Wine Country Spas Indian Springs Indian Springs’ tradition of purification and healing began over 8,000 years ago, when Native Americans built sweat lodges here over escaping steam. The ancient tradition continues in the historic 1913 bathhouse, restored to pristine condition. Inside, thermal geysers warm volcanic ash in mud baths, and soothing music is played in … Read more
In summer, Bavaria’s “liquid food” is served in beer gardens. And summer unofficially begins during Lent in March, when the breweries market their bock beers such as Salvator, Maximator, or Triumphator. No matter what you drink – ale, light beer, or Weißbier (wheat beer) from Augustiner, Löwenbräu, or Paulaner – if you haven’t sat on … Read more
The construction of Schloss Charlottenburg, designed as a summer residence for Sophie Charlotte, wife of the Elector Friedrich III, began in 1695. Between 1701 and 1713 Johann Friedrich Eosander added a cupola and the Orangerie was extended. Today, it has been extensively renovated. Spandauer Damm Admission charge in all museums Two-day ticket for all museums: … Read more
The world-famous Wine Country comprises two picturesque valleys, Napa and Sonoma, and the extensive hills and dales surrounding them. Altogether, this bucolic zone boasts over 300 wineries, from which countless award-winning wines have emerged. Napa, the slightly more distant of the two, is more developed for visitors, while Sonoma is more low-key but equally inviting. … Read more
Founded in November 1861, just 10 years after the creation of Washington Territory, the prestigious UW now occupies 693 hilly acres that were originally cleared for the festival grounds of Seattle’s Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition in 1909. Supporting a 40,000-member student body that’s as eclectic as the architectural mix on campus, the institution has garnered a reputation … Read more
One of the most haunting symbols of Berlin, the ruins of the memorial church in the heart of the city’s West End, have been irreverently nicknamed “the hollow tooth”. The Neo-Romanesque church was given the name of Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church in 1895, to honour Wilhelm I. Following damage by severe bombing raids in 1943, … Read more
The old Misión San Francisco de Asís acquired its popular name, Mission Dolores, from a small stream that once flowed nearby, Arroyo de Nuestra Señora de los Dolores. It is the oldest building in the city of San Francisco and the only intact mission chapel in the chain of 21 (of which it was the … Read more
What began in Montlake as a tiny log flume is now an 8-mile (13-km) urban waterway for sailboats, kayakers, and an impressive fleet of industrial vessels heading to sea. In 1854, pioneer Thomas Mercer recognized the need for a passage to the ocean from Seattle’s two landlocked water bodies, Lake Washington and Lake Union, to … Read more
Yerba Buena Gardens’ Features Map of Yerba Buena Gardens Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Gallery Changing exhibitions here explore issues of race, class, gender, history, technology, and art itself. There are temporary exhibitions. 701 Mission St Open noon–8pm Tue, Wed, Fri, Sat, Sun Dis. access Adm www.ybca.org Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Theater … Read more
Some of America’s most cherished burial sites are found in the 624 acres of the nation’s best-known military cemetery. The rolling lawns filled with white tombstones, the Tomb of the Unknowns, and the grave of John F Kennedy are conspicuous symbols of sacrifices made for freedom. The flags fly at half-staff from before the first … Read more
This superb tribute to a man whose legacy as an artist and as a Catalan is visible city-wide was founded in 1975 by Joan Miró himself, who wanted it to be a contemporary arts centre. The museum holds more than 11,000 examples of the artist’s colourful paintings, sketches and sculptures. The 400 or so on … Read more
One of the most visited destinations in Washington, the National Zoo is a beautifully landscaped 163-acre urban park as well as an innovative center for animal care and conservation. Children and adults delight at seeing rare giant pandas, a playful Asian elephant calf, or a Sumatran tiger cub. More than 2,700 animals live here, increasingly … Read more
Completed in 1910, this fantastic, undulating apartment block, with its out-of-this-world roof and delicate wrought ironwork, is one of the most emblematic of all Gaudí’s works. La Pedrera (the Stone Quarry), also known as Casa Milà, was Gaudí’s last great civic work before he dedicated the rest of his life to the Sagrada Família. Restored … Read more
Palazzo dei Conservatori Exhibits Colossal Statue of Constantine Fragments Found in the ruins of the Basilica of Maxentius and Constantine, these surreal outsized body parts (c.AD 313–24) formed the unclothed segments of an overwhelming seated effigy of the first Christian emperor, recognizable by his protuberant eyes. The rest of the sculpture was made of carved … Read more
This internationally acclaimed cultural, leisure, and entertainment complex, designed by Eb Zeidler and opened in 1971, is centered on three man-made islands along the Lake Ontario waterfront. The park is filled with family attractions, from rides to concert venues; snack bars and restaurants are dotted throughout the complex. Taking full advantage of its lakeside setting, … Read more
Paintings in the Met Self-portrait Rembrandt (1606–1669) painted a self portrait each decade of his career. In this moving study from 1660, when he was 54, he portrayed age very honestly. View of Toledo Darkening clouds set an eerie mood for one of El Greco’s (1541–1614) most memorable paintings, depicting the capital city of the … Read more
The Reina Sofia’s collection of 20th- and 21st-century Spanish art is exciting and challenging by turns. The museum, set in a converted hospital, was inaugurated by King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofía in September 1990 and, besides the permanent collection, stages outstanding temporary exhibitions from around the world. The organization is thematic and chronological, beginning … Read more
One of the world’s great art museums, the Metropolitan is a veritable collection of museums, spanning 5,000 years of culture from every part of the globe. Each of its specialized galleries holds an abundance of treasures. It was founded in 1870 by a group who wanted to create a great art institution in America, and … Read more
The resting place for 13 of the 16 Ming-dynasty (1368–1644) emperors, this is China’s finest example of imperial funerary architecture. The site was selected because of its auspicious feng shui alignment; a ridge of mountains to the north cradles the tombs on three sides, protecting the dead from the evil spirits carried on the north … Read more
New York’s “backyard,” an 843-acre swathe of green, provides recreation and beauty for over two million visitors each year. Designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux in 1858, the park took 16 years to create and involved the planting of over 500,000 trees and shrubs, the hauling in of vast amounts of stone and … Read more