Patrimonio Comunal Olivarero Spain is the largest producer of olive oil in the world and this representative of a grower’s cooperative knows his business. Like wines, you can distinguish different varieties by their colour, flavour and smell, and tastings here are part of the fun . Seseña This firm near Sol has been making traditional … Read more

Temple Street This atmospheric market comes alive at night. Hundreds of stalls are jam-packed by 9pm, offering pirated goods and all manner of, well, junk. It used to be known as Men’s Street, and many stalls still stock less-than-fashionable attire. Venture past the market and you’ll stumble onto a lamplit coterie of fortune-tellers and possibly … Read more

The Escalator The series of escalators in the steep Mid-Levels district of northwest Hong Kong Island is designed for commuters, but most appreciated by sightseers who can rest their legs and enjoy the fascinating sights. Take a stately (and free) ascent past busy street scenes, traditional shops and apartment windows. . Mid-Level escalator Trams Hong … Read more

Roman Forum In the centre of the Forum stands a humble ruined structure where fresh flowers are placed year-round. This is the foundation of the Temple to Julius Caesar, built by Augustus in the 1st century BC. The flowers indicate the exact spot of Caesar’s cremation . Roman Forum and Colosseum Pantheon Originally worshippers approached … Read more

Vatican Museums Occupying papal palaces dating from the 13th century onwards, these galleries include the Graeco-Roman antiquities, the Etruscan Museum, four Raphael Rooms, the Collection of Modern Religious Art, the Sistine Chapel and the Picture Gallery . Sala dei Misteri, Vatican Museums Museo Nazionale Romano Founded in 1889, this museum’s holdings include archaeological finds and … Read more

In 1991, a group of civic planners from New York City, Boston, and Washington DC came together with a concept for a hard-surface trail system connecting their three cities. The trail they envisioned would be open to all muscle-powered travel and offer a traffic-free experience, connecting users to a natural environment along the populous Eastern … Read more

Montage Deer Valley Park City, Utah “Our connection with nature is primal,” says Anne Bramham, a leading educator of Spa Montage’s Surrender program.” Composed of the same substances as the dust of the earth and the stars in the sky, we are infinitely bound to the elemental forces that drive our physical, emotional, and spiritual … Read more

Ford’s Theater The theater where Lincoln was shot in 1865 , has been restored by the federal government. It is now a memorial to the music- and theater-loving president. Ford’s Theater Decatur House Stephen Decatur was a renowned naval hero when he built this Federal-style townhouse in 1818, but he was killed in a duel … Read more

Lincoln Memorial This memorial touches the hearts of all African-Americans because of Lincoln’s steadfastness in ending slavery in the US. It was here that Martin Luther King, Jr. made his “I Have a Dream” speech . Lincoln Memorial Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church This church was important in sheltering runaway slaves before the Civil War, … Read more

San Francisco’s parks should be avoided at night. Golden Gate Park One of the largest city parks in the US is also one of the most diverse, and all of it brought forth from what was once scrub and dunes. The park also features first-rate cultural attractions such as the de Young Museum. Shakespeare Garden, … Read more

Gumps Founded in 1861 by German immigrants, this homegrown department store is an institution. It has the largest collection in the US of fine china and crystal, selling famous names such as Baccarat and Lalique. The store is also celebrated for its Oriental treasures, rare works of art, and its window displays. 135 Post St … Read more

Marlene Dietrich The famous filmstar (1901–92), born in Schöneberg, began her career in Berlin in the 1920s. Her breakthrough came with the film The Blue Angel (1931). She lies buried in the Friedenau cemetery in Steglitz. Her personal possessions are exhibited in the Filmmuseum Berlin in the Sony Center on Potsdamer Platz. Albert Einstein In … Read more

Green Door This Berlin classic never goes out of style. A young urban crowd enjoys some of the best drinks and cocktails money can buy in Germany, mingling at the minimalist retro-style bar and along the curved, green walls. At weekends, the place is packed to bursting. There’s an outdoor bell, but the door policy … Read more

AD 43: Roman Invasion When the Romans arrived in Britain, they built a bridge across the Thames from Southwark and encircled Londinium with a wall, part of which is still visible in the City. Their forum was in Cornhill and their amphitheatre lies beneath the Guildhall. 1066: Norman Conquest The next successful invasion of Britain … Read more

Westminster Abbey St Paul’s Cathedral St Martin-in-the-Fields Known for its royal connections, St Martin’s is the only church to have a royal box. There has been a church on the site since the 13th century, but the handsome present building was designed by James Gibbs in 1726. Coffee shop in the crypt. Trafalgar Square WC2 … Read more

Hôtel des Invalides Versailles Louis XIV turned his father’s old hunting lodge into the largest palace in Europe and moved his court here in 1678. It was the royal residence for more than a century until Louis XVI and his queen Marie-Antoinette fled during the Revolution . Conciergerie Originally home to the caretaker and guards … Read more

Arrival of the Parisii Although the remains of Neolithic settlements have been found dating back to 4500 BC, the first inhabitants are considered to be a Celtic tribe called the Parisii, who settled on the Ile de la Cité in the 3rd century BC. Hunters and fishermen, they named their village Lutetia, meaning “boatyard on … Read more

Peter Minuit Sent from the Netherlands in 1626 to govern New Amsterdam, Peter Minuit (1580–1638) was so disliked by his subjects that they welcomed British occupation. Alexander Hamilton Revolutionary leader and first Secretary of the Treasury, Hamilton’s (1755–1804) business-friendly policies were instrumental in New York’s emergence as the financial center of the U.S. He lost … Read more

Carnegie Hall This historic concert hall opened in 1891 with Tchaikovsky making his U.S. debut on the podium. A campaign led by violinist Isaac Stern saved the hall from demolition after Lincoln Center was completed in 1969, and it entered its second century with old-world style intact after an extensive, lavish renovation . Carnegie Hall … Read more

We discover sports and spas on the Portuguese island in the middle of the Atlantic. I’d heard that Madeira was a great walking holiday if you were of a certain age, so I’d always earmarked it for my retirement years. How wrong I’ve been! In fact, the Portuguese island is one of the most youthful, … Read more