Earthquakes, a tsunami and radiation leaks in northern Japan in March, 2011 kept many travelers away. But since then, Tokyo and Fukuoka, a city in the south of Japan, for example, have appeared on top destination lists.   The “floating” red torii is an entry gate to the Itsukushima-jinja Shrine on Miyajima Island that dates back to the 6th century.                                  […]

For many years the gleaming carriages of the Orient-Express train, the Eastern & Oriental, have taken travelers in grand style from Singapore to Bangkok.       Photo by Gene Korte. Many regard riding the rails on fabled trains as one of the world’s great travel experiences. They hark back to a golden age when every moment […]

Serbia’s Golubac Castle dominates this part of the Danube River, as seen from the deck of the Viking River Cruises Neptune. Photo by Gene Korte Our odyssey on the second longest river in Europe began in Vienna and it took us seamlessly through five countries of the former Soviet bloc. Unexpectedly, the shoreline was mostly […]

This southern city is home to hundreds of historic homes located on a peninsula across from Charleston Harbor and Fort Sumter where the Civil War began.     Photo by Gene Korte.   Charleston continues its rise in the ranks of top destinations worldwide.  And why not?  More than 300 years old, Charleston, named for England’s Charles […]