"Are you sure this is Rio?" No sign of Christ the Redeemer atop Corcovado, Sugarloaf Mountain nowhere to be seen, a definite lack of spectacular vistas. This was Rodoviaria Novo Rio, the main bus terminal, and our guide book's description had summed it up perfectly. Seedy. This was one of Rio's faces not displayed in the glossy magazines. Our faces, on the other hand, must have shown disappointment; tired and confused after our long, cramped bus journey. We'd arrived at the start of Rio's 13th annual Gay Pride Parade. Not intentionally, but this was how it had worked out. As our taxi slowly made its way through the crowded streets of Copacabana we stared, speechless, at the throngs descending onto the beach along promenades awash with colour. Funk Carioca (dance music originating in Rio), techno, house, electro and pop music boomed from gigantic speakers loaded onto 'trios electricos'. Feeling rather conservatively dressed we joined the million or so people, the flamboyant paraders who'd 'come out' for this mammoth event. It was a case of 'anything goes' - the sculpted, tanned bodies of Rio's beautiful people scantily clad in resplendent costumes. Costumes which screamed 'Gay and Proud' for the world to see. ...

Kick off the weekend with a Friday night ball game at AT&T Park to watch the San Francisco Giants. Even if you don’t see a ‘splash hit’, the waterfront views of the Bay Bridge are unbeatable, and the super slide and mini-ball park are sure to be a homerun with the kids. Don’t forget a sweatshirt for when the fog rolls in! Saturday morning put on your walking shoes and take Bart to the Embarcadero terminal to sample California’s natural bounty at the Ferry Building Farmer’s Market. Hundreds of local farmers gather outside of the historic Ferry Building Plaza to sell an impressive cornucopia of seasonal fruits, flowers and vegetables, as well as artisan cheeses, smoked meats, pastries and breads. If you get a late start and are looking for lunch, indulge at one of the prepared food stands and treat yourself to homemade tamales or lox sandwiches on fresh San Francisco sourdough still warm from the oven. Once you’d had your foodie fix, hail a cab or take the N-Judah line from the Embarcadero Muni Metro station at Market and Main Streets to Golden Gate Park to check out the recently renovated California ...

As your aircraft approaches Phuket island off Thailand’s south-western flank you observe at least three different shades of the water below. Just as you’re taking in this surreal sight, your partner, grabbing your arm, hisses, “I think we’re diving straight into the sea!” Thankfully, before she starts screaming, the plane lands on the runway barely 200 metres shy of the great blue yonder. After checking into your hotel on Patong Beach, the two of you do a brief recce of the place and find it chock-a-block with boutiques, eateries, pubs, massage parlours and the ubiquitous tour operators waving their mind-boggling assortments of Phuket experiences, bungee-jumping to scuba-diving. The same evening you decide to catch the much-ballyhooed Simon Cabaret. Now you’ve heard it’s performed by the famed Ladyboys of Thailand so you go in expecting close-shaven drag queens crooning in falsetto. But what voluptuous figures? What delicate faces and dulcet voices? Are these people really transvestites? For ninety minutes you sit spellbound by the choreography, the costumes and the lilting music. Lined up for the next morning is the Phuket city tour. Sharp at ten, a Toyota van picks you up from your hotel and races southwards, forging through thick tropical ...

My husband and I spent the last two days of our honeymoon in Florence. It’s such a short time to explore a world-class city, yet I knew I couldn’t face a frantic rush from museum to museum after our quiet week in the small Tuscan town of Volterra. “Let’s see the cathedral,” I said. “And then let’s just…explore.” Without the pressure to cram all of Florence’s cultural experiences into a weekend, we were able to simply walk around and get a feel (but mostly a taste) for the city. We came across a street market and sampled Parmesan cheese. We found Florence’s only kosher vegetarian restaurant and had falafels with beer for lunch. We drank house wine that tasted like should have cost more and ate pizzas that could have fed an entire family. We sipped steaming hot espressos and licked melty gelato. “I’m married now,” I said to my new husband as I finished the cone. “So I figure I can let myself go.” Art is everywhere in Florence. We didn’t go to the famous Uffizi Gallery, but we did wander through the Piazza della Signoria, an open-air museum full of marble sculptures. It was buzzing with eager tourists, so we ...

People say that Paris in spring time is for lovers. Well, that may be the case, but in my mind Italy is the place where you go when your love is wishing to express itself all year round and in any season with the partner you love. Rome is the ideal setting for couples who are wishing to enjoy the radiance of a city that is packed with interesting sights to see, beautiful food to awaken the senses and the sound of Italians enjoying life. Ancient moments and wondrous churches lead you past street cafes and Italian Piazza’s where the invite to break now and again for a gelato or a capacino is irrisitable. All is set against the back drop of a blue sky with bright sunshine that filters though through the roof tops. It is no wonder the love that was once ignited in those early days of romance is re-kindled and brought back to life once more. At the Trevi fountain, you throw three coins in the fountain and wish again. The cobbled lanes lead you from there to the Spanish steps, taking you up in the heat, like a stairway to heaven. ...

Potsdammer Platz in Berlin’s Mitte district may look and feel like a busy intersection filled with tall buildings, cinemas and shops. But like much of Berlin its significance runs much deeper; in many ways Potsdamer Platz physically embodies the city’s unification, the principals of urban renewal and Germany’s renaissance. During the belle époque, Postsdamer Platz was an elegant thoroughfare. It was flanked by graceful grand hotels and palaces and was a popular meeting place for the elite. By the 1920s it had taken on a ‘Times Square’ ambiance, with cabarets, beer halls, neon lights and lots of lots of traffic. Appropriately, Potsdamer Platz can also lay claim to Europe’s first traffic lights which were controlled manually by traffic policemen: a replica of one can be seen today in the same spot where it first stood. WW2 of course put an end to all this of course, and most of Potsdamer Platz was destroyed during the Allied air raids. During the Cold War, the Berlin wall ran straight through it, with a wide strip being occupied by the infamous ‘No Man’s Land’. When the wall came down in 1990 local authorities were quick to contact top tier architects for this stellar ...

The summer I turned 16, I spent three weeks studying English in the south coast of England. Of course studying was really just an excuse for the other activities like finding a summer romance. Mine was Italian, and incidentally, he was from Venice. After the course finished, I returned to my native Finland and to the normal life of a small town teenager. Summer generated boredom with long, jobless days, broken by the embarrassingly romantic texts my Italian boy was sending me. The boys I was used to hanging out with wouldn’t be caught dead saying the things he said. Ultimately what he says is: Why don’t you come to Venice for a holiday? I decided to go with a friend, because while I wasn't entirely sure I wanted to see this boy, I knew that I wanted to see Venice. Upon our arrival in Milan we caught a night train to Venice and slept in a small cabin until morning. When it turned light but foggy outside, we arrived in Venice. Stepping out of the railway station at 6am is nothing short of breathtaking. Just seconds earlier, I was inside a railway station. And then… well then ...

Berlin is full of historically significant architecture, both old and new. But perhaps none reaches the same emotive heights, nor manages to fuse both classical and contemporary elements, quite like the Reichstag. As most history students know, the Reichstag is the seat of the German Bundestag, or federal government. The original building dates from 1884 and from here on in it became the stage for many of Germany’s most dramatic events. In 1916 it was inscribed with the iconic words Dem Deutschen Volke (‘To the German people’), much to the displeasure of King Wilhelm II. Soon after he abdicated, Germany was proclaimed a republic from one the Reichstag’s windows. However Germany’s years of democracy were short lived. In 1933 the Reichstag suffered a severe fire. Although it origins were never clear, Hitler and the salient NSDAP party seized the opportunity and blamed a communist, kick-starting the horrors of WW2. In divided Germany, the country had two seats of power: one in West Berlin and the other in Bonn. But after 1990 when many of Germany’s institutions were moved back to Berlin, it was decided that the Reichstag would again house the Bundestag, The British architect Sr. Norman Foster was given ...

Nighttime on a snow-covered mountain is one of life’s magical experiences. Not only does Keystone resort offers one of the longest ski days in Colorado (lifts close at 8pm) there’s plenty more to do once the sun sets over the Rockies. How about trekking through the snow on a carriage drawn by draft horses? At the end of your ride you’ll be wined and dined in an authentic homestead before being trotted back home to again to your hotel or holiday apartment. Another singular dining destination is the elegant Apenglow Stube restaurant. It requires two chairlifts and a short walk to get there, but once you are you will be offered gourmet Bavarian influenced cuisine accompanied by dazzling mountain views. Der Fondue Chessel, another noted Keystone restaurant, which specializes in fondues and raclettes, is reached by a high-speed gondola making getting there half the fun. Down in Lakeside and River Run villages there are dozens more eateries, from pizzerias to delis and grills, and a good selection of bars serving local beers. One of the loveliest night events in Keystone is the Glowstick Ski Parade. Held every Sunday evening, skiers and snowboarders meet up on the top of Discovery ...

Out of all the resorts in the Colorado Rocky Mountains, Keystone has the reputation of being the most family-friendly, going the extra mile to keep the little ones happy and amused. The resort even has its own kid’s mascot; a dog-like character called Ripperoo who can often be seen hanging around the lifts and runs. And it has tubing. Tubing, or skirting down a mountain on an inner-tube, is a great break away from the skis. There’s certainly not much skill involved (in fact the only requirement is that participants be over 42 inches tall) and it’s a good way to boost children’s confidence in the snow. ‘Disco’ Day tubing (whereby you whoosh down the slope to a disco beat) and night tubing is also available at Keystone’s tubing runs (bookings required). There are plenty of indoor kid activities too. At the Kidtopia Activity Centre in River Run Village they can take part in face painting, snowflake making and all manner of winter crafts (Open 9am-4.30pm, daily). Or how about taking them to Glow Bug Skate Night? On Monday evenings, the rink monitors at Keystone Adventure Center will dress you up in glow-in-the-dark gear, and then let you loose on ...