In Nomine Patris Et Lumen Et Lavandula

320 days of sunshine every year. While the Greek Islands, southern California or the Canary Islands might first come to mind, Provence in southern France also holds the distinction of being one of the sunniest places in the world. Besides sunny, Provençal weather is also pleasant, with temperatures averaging 55°F (13°C) in winter and 82°F (28°C) in summer.

Until the 2nd century BC, Provence was known to Romans as Transalpine Gaul, literally 'land of the Celts on the far side of the Alps". By 146 BC, Rome had gained territories in Spain, thus eyeing Transalpine Gaul as a corridor to its newly acquired lands. Thus by 120 BC, Rome occupied that whole Mediterranean coast, creating the first Roman province beyond the Alps and calling it Provincia Nostra ("our province") or simply Provincia, the origin of the current name.

Roman influence on Provence was significant. In the 1st century BC, Roman policy towards its settlements outside Italy changed: whereas previously they were considered just sources of wealth to be plundered, under Emperor Augustus they were viewed as a solution to Rome's social unrest caused by landless peasants and idle veteran soldiers. He turned the provinces into extensions of Rome where landless citizens and legionnaires would settle, at the same time removing them from Rome and protecting the borders of the Empire. To make them feel at home, Augustus created replicas of Rome in each city, with arenas, baths, forums and temples, some of which are very well preserved, are in use and can be seen today in Provence such as the 20,000-seat Les Arènes amphitheatre in Arles and the Théâtre Antique in Orange, Europe's best preserved Roman theater with its 340ft (103m) wide, 120ft (37m) high stage wall, the only one still standing in Europe.

Roman influence in Provence did not end with the fall of the Empire. In 1309, French-born Pope Clément V moved the papacy to Avignon where seven pontiffs, all Frenchmen, led the Roman Catholic church until 1376. The Palais des Papes (Palace of the Popes), the world's largest Gothic palace, dominates Avignon's old town and a visit will give you a glimpse into papal wealth though you'll need to use your imagination to picture how life was in the now bare palace.

But perhaps Provence is most known by all the painters who chose to call it home at one time or another, primarily in the 19th and 20th centuries: Renoir, Cézanne (born in Aix-en-Provence where you can grab a drink or a bite at Les Deux Garçons, one of his favorite cafés), Georges Braque, Renoir, Matisse, Picasso, Signac, Monet, Munch and my favorite van Gogh. The latter lived little more than two years in Provence but his most well known works were painted there. Nowadays, you can seat at the Café Van Gogh which he depicted in Terrasse de Café la Nuit and you can follow a route in St-Rémy (the birthplace of Nostradamus) that shows most of the scenes he painted there. So the question is: what attracted so many painters? Light, pure and simple. Light in Provence has a special clarity attributed to the mistral wind that is said to remove dust from the atmosphere and increase visibility. But mistral does something else...it can blow you away...literally. If you weigh less than 130 lbs (60 kg), stuffing rocks in your pockets is strongly recommended.

Another thing inextricably linked to Provence is lavender. The region is famous for its lavender fields with the July/early August peak bloom offering miles and miles of the purple flower for your visual and olfactory delight. Lavender has many uses in Provence: perfume, cosmetics, soaps, oils, candles, sachets, tea, cookies, ice cream. I tried the ice cream and at first bite it feels like eating perfume just because the scent is strong but once I got over that, it was surprisingly good-tasting. But then again, if it's edible and it's French, that's how it's supposed to be.

High and Low

Jagged, raw, blustery - all these words can be used to describe Nova Scotia. With 4,600 miles (7,400 km) of coastline and nowhere more than 42 miles (67 km) from the ocean, Nova Scotia is inextricably linked to the sea and its cycles. Located halfway between the equator and the north pole with an area of 21,300 sq. miles (55,200 sq. km) and a population of less than 1 million (with over 1/3 living in and around the capital Halifax), Nova Scotia feels blessedly empty, a perfect place to visit when you need peace and quiet. As I only had 5 days in Nova Scotia, I decided not to spend too much time on the road and picked two regions not too far from Halifax: the South Shore and the Bay of Fundy.

The South Shore is Nova Scotia's most visited coast, a stretch of fishing villages dotted with quaint cottages and lighthouses. The best way to see the area is by taking Highway 3 that hugs the shore and cuts through all the towns. The highlight of the region is Lunenburg, the largest of the villages and a Unesco World Heritage Site. Lunenburg was a major shipbuilding center and it was here that in 1921 the Bluenose was built, a fishing and racing schooner that remained undefeated in international racing for 17 years and now resides permanently on the Canadian dime. Its replica, the Bluenose II, is used for summer sailing cruises but is currently undergoing a major rebuild. Lunenburg continues to be an important port but fishing and shipbuilding have given way to tourism as the main economic activity - the town's colorful gingerbread-like houses seemingly straight out of a fairy tale now attract thousands of visitors each year.

The Bay of Fundy, located between Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, is known for the highest tidal range in the world - up to 53 feet (16 m) between low and high tides with over 100 billion tons of water flowing in and out of the bay daily during each 12.5-hour tide cycle, more than the combined flow of all freshwater rivers in the world. All this ebb and flow has eroded the landscape into the dramatic scenery we see today of jagged cliffs and rock formations. A great way to see the region is to hike one of several trails that lead to one of the overhanging cliffs or explore the shore at low tide but be warned: many tourists have ignored the tidal cycle only to find themselves stranded when tides come in. I'd probably have been one of them were it not for the weather - on the day I had planned a hike in Cape Chignecto Provincial Park overlooking the bay, rain followed by a thick fog forced me to ditch my plans. Bummer, I thought. But as the mists rolled in and blanketed everything in white, it totally changed the scenery...it became eerie, a bit lunar, and as I looked at the empty, almost desolate landscape with the sound of waves as my only link to the rest of the world, I was reminded of the beauty of travel - you never know what's coming your way and you'll make the most of it when you welcome it.

Between A Rock And A Sweet Place

Watches, chocolate, first-class skiing, army knives, secret "numbered" accounts. All this comes to mind when you mention Switzerland. And there's a new distinction: Zurich, the country's largest city with a small 350k population, is now the most expensive city in the world (Geneva ranks at #3). Even if The Economist hadn't told me so, I'd have figured it out by the spasms in my wallet every time I had to fork out $4 for a bottle of water that wasn't even a Perrier! Adieu to my dream of having a genuine Swiss "numbered" account. By the way, in Zurich one day there was a Thank You booth celebrating 100 years of Swiss banking. Said another way, 100 years of helping the wealthy keep their secrets.

Switzerland is a very unique country. It has four official languages (German, French, Italian and Romansh) and is one of the oldest neutral countries in the world - its neutrality guaranteed by international law since 1815 when the Congress of Vienna determined that "the neutrality and inviolability of Switzerland, and its independence from all foreign influence, are in the true political interests of all of Europe". And neutral, placid Switzerland seems willing to defend its independence with fervor: the country has one of the highest gun ownership rates in the world as a result of its military system that requires that soldiers, either professional or draftees, keep their weapons at home. Service is compulsory for men reaching the age of majority, after which he'll go through yearly or biennial training periods. Thus, Switzerland has an army ever ready to spring into action, not to mention that the country's major bridges and tunnels are built with tank traps, and the latter also have emergency demolition features. The Swiss really leave nothing to chance.

The country is small - 8 million people over 15,940 sq.miles (41,285 km²), slightly bigger than Connecticut and New Jersey combined. 70% covered by mountains, it has approximately 100 peaks close to or higher than 13,000 feet (4,000 meters) that make Switzerland a skiing mecca. I didn't ski...had I tried, I would probably be able to say I had broken a few bones but good though as they may be, a Swiss ER is no spa so I did what non-skiing visitors do in the Swiss Alps: I went up to Jungfraujoch, advertised as The Top Of Europe because it is the location of the highest railway station in the continent at 11,333 feet (3,454 km). The station is celebrating its centenary this year, and is reached by a cog-wheel train that traverses tunnels inside the solid Eiger and Mönch mountains. The station is touristy but you can get a feel for the Alpine wilderness by taking the trail that goes from the station to the Mönchsjoch Hut at 12,000 feet (3,658 meters), the starting point for climbs to peaks in the region. It's a breathtaking little hike - not only because you plow through the snow with a view of the Mönch all along the way, but also because at that altitude, you'll literally be out of breath before you can learn how to say Jungfraujochbahn. Make sure you're in shape. And make sure your wallet is also in shape otherwise it may need bypass surgery once you pay for the train ticket. However, if you'll be traveling mostly by train in Switzerland, it's worth buying the Half Fare card, valid for one year and entitling the holder to a 50% discount on all train rides.

But the sweetest thing about Switzerland is its chocolate. The Swiss are the largest consumers of chocolate in the world at 22 lbs (10 kg) per year, and I'm sure that if other countries had chocolate as good as the Swiss, they'd be eating it a lot more too. But why is Swiss chocolate so good? It all comes down to cost - cocoa butter is very expensive so many chocolate makers replace it partially with vegetable oil. The Swiss don't and your taste buds can tell the difference: Swiss chocolate is richer, with a creamier consistency and a lingering aftertaste that begs for more. True, it is more expensive and I saw one priced at $95 for 3.5 oz. (100 g). And while I was trying to figure out how much I'd have to pay for a little lick of what must be chocolate nirvana, my wallet went into cardiac arrest. But I'm sure that the chocolatier need not worry...they probably have a captive clientele in the anonymous owners of those (in)famous numbered accounts.

Pink Onionland

Onions love their pink beaches and call their home “Paradise”. No, this is not a story for an animated movie nor have I smoked anything. Onions is what Bermudians call themselves because onions were one of the first things Bermuda became famous for – they were grown on the islands back in the 1800s and exported to the US east coast where they were known for their sweetness.

Bermuda has come a long way since its onion days and now is mostly known for three things: the Bermuda shorts, the Bermuda Triangle and its pink sands. The Bermuda shorts were originally worn by the British Army in tropical and desert climates. They became popular in Bermuda during World War II when a shortage of clothing led the general managers of two Bermudian banks to distribute two pair of army-style shorts to their employees. They became a business attire and are now the correct national dress code for virtually every occasion including meeting the Queen. And like any dress code, there are rules: they must be worn two inches above the knee with knee-high black or navy socks, a white or blue short-sleeved shirt and a navy blazer. Somehow I get the feeling you'll never see this in an Armani collection.

While the Bermuda shorts dress code is virtually unknown outside the islands, the Bermuda Triangle is notorious the world over. Covering an area that stretches from the Atlantic coast of Miami to Puerto Rico to Bermuda, legend has it that several airplanes and ships disappeared mysteriously in the area, some attributing it to extraterrestrials, paranormal activity or left over technology from the lost continent of Atlantis (this last theory probably surfaced in the 1960's). One thing people overlook though - the triangle is one of the most heavily traveled shipping lanes and flight routes in the world so the number of disappearances is fairly small considering regular traffic through the area. To me, it's just sensationalism (aka, a way to make easy money) but I could be wrong...after all, the end of the world on December 21, 2012 could come when the planet gets sucked into the Triangle (note to self: try to sell this crappy idea for a B movie).

Shorts and Triangle don't cut it so we're left with pink sand beaches. And in that category, Bermuda enchants. Pink sand is rare but abounds in Bermuda due to small dark red sea creatures called forams that live on the underside of reefs and are found only in the world's northernmost reefs. Bermuda has miles of pink sand, and not only are they unique and photogenic, they're also very, very fine. So fine that on some beaches, you feel like you're walking on talc powder.

Now some of you may wonder if it's worth going to Bermuda in winter. True, you probably won't be able to swim but you can still get a tan since daytime temperatures average 70°F (21°C). Furthermore, Bermuda is only a two-hour flight from NY, is small enough (21 sq. miles or 53 km²) to be explored on a long weekend, and is much more affordable in low season. Also, Bermudians are very friendly and won't harass you. But best of all, you'll likely find a pink sand, turquoise water bay all to yourself and feel like you're on your own private island.

Endangered

In the past few years, Kenya has been much talked about as the birthplace of Barack Obama's father. Animal lovers and wildlife enthusiasts, though, have had the country on their radar screen for ages - the Masai Mara Game Reserve (or simply The Mara) in Kenya is part of the Serengeti ecosystem and is the stage for one of nature's grand spectacles, the Great Migration. Getting to The Mara is not easy though: the last 2.5 hours of the drive go through the worst road I’ve ever traveled on (and I've been on bad roads but the stretch from Narok to The Mara takes it to a whole new level) and the dust is overwhelming. On the plus side, if you’re blond you’ll be able to see how you look with black hair after you go through that road.

Each year, over one million wildebeest and 300,000 zebra and antelope go on an 1,800-mile (3,000 km) journey in search of food and water, making it the largest migration on earth. From Tanzania's southeastern Serengeti in January, the herds move clockwise until they reach the Mara River around July/August, the final hurdle to the green grass of Kenya's Masai Mara. Getting there is not easy though - many will succumb to crocodiles or drowning when crossing the river. I wasn't lucky enough to witness a crossing, but saw the outcome of failed ones: you actually smell it before you see it and the number of carcasses on the water is overwhelming (not to mention the stench).

The herds remain in the northern Serengeti and The Mara until October when they start their trek back south, completing the migration cycle. And though more rain in the Serengeti this year has sent less migrating herds into The Mara, it was still a sight to see, countless wildebeest everywhere we went, looking at times like a brown wave spreading over the plains.

The number of animals migrating through Kenya is impressive, but the reality is that wildlife population in the country has declined drastically, with lions the most affected species: from 30,000 in the 1960’s, they number only 1,800 now. And they are not alone: elephants have dropped from 160,000 in the 1970’s to the current 30,000; black rhinos have gone from 20,000 in 1970 to 577 and the Grevy's zebra population (not found in The Mara) is now 2,000 from 13,500 in the late 1970’s. The cause? Loss of habitat due to spreading farms and towns, and poaching for their pelts or horns.

The issue of declining wildlife is particularly dramatic in The Mara which has lost more than 2/3 of its wildlife in the past three decades. It is no coincidence that over this period, the reserve area was reduced from 703 sq mi (1,821 km²) to 580 sq mi (1,510 km²), and cattle numbers have increased by over 1100% as villages grow around the reserve. As a result, wildlife is now competing with humans for land, and get killed either because they're viewed as pests or for profit. It is thus more important than ever to not buy any product that contains wild animal parts.

It is painful to imagine The Mara in another 10 years if nothing is done to protect its wildlife. In many ways, it'd be like one of the wildebeest carcasses that I saw - a lifeless mess. And it will show once more the stupidity of attempting to "conquer" nature without realizing it is to our own loss. Nature puts things in perspective, broadens our horizons by directing our attention to something other than our daily routine, reminds us of how small we really are. And in our age where self-absorption seems to be the rule, that's not a bad thing.

Suck It Or Stick It?

Transylvania – the name conjures images of a land enshrouded in foggy gloom, with bleak mountains, eerie castles and blood-sucking creatures lurking in the shadows. Or, as Bram Stoker described it in Dracula, “...away from this cursed spot, from this cursed land, where the devil and his children still walk with earthly feet!” The truth is that Bram Stoker never visited Transylvania, and borrowed the famous character’s name from Vlad Dracula (Dracul translates as dragon, and was the name taken by Vlad’s father as a member of the Order of the Dragon created to defend Christianity. Dracula translates as “son of Dracul” or “son of the Dragon”. Dracul, however, can also be translated as devil).

Vlad Dracula was the ruler of Wallachia (one of three former Romanian provinces) for three separate periods that totaled less than seven years in the mid-15th century. His reign was short, but his reputation spread far and wide - he became known as Vlad the Impaler (Vlad Ţepeş in Romenian) for his preferred punishment method. Practically all crimes, major or minor, were punished by death, usually by impalement on stakes, with victims left to die in public view in excruciating pain for hours or even days. One of his most notorious displays of cruelty was during a Turkish invasion in 1462: as the Turkish army closed in on the Wallachian capital, they came across a field 1.9 mile (3 km) long by 0.6 mile (1 km) wide filled with some 20,000 impaled Turkish captives, a sight that went down in history as the “Forest of the Impaled”.

Despite his atrocities, Vlad is regarded in Romania as a patriot who contributed to the creation of a strong and independent Wallachia, a champion of law and order in lawless times, and a protector against the Ottoman Empire. His defenders argue that his methods were no more cruel than those of other European rulers such as Ferdinand of Naples, Cesare Borgia of Italy or Ivan the Terrible of Russia. That may be true, but the reality is that Vlad makes Count Dracula look merciful.

With the recent invention of the printing press, Vlad’s stories circulated in pamphlets with titles such as “The Frightening and Truly Extraordinary Story of a Wicked Blood-Drinking Tyrant Called Prince Dracula”. In fact, thirst of blood is the only thing in common between him and the fictional character as Vlad was never accused of vampirism during his lifetime. Vampires, however, were part of the folklore in Eastern and Southeastern Europe, and vampire epidemics (?!) in the 17th and 18th centuries with soaring numbers of reported cases sparked a vampire craze in Europe. Travelers returning from the East would tell stories of the undead and against this backdrop, Bram Stoker’s Dracula surfaced.

My introduction to Transylvania could have come right out of Stoker's book. It was a rainy day, and as the train meandered through the mountains, I could only catch brief glimpses of trees through the heavy fog in the region. I seemed to be very far away from civilization, a feeling reinforced by the deserted and sometimes desolate stations along the way and the empty wagon was I in. Just to be on the safe side, I sprinkled some garlic perfume on myself, and though it may have saved me from some sneaky vampire, it was absolutely useless against other blood-sucking creature - the Romanian taxi driver. Be sure to always ask your hotel which companies are reliable.

Transylvania turned Dracula into a cash cow. My first stop was Braşov, a Saxon town close to Bran castle, more commonly known as Dracula's castle. The link to Vlad the Impaler is tenuous at best but that hasn't prevented a whole cornucopia of Dracula/Vlad souvenirs from springing around the castle: mugs, masks, capes, fake blood, whatever people can come up with. Sighişoara, Vlad's birthplace, is more discreet but also cashes in on him: the house where he was born is now home to a yellow restaurant where you can buy Vampire Coffee. I'm sure that if Vlad came back and saw what has become of his name, some new trees would appear in his forest.

But perhaps as colorful (or scary) as Dracula/Vlad stories is a train ride in one of the so-called Romenian "Personal" trains. Yes, the guidebook advised to avoid them but I didn't have a choice so I took one from Sighişoara to Sibiu, a 60-mile (95 km) trip that cost €3.50 and took 2.5 hours. It sounds terribly slow but you'd understand if you saw the train - it looked freshly rescued from a scrap metal lot and the symphony of rattles and squeaks could rival anything on your iPod/mp3 player. Some fellow passengers were likewise unforgettable...midway through the ride, a joyful group came in and proceeded to dance and picnic in the wagon before being thrown out at the next station because they had no tickets. As I looked at the crumbly mess that they had made and figured it would remain there until the train's kingdom come, two little mice showed up and cleaned everything at the blink of an eye. I've never seen such low-cost efficiency anywhere else in the world.

Weddings & Facelifts

Bulgaria is one of the oldest countries in Europe, founded in the late 7th century when Bulgars from Central Asia established an independent state called Great Bulgaria. Located at the junction of trade routes that linked Europe to Asia and Africa, Bulgaria was traversed by many ancient cultures and, as a result, Roman, Greek, Byzantine and Turkish influences are seen in the country's architecture, arts, cuisine and religious heritage. On the downside, Bulgaria's strategic position caught the eye of powerful states competing for land, and the country was often under foreign rule - the Byzantines from the early 11th to the late 12th century, and the Ottomans for 500 years starting in the late 14th century.

Bulgaria adopted Christianity in the late 9th century, and a boom in monastery construction followed. Many were destroyed during Ottoman rule, but the Turks did not attempt to convert all Bulgarians to Islam so the monasteries that survived became key in preserving the cultural heritage and identity of Bulgarians. Thanks to their efforts during the era known as the "Turkish yoke", many examples of early church architecture are found in the country to this day, and Orthodox Christianity remains the dominant religion, with over 80% of the population adhering to it. The Orthodox churches are quite impressive on the outside, specially on sunny days when their golden domes glisten in the sun, but I found the inside generally underwhelming, too somber and sometimes even oppressive.

Sofia, the country's capital, is known as the city that "grows but does not age". Growing it is – it now holds 20% of the country’s population. And it’s fighting aging through some much needed facelifts. However, like any such procedure, it doesn’t look very appealing until you see the end result. But in between cranes and construction fences, one thing is evident: Bulgarians love a wedding. I saw five in merely two days, with brides and grooms coming and going in big fancy decorated cars followed by crews of photographers and videographers.

More interesting than the capital are Bulgaria’s historic towns, of which Plovdiv and Veliko Tarnovo are worthy examples. Both these towns have old quarters with steep cobblestone lanes cutting through hills and filled with houses typical of the Bulgarian National Revival period (18th and 19th centuries), made with timber and with overhanging painted facades. Plovdiv is the best preserved of the two but Veliko Tarnovo has more character and sits on a more dramatic setting, with houses perched on the hills overlooking the river. In Veliko Tarnovo, the border between the old and the new town are blurrier, some artisans still practice old trades in the area known as the Bazaar, and locals call historic buildings home. True, some of them could use a facelift (a piece of a wall actually crumbled to the floor when I leaning on it while photographing…) but maybe that’s what makes Veliko Tarnovo charming – it’s unapologetically imperfect, and not overrun by tourism, a refreshing thing is this crowded, perfection-obsessed world.