The plaster-cast heads of Dionysus were back. The unblinking blue Mati evil eyes and Parthenon refrigerator magnets hung once more outside the souvenir shops of Plaka and Monastiraki, where shopkeepers tended to rows upon rows of leather sandals, silver meander rings, dried spices and Cretan mountain tea. The tourists were back, too, if not quite…
Americans can now vacation in France, where the one-dose vaccination rate is 49 percent, according to the nonprofit Our World in Data; they can also go to Spain, where the rate is 51 percent, and Greece, 45 percent. But, with very limited exceptions, they still cannot travel to Canada, which, according to one source —…
In that regard, it did not disappoint. The window of our modest Airbnb was decorated with a typewriter because it was purportedly where Elsa Morante, the great Italian author, wrote her 1957 novel, “Arturo’s Island.” “The Procidans are surly, taciturn,” Morante observed, adding, “The arrival of a stranger arouses not curiosity, but rather, distrust. If…
Stay over July 4 and 5 at the colorful Saguaro Scottsdale in Scottsdale’s Old Town and pay $100 a night (use the code SUMMER21). By booking on its website, you’ll get welcome margaritas and a late checkout. Skip the rental car in favor of a loaner bike from the hotel. The shops and galleries of…
The arena was filled with raucous spectators who, in tiered seating, surrounded the wrestling pit below. Camels were paraded in and out of the ring, dolled up in their best regalia, their elaborate saddles noting their names, origins and their trainers or owners. Held in mid-January on Turkey’s Aegean coast, the annual camel-wrestling festival near…
ROME — For nearly 450 years, the majestic amphitheater known today as the Colosseum provided spectacular, often gory, entertainment for legions of ancient Romans, and this week, archaeologists opened its restored warren of underground corridors to the public. Starting in A.D. 80, spectators were thrilled to gladiatorial contests, bloody tussles between wild animals, staged sea…
BOGNOR REGIS, England — Little has changed in the 40 years that Jean Sheppard has been calling numbers at Crown Bingo here in the heart of Bognor Regis, one of Britain’s oldest seaside resort towns, about 60 miles south of London. The regulars still line up before the doors open at 11 a.m., hoping to…
As the second-most visited city in the world (that is, prepandemic), Paris has always meant brisk business when it comes to guided tours and excursions for travelers. From historical walks and cooking classes to outings that grant exclusive access to artists’ workshops, museum archives and private mansions, there are activities for almost any interest. But…
One year into the coronavirus pandemic, after months of gaining weight and feeling groggy, Mayra Ramirez stopped drinking. And this summer, she’ll mark a new milestone for her sobriety: a completely alcohol-free vacation. Ms. Ramirez, 32, spent the first 12 months of the pandemic working remotely from a tiny Brooklyn apartment, drinking every weekend and…
Mickey and Minnie were the first to appear, dancing and pumping their fists to music that shook the morning calm in the manicured “town center” of Disneyland Paris. French news crews were assembled, cameras trained on the park’s main gates, waiting to capture the arrival of the first guests. Just after 8:30 a.m., a dozen…