…


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Paris July 2001

L'Astrance was an easy and obvious choice for dinner. First, Patricia Wells wrote "a star is born" in her?International Herald Tribune review of the restaurant. Then Benedict…


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