Walking in Moscow’s winter wonderland
The best way to discover Moscow is on foot. It may seem unrelentingly urban, dominated by cars and towering skyscrapers, but to find the flowering courtyards, icon-filled churches and house-museums, you need to walk through the back streets and pathways….
Singapore finds its cultural feet with culinary renaissance
It is often derided as a cultural desert, but a younger generation of Singapore’s residents and expats is determined to bring an edgier side to the city. They are leading an improvisation drive, chiefly culinary, and the results are rarely…
London travel tips
The English writer Samuel Johnson famously said, “You find no man, at all intellectual, who is willing to leave London. No, Sir, when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all…
Romantic Paris: fashion and lights
The City of Light draws millions of visitors every year with its unforgettable ambiance. Of course, the divine cuisine and vast art collections deserve some of the credit as well. The gentle River Seine rambles through the city, flanked by…
Discover Rio’s arty side
It’s a balmy Saturday morning in Rio de Janeiro and, unlike everyone else in town, I’m heading away from the beach. Ipanema, Copacabana and Leblon may be among the city’s most loved attractions, but Santa Teresa, a small district in…
Abu Dhabi – Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
Constructed between 1996 and 2007 at the request of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the founder and first president of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque is by far the most popular of Abu Dhabi’s sights, and…
Valencia and beyond
Eating out The most exciting new restaurant in Valencia is the Arrop Ricard Camarena, set in the spectacularHotel Palacio Marqués de Caro. The owners, Santiago Máñez and Luis Bellvís (the latter a descendant of the last Moorish King of Valencia,…
The best of Thailand
Every tourist board loves a major motion picture. Think Braveheart, think Scotland. Think Jean de Florette, think Provence. Similarly, if you go and see The Beach, you will be treated to 90 minutes of the kind of subliminal advertising that…
The Maldives baring your sole
They’ve stolen my shoes. After 13 hours on a plane, a smiling man has placed them firmly into a bag labelled “No News, No Shoes” and pulled the drawstring tight. I am now barefoot in the Maldives and I feel…
Santorini, iconic of Greek islands
Your first order of business in Santorini is to hit the colorful beaches — the black and red sands make for a memorable visit. Next up, indulge in the archaeological delights of the impressively preserved Ancient Akrotiri. or climb the…
It’s like stepping into a Bounty ad
The Seychellois love to make jibes at Mauritius. Their main competitor for beach-based tourism in the Indian Ocean is ribbed mercilessly, often with faint praise. ‘Mauritius has wonderful beaches, great hotels – and that’s it,’ said one tourism official. ‘People…
Explore Croatia, enjoy Istria
We just had to pull over. On an overcast, sultry day the sun had yet to make an appearance, and the landscape around us, although verdant, felt a little dull. But then – a patch of blue sky. Suddenly the…
Bora Bora a paradise in the Pacific
Just sit right back and you’ll hear a tale – a tale of a fateful trip, that started from this tropic port, aboard this tiny ship. If ever you’re looking for a reason to put the Gilligan’s Island theme on…
What’s new in Mallorca, Ibiza and Menorca
If you’re in Menorca this weekend, head to Mahón to watch the inauguralMenorca Maxi (until 25 May), a superyacht regatta featuring top sailors including America’s Cup winners, round-the-world veterans and Olympic medalists. Or try it yourself – Menorca Cruising runs…
Three cheers for Skiathos, the Greek island idyll that remains unchanged by time
The Greek island of Skiathos is a special sort of place. My childhood holidays there were filled with walks along parched tracks, views of the Aegean, figs bursting with sweetness still warm from the tree and fresh octopus hanging outside…
Ten best diving adventures
Pulau Weh, Indonesia by Charlotte Boan Our small wooden vessel rocked gently on the water, revealing little of the wild currents sweeping over the coral reefs below. On the signal of our experienced dive guide Arun, we rolled off the…
Fantasy island! Head to Zante for beautiful beaches and delicious food
It’s also an island of two names: Zante is its Italian moniker, given to it by the Venetians who occupied it in the 15th Century for more than 300 years. Its Greek name is Zakynthos, and while you can still…
The rise of Montenegro: Chic resorts and fine scenery in Europe’s new holiday haven
Kotor Bay, which is on the Unesco World Heritage list, is a dramatically beautiful inlet where fishing settlements such as Prcanj cling to steep escarpments, the red roofs of squat houses bright in the sun. Squint, and the whole picture…
BMX riders fight to keep indoor pool park
I’m near the shallow end of Dagenham indoor pool and standing on the pedals of a BMX bike. My instructor, Ross, is showing me how to suck my legs up to get more air from a bunnyhop. Around me, younger…
2015 MXGP of Belgium – race highlights
The track in Lommel for the fourteenth round of the FIM Motocross World Championship was extremely gnarly. Quite possibly the gnarliest it has ever been in the last twenty-five years since it first hosted a round of the FIM Motocross…
American Pharoah ‘galloped’ into history
This coming weekend, horses across the country will be competing in stakes races. New champions will be crowned in January. In a few more months, talk about the 2016 Triple Crown will become louder and more prevalent as a new…
World swimming championships: Australia strike double gold in Kazan
Mitch Larkin claimed men’s 100m backstroke gold at the world swimming championships in Russia. It marked Australia’s second win on day three of the titles in Kazan after Emily Seebohm led a quinella in the women’s 100m backstroke final. Top…
Australia’s Mick Fanning wins fourth surf title at Bells Beach
Australian Mick Fanning won a record-equalling fourth Rip Curl Pro title at Bells Beach, edging out Brazilian Adriano de Souza in the final on a tiebreak. The pair both recorded a two-wave score of 15.27 points, with Fanning claiming the…
Could Real Madrid really join the NBA?
American sports are often ridiculed for the “world champions” banners that hang from the rafters. How can you be world champions when you only play in one country? Hell, we even call our baseball championship the World Series. But if…
Chris Froome joins legends of Tour de France with second win
Rain at the Tour de France finish on the Champs Elysées is a rare event. Although the bulk of the soaking came during the early miles through the Paris suburbs, the peloton had not been this sodden during the Tour’s…
Adrian Peterson on pace to become first 30-year-old rushing champ since 2004
Through eight games, Minnesota Vikings running backAdrian Peterson is in the same place he was after a quarter of the NFL season: atop the league’s rushing rankings. He has run for 758 yards and has a 37-yard lead on Atlanta’s…
Rockies SS Jose Reyes arrested on Maui for alleged domestic abuse
The Colorado Rockies issued a statement late Monday night that they are “extremely disappointed and concerned” to learn of domestic abuse charges against shortstop Jose Reyes. According to a Maui County Police Department report, Reyes was arrested Oct. 31 in…
Valentino Rossi wins duel with Marc Márquez to secure Dutch MotoGP
Valentino Rossi won MotoGP’s Dutch TT race from pole position after a thrilling duel with the world champion Marc Márquez in which the pair clashed at the final corner, forcing the Italian to ride through gravel before crossing the line….
Fiat Reveals Abarth 595 Yamaha Factory Racing Edition
Another month, another special edition of the Fiat 500. This time, it’s from Abarth and has a motorsport flavor of the two-wheeled kind. To celebrate the fact that it’s the official sponsor and car supplier of the FIM MotoGP Championship,…
New Lincoln Continental to Be Built in Michigan
It’s been about two decades since Ford Motor Company was building the Lincoln Continental, Mark VIII and Town Car in the Midwest. Fast-forward to the present day and Michigan will see the Blue Oval build the Lincoln Continental early next…