This week Slate has been running a well-done well-traveled series on, of all places, Lebanon. I think it’s a good bet that most people, not to mentoin most Americans, probably do not know that Lebanon has a storied past as one of the finest vacation spots in the world. Sadly, what it is known for mostly these days is bombings, death, fanaticism and all the fun stuff we have come to associate these days with the Mid East overall. Not that you’re going to want to book your ticket today and/or strap on your suicide bomb belt, but the article adds some fine insight into what makes Lebanon a good tourist spot after all.
Genealogy Trips – A Family Affair
Looks like there are some great ways to vacation while doing a little bit of family research. If you
have ancestors from Scotland, Wales, Ireland, or England there is a great list of family
history tours located on Travel Quest.
Isn’t going to museums so much cooler when you find your own family
history tucked somewhere inside? Check out this link for tours in
Dublin.
Early Black Explorers
Before there was all fun, games, and watching the animal kingdom run across the high plains of Africa for the
heck of it, movement across lands happened for several important reasons. In some regions of Africa it was to avoid disease, war,
climate change, academic interest and in others for religion. Though these are all still reasons for
travel today and all provide a great deal of
adventure, the BBC
World Service has a fine piece on some of the earliest black explorers across the continent of
Africa. Nice read for the last day of black history month.
Shanghai
The LA Times is all
about
Shanghai, with a great piece about one of the world’s most interesting, up-and-coming cities. Chris Hawthorne, a
solid writer, delivers a good mix of on the spot reporting and informative history. It covers architecture, food,
sights…just about everything you need to know to go.
To the Olympics?
Hey, where are the Winter Olympics next year? Don’t know?
Turin, Italy.
So what about heading to the
Olympics next February? A year is not too far in advance to book. Take a look at the
Turin 2006 Web site for more info on
the games next year.