The rain had been falling on and off all day, an ongoing source of irritation as one struggles with map, camera, and umbrella. By the end of the unseasonably chilly day in Brussels, I was ready for solid, straightforward comfort food as close as possible to my hotel. I was staying at 9Hotel Sablon in the Sablon neighborhood, and just around the corner, at the end of the cobblestone Place du Grand Sablon, I found what I was looking for at Café Leffe. Read about it >
Author Archives: stephentravels
Charming Canalside Accommodations in Bruges
With its medieval glories, seductive canals, and the seemingly always-present mouthwatering aromas of chocolate and waffles in the air, Bruges, Belgium, boasts an undeniable appeal for visitors. That’s both good and bad—increased tourism has resurrected the city and its economy, but it’s also edging toward the point of becoming over-touristed, especially during the summer. Fortunately, once you head away from the bull’s-eye tourist hotspots in the city’s main squares and along the most photographed canals, you can experience a quieter Bruges that holds its own special allure. One of the best ways to enjoy that is by staying at Hotel Ter Duinen, close enough to the city’s main attractions via a 15-minute walk or convenient bus ride, yet removed enough to envelope you in the undisturbed tranquility of one of Europe’s best-preserved cities. Read about it >
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Caribbean Dreamin’
My first trip to the Caribbean was to St. Martin, which also included a high-speed catamaran to St. Barts and a slow ferry with airplane passenger seats to Anguilla. My second was aboard a Royal Caribbean cruise ship that called at half a dozen islands. Since then, I’ve returned to the Caribbean multiple times, always to different islands, each with its own personality and vibe, all with outstanding beaches, friendly locals, terrific food, and interesting sights. It remains my go-to vacation spot when I want a vacation away from my frenetic trips elsewhere. Read about the top five Caribbean islands >
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Tile Style
Tile art is a common feature throughout the Mediterranean, and Lisbon has the best museum exclusively dedicated to it. After only a couple of days in the Portuguese capital, I knew I had to check it out. Throughout the city, and, indeed, the entire country, you’ll see this art form, called azulejo, everywhere, from the tiniest trinkets to the walls of the parrot house in Lisbon, from huge religious panels on the outsides of churches to grand historical scenes in São Bento railway station in Porto. And the National Tile Museum explains it all to you through its spectacular collection. Read about it >
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Once Bitten, Twice Shy: How a Restaurant in Richmond Redeemed Ethiopian Food for Me
I had eaten Ethiopian food only once, in Washington, D.C. (often ranked as one of the best U.S. cities for this cuisine), and, frankly, it was gross. But that was three decades ago, so when I came across Addis Ethiopian Restaurant in Richmond, Virginia, I was eager (and a bit apprehensive) to give it a second chance to cure my aversion. Read about it >
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Oklahoma’s Churches Are More Than OK
Adolf Hitler in stained glass. Dogs attending services. An Art Deco beauty co-designed by a female architect way back in 1929. A collateral victim of one of the worst terrorist attacks on U.S. soil. An abbey church on a now defunct college campus. Visiting churches in Oklahoma proved to be a highly unusual experience. More than just beautiful structures, these houses of worship are packed with some truly fascinating stories. Read about the top five churches in Oklahoma >
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History and Mystery at The Commonwealth
For a carless week in Richmond, Virginia, I wanted a hotel centrally located to most of what I planned to see that I could reach by walking. I found it in the 110-year-old The Commonwealth, in the heart of downtown. I found it to be friendly, truly convenient, and quite comfortable. What I didn’t expect to find, however, was a series of supernatural occurrences that exceeded the parameters of normal hotel room idiosyncrasies and kept my stay here an ongoing guessing game of what would happen next. Read about it >
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Scotland’s Museums Are True Treasures, Inside and Out
Viking chess pieces. A 62-page book on how to be safe from air raids. One of the world’s top five clocks and one of the top five Crucifixions (thank you, Salvador Dalí). A parade of important historical figures from the fifth century on. I found all of them, and so much more, in the museums in Scotland, perfect refuges when mercurial weather drives you inside (after you’ve taken a good look at their gorgeous outsides). Read about the top five museums in Scotland >
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Pub Grub Done Right
I had just taken a one-mile late-afternoon walk along the old canal in Richmond, Virginia, now transformed from an abandoned industrial hub to a quiet pedestrian walkway where you can still see glimpses of the manmade canal’s heyday when it spurred the city’s economic growth. Up the stairs to street level, I began to search for a dinner spot, in the mood for comfort food. I quickly found it in the sole survivor of a mostly demolished freight depot that shut down in the 1980s at Southern Railway Taphouse. Read about it >
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Comfort Food Without the Wrong Kind of Spirits
I was trying to determine if my hotel in Richmond, Virginia—the Commonwealth—was haunted or not. Drawers that opened by themselves, toilet bowls that never flushed the same way twice, lights turned on after I switched them off earlier in the day, an air conditioner that continued to click on and off after I unplugged it from the wall. The Commonwealth doesn’t bill itself as haunted, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the 110-year-old hotel in this terrifically historic city has a few supernatural things lurking about. Fortunately, none of them showed up during my dinner at the hotel’s restaurant, Rueger’s, so you can enjoy your meal where the only spirits come in a glass. Read about it >
Stephen Travels 